I'm often drawn to objects that feel like they carry stories, this goes back to my previous career as an Antique/Vintage dealer, searching for elusive objects. I adore things that have been treasured, passed down, then forgotten, looking for a home. Perhaps I see a little of myself in that.

In this work I've gathered a few favourite finds from my collections - a 1950's piecrust mirror, a 1930's bakelite thermos, an early Fowlers preserving jar and a ceramic beagle bookend and set them alongside a handful of Australia Banksia. Together they form a conversation between two worlds: the inherited European domestic influence and the raw, distinctly Australian landscape. Placing these found items next to the banksias, which are bold, sculptural, and distinctly Australian, there is a contrast that I find quite fascinating. A reminder of how our visual and cultural identity is layered together not purely from one heritage, but from what was brought here and what was already here, in the land. Separate and yet together these are silent objects that hold immense cultural memory for different people.

I think of my practice as a way of honouring the everyday, past and present. My home is filled with objects and moments from the past flourishing in the present, appreciated and loved and I wanted to express that feeling in this painting. My studio is surrounded by National Parks on top of a mountain. Native species, flora and fauna abound and within that our home filled with found trinkets from the past. It’s a reminder of how our visual and cultural identity is stitched together over many years.

This painting is as much about memory and identity as it is about objects. It asks what we keep, what we inherit, and what we place side by side in our homes and in our history. For me, it’s an attempt to hold those questions still for a moment, and invite the viewer to recognise something of themselves in the arrangement.