“The symbiotic collection captures the delicate beauty found in the intricate details of a flower petal or a moths wing. Drawing focus toward some of the smallest members of the plant and animals kingdoms which, often overlooked, play a vital role in the preservation of Earth’s biodiversity and the careful balancing of ecosystems. How did you go about portraying this message in your pieces?”.

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I grew up in New Zealand. My family installed in me a respect for the environment and a clarity as to the fragile nature of it from an early age. It is our responsibility in this life to be caretakers of the land. When Silk Laundry approached me to collaborate on the upcoming collection 'Symbiotic' I wanted to highlight the disconnect I see and how we take for granted these green spaces, parks and gardens on our doorstep. The question I keep coming back to is when was the last time I noticed bees in my neighbourhood?

“How did you approach the creative process when starting these pieces?”

I spend a lot of my time interested in rewilding projects and sustainable farming. So I first looked at spaces in Sydney where previous industrial / urban areas have been repurposed into green spaces. Out of this my first painting in the collection was gardens of the Paddington Reservoir. (The reservoir was originally part of Sydney’s third water supply system). From here I used my own and found imagery to locate other places of interest. Gardens that had been shaped, moulded, used for purposes and were providing habitats for the many creatures that go unnoticed.

“What materials and techniques did you use in these new works, and did you experiment with any new methods or styles for this collection?”

Materials wise, each custom stretched canvas is hand made in Sydney, using timber from certified sustainable grown hardwood plantations. Typically I paint with Windsor and Newton. For these artworks I used 90% Langridge Artist Colours - an independent art materials manufacturer based in Melbourne, Australia. The oil paint is a world first specifically based on contemporary high-saturation colours built to reflect the intense colour and light of Australia. These paints are made in small batches and my particular favourite colour in this collection has been Kings Blue with a slight violet cask.

Regarding technique, I started these paintings with a light sketch, with the painting typically taking on a life of its own as I work. I used thickly applied impasto passages with areas of flat brush strokes and more areas of thinly applied paint. I applied paint directly from the tube with minimal mixing / blending on the palette before applying it to the canvas. This allowed me to build physically onto the canvas and create the actual texture you see here. I really like wet on wet paint application so you can see streaks of the colours intermingled on the canvas.