I have been an art enthusiast for as long as I can remember. As a self-taught artist I have been painting for the last 10yrs rekindling my love for art after I married and had children.

I have explored a variety of mediums, always on the quest to expand my skills and try new things. Graphite, pastels, polychromos pencil, acrylic, oils, watercolour, enamel glassware and ceramic paint, face & body paint and air brush are the mediums I have used. I have also dabbled in dimensional mediums and latex both on canvas and the skin.

I have always had a deep appreciation for our native wildlife and in the past ten years have embarked on capturing Australian flora and fauna through my art. With my love of wildlife, particularly of birds. In recent times I discovered that I could combine my love and knowledge of birds with my artwork that ended up producing an educational package about Plovers. I want children, in particular, to understand rather than fear, the unusual behaviour of many of our native birds. Many people look at birdlife in other countries as being better than here. Whereas what we have is actually, absolutely fantastic. When you look at Australian birds, they are so beautiful and unusual from the rainbow lorikeet to the cassowary. What’s not to love?

This package mentioned above contained my author/illustrated book and was based on the misunderstood Plover. This package consisted of a big book, teaching resources, puppets and ten smaller books and I am proud to say it has been used throughout the Logan area. I hope children have learnt a little on how to respect these unique birds and the importance of keeping a safe distance from them during their reproductive season. Through being awarded a Logan City Council RADF environment grant, I was able to create this educational package for primary schools and present an author workshop at five of our Logan libraries.

Someone who has inspired me to pursue my art and is a mentor to me is Sandra Temple. Sandra has a large, varied, body of work that I am in awe of. Fortunately for me I have been able to tap into her experience and knowledge to further enhance my own work. I have been able to work alongside her on many occasions, which has meant that I have been able to observe her own style at work and also seek her advice and feedback on many occasions.