Growing up in Kirra, straight opposite the beach, I remember the view we had of the ocean. I’d wake up in the morning to my parents, drinking their cup of tea, looking out the window to the ocean. It was a nice thing to wake up to. 

It’s a special time in the day when the sun radiates an orange/red hue in the afternoon sky. Feeling that the sun has energised me for another day fills me with joy.

I remember as a teenager living opposite the surf at Kirra. My mates and I would go check out the waves. There were periods when there were no waves for weeks and the boys would get restless.

As a child, I loved going to the back beaches of the Tweed coast. I spent a lot of time swimming, surfing and digging for pippies with my family. I loved climbing up the massive sand dunes and rolling back down.

This painting shows Oma and Pop playing with my daughter Lena, while Emma and I go for a walk along the beach. Lena always enjoys spending time with her grandparents.

There’s a small stretch of mangrove forest along Currumbin Creek with a boardwalk that takes you from one end to the other. My family love walking this track, enjoying the ecosystems that remain along our fragile coastline.

When I was a kid the old fullas would call me boy.

“Boy come here”, “Boy do this”, “Boy go there”

I guess it was how the old fullas back then talked, especially to kids.

When I was a kid the old fullas would call me boy.

“Boy come here”, “Boy do this”, “Boy go there”

I guess it was how the old fullas back then talked, especially to kids.

When I was a kid the old fullas would call me boy.

“Boy come here”, “Boy do this”, “Boy go there”

I guess it was how the old fullas back then talked, especially to kids.

Growing up in a fishing family I experienced the entire process, from start to finish, on a daily basis. I remember the smell of the fish, raw and cooking. Dad would catch the fish. Mum would scale, fillet then cook the fish. Sharing the catch with the family was something we celebrated. Mum would bake it, fry it, put it in soup or make fish curry. Nothing was wasted. 

In this painting I honour my mother, my aunty and my grandmother. I honour their journeys as saltwater women, living and walking on country. I know they loved the song “Pearly Shells” and sang it often. They had a strong connection to the ocean and rivers. They would regularly catch and cook pippies, oysters, periwinkle, and mud crabs. It made them happy.

WAA Bundjalung Award 2022 SOLD

In this painting my father is walking towards his fishing boat, getting ready for another night fishing in the rain. Unless it was unsafe, my father would have to fish in inclement weather. Showery, cold, windy weather didn’t stop him from fishing. SOLD

Dreaming Time is a piece I created out of the bedtime stories my partner and I read our little girl. The dreamy imagery was conducive to a good night sleep. SOLD

This painting depicts me standing in the world of dreamers, where there are no racists, homophobes, or small-minded people. A place where I can go to be made new again and again. The world of the spirit. SOLD

In this painting I use a boat to cast out a cross into the deep blue seas of life, to find firm bedrock, to lay my faith in a higher power. I turn to that higher love when I feel I’m drowning emotionally and spiritually. SOLD

I love walking in the rain. There’s something cleansing, something freeing, that my spirit enjoys. SOLD

I used to love swimming at night, especially on a clear starry night. Running into the surf. Diving under the waves. Seeing the light reflect off the ocean is always a magical experience for me. SOLD

When I was a kid the old fullas would call me boy.

“Boy come here”, “Boy do this”, “Boy go there”

I guess it was how the old fullas back then talked, especially to kids. SOLD

In this simple painting I’m trying to depict how easy it is to get overwhelmed with the ups and downs of daily life. Trying to keep one’s head literally above the rising emotional tide that can inundate our thoughts and feelings. SOLD