About Me
I'm a Scientist!
I haven’t always been an artist, but I’ve always been a huge nerd. One of those kids who wanted to be a marine biologist ever since she could pronounce the words. Got the major in marine biology, but decided I didn’t really like it after all. So, I did a PhD in evolutionary biology instead. I learned a lot by the time I graduated, but mostly that the life of an academic seemed both arduous and precarious at the same time. For a while I worked as an inventor at a beer company, which certainly had its more entertaining and challenging moments, but it definitely still felt like something I was doing to pay the bills.
...Whoops, I'm an Artist!
During COVID lockdowns I finally got around to trying something that I’d been meaning to for years: watercolour painting. I’ve dabbled in artistic endeavours since my teen years, all self-taught, but this was the first one that really stuck. I was obsessed. I still am. Deep down, I have a fundamental need to be solving problems, and that’s basically what painting is, constant problem solving. Art scratches that itch like no other activity I’ve found before.
My Inspirations
Being a huge biology nerd, my work is more inspired by the natural world around me, rather than any particular artists. I love to take photos of nature and use them as references for my own paintings. People have asked me where I get my ideas from. I don’t think I necessarily have more ideas than other people, but I don’t discard the ones that I have easily. The challenge for creating art comes from making an idea workable and executing on it, rather than having the initial idea to begin with. Confidence and persistence are more important than good ideas.
Extraneous Details
I’m an Australian artist based in Sydney with my partner and our absolutely adorable rescue mutt, Bikkie! When I’m not painting I like playing too many video games, table top role playing games, and getting dressed up in medieval armour to bash and be bashed. My hair colour changes frequently.