First of all, how is is March already?! To say it's been a busy (dare I say hectic?!) start to the year is an understatement. I had a gradual return to work from mat leave at the end of last year, I eased back in with a few odd hours here and there - mostly painting for my solo show at Lon Retreat.

2025 has seen me back in full swing! Well as "full swing" as it gets when you’ve got two smalls kids and daycare etc. My current set up looks like 1 full day and two part days in the studio plus the occasional Saturday or Sunday for a workshop - it's not much compared to what I used to do, but I'll take it! Time in the studio each week is very important to me and makes me better in all the other parts of life.

2025 kicked off with a unexpected twist, my exhibition 'Finding My Way' got extended for a further 8 weeks at Lon Retreat. I went in and wrapped the sold works and sent them off to their new homes. With a little rearrange and a handful of extra pieces added it was back to looking fabulous. A huge thank you to my framers who both leaped up and helped me get those extra pieces presentation ready and on the walls. Sunday 2 March was the final day of the show so I'm headed back shortly to uninstall the remaining work. You can see what is still available here.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop in and view this body of work. It was the first time I've presented landscape works in an exhibition and when you're well known for something else, this can be quite daunting! I was so confident in these works and the series as a whole, it was a really good feeling. To be able to share them with everyone in such a special space was the icing on the cake.

Next came along the excellent news that I was a finalist in Inside This Box Art Prize at the Corner Store Gallery in Orange. The work also found a new home, which is always a thrill! 

 

'Dancing with the Moonah' - Finalist in the 2025 Inside This Box Art Prize

 

My friend Andrea Shaw and I had a couple of really fun play days in the studio. We are both really excited to explore monoprinting. So we got out the gelli plates and the brayers, tried some kitchen lithography and some other techniques. Just generally starting to wrap our brains around this fun but slightly finicky process! I had some real struggles with my paper at one stage and ruined quite a few prints! I love learning new things though and I'm looking forward to spending some more time playing.

 

Here's a little sample of some of the gouache monoprints I made.

 

I've been a little quiet on socials because recently I've been neck deep in a grant application. It required almost all of my brain space! Thankfully that's submitted now so I can get back into painting. I am seeking funding for a big project for next year and you have to work so far in advance with these kinds of things. You can get a little sneak peek of the project here, more on that over the coming months.

Besides all of that, it's about now that I need to start working on the series for the next calendar. I've got the idea, I just need to get started. It's going to be another showstopper, trust me! You'll be able to see the works evolve on my Youtube, Instagram and Facebook over the coming months.

I've also got a solo show lined up for late September. Lots and lots of painting to do this year! Again, I've got the idea cemented and I have actually started work on them. I'm wanting to do some more large scale landscapes so I need time on my side as they take a fair bit longer to produce.

And last but not least I'm beginning to research some new online course ideas. It's been a while since I produced the last two, Compose, Paint, Create Parts 1 and 2. I'm throwing some concepts together and seeing what sticks, which ones I get excited about, which ones fade and I'll go from there. It takes me some time to go from concept through to delivering an online course - there are many, many steps! I also like to get my students involved in focus groups and surveys, so if this is you, keep an eye out!

Enough news from me now, thanks for reading! I'll keep you all posted on developments.