My newest artwork, What the Red Caps Hide: Lime Bloom, was SOLD at the 50x50 Exhibition at Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne.
This tree portrait is inspired by the extraordinary flowers and seed capsules of Eucalyptus macrandra. The vivid red nut caps seem to guard a surprise beneath them: luminous lime-green blossoms that transform the tree into an explosion of colour.
What the Red Caps Hide: Lime Bloom
2026
Acrylic and texture paste on wood
50 × 50 cm
📍 Brunswick Street Gallery
Level 1 & 2, 322 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
🗓 Exhibition: 20 June – 3 July
🥂 Opening Night: Friday 26 June, 6–9 pm
🕙 Open Tue–Sat 10am–5pm | Sun 11am–4pm | Closed Mondays
Still time to see the 2026 Fifty Squared Art Prize — Australia’s largest open-call exhibition for wall-based works (50×50cm and under), featuring over 900 artworks. So much incredible work in one space — a true snapshot of contemporary practice.
In the fifth grade, I first tried watercolour painting—and it instantly became a source of immense joy. The way the pigments danced and blended on paper felt like magic. I discovered that watercolours have a mind of their own: their fluidity and unpredictability invite collaboration rather than control. Over the years, this dialogue between brush, water, and pigment has stayed with me. Every time I pick up a watercolour brush, I’m reminded of that first spark of discovery in year 5—the joy of watching colours flow freely, forming something beautiful and unexpected. My journey with art didn’t stop there. I’ve dedicated my entire life to studying and working with various materials—acrylics, oils, texture pastes, and more—each offering its own challenges and rewards. Yet watercolour remains my first love, the medium that taught me to trust the process and embrace the beauty of imperfection. Even today, that simple act of dipping the brush in water brings not only pigments to paper but also a flood of memories, a quiet sense of gratitude, and a profound satisfaction that has endured since those early school days.
There is a particular kind of magic in creating art surrounded by so many artworks. Working within the exhibition space was deeply inspiring, and behind us you could glimpse True Blue & a Little Bit of Yellow — AUSTRALIANA unfolding around the workshops. I am immensely proud of everyone who took part in the painting workshops during the Australiana exhibition. Scarlett banksia bloomed in every artwork, each one different, each one full of care and attention. The second workshop focused on native flowers, and the results were so strong that it became hard to tell which work was mine and which belonged to the participants. That level of engagement and confidence is something truly special. People often ask how to cope with stress, how to live with worry, how not to feel overwhelmed by the news from Ukraine. My answer is simple: respond in the way you can, and stay connected. Art, shared time, and human presence matter. Thank you to everyone who came to support, create, and be present. I hope these workshops brought moments of light and positive energy. We choose to live fully, to stay strong, stay together, and find joy in art and friendship — despite everything.
