During Covid lock down in Sydney, for 3 months, we were confined to a 5km radius/area of movement. As a result, the

places that were accessible for dog walking and recreation were a bit limited. Here are some responses to the situation

during that time.

Since doing the road trip, recent work is using the same large roll format, 1.5m wide x 1.5-2m long.

Recent work includes:

Sketches of a road trip top north-western New South Wales. This trip was done over 6 days to the opal mining town of Lightning Ridge.

2020 York Botanic Prize Finalist work: The naming of Anigozanthos manglesii D.Don

The work Anigozanthos m family Haemodoraceae, Red and Green Kangaroo Paw, is the subject of this piece. Its’ selection was inspired by a talk given by Professor Stephen Hopper (WA University) on the Ocbil theory as a way forward in assessing landscapes. The theory is based on indigenous approaches to the land rather than western scientific ones. Research was done in the region to the south-west of Perth.

Scientific/botanical illustration/art is a European tradition with certain conventions. The concept is to show how a European binomial system of nomenclature (Linnaean) has colonised Australian landscapes. It is not a critique of this universal system, rather a lens by which to see the impact of how a foreign convention spatially and intellectually superimposed on plants works in an unrelated, non-European environment.  

The question that I posed then was what are the meanings of the names given to the plant using the European naming system? The story and meanings of the European botanical name overlays the formerly unheard/unknown indigenous names of the plant given by the local Noongar (Nyonngar) people of the south-western corner of Western Australia. From these descriptions and meanings develops a story that forms an alternative representation of the plant. The work dissembles then reassembles the plant into a complex and layered representation of place using the landscape as a back drop for the work.

The representation of the landscape and plant is influenced by the non-humanist approach of contemporary Australian artist, John Wolsely, who views the landscape from within rather than from afar.