Composure Through Conduction

91.5 x 123cm

Oil on canvas

Composure Through Conduction illustrates what living with epilepsy is like for me. Changes in barometric pressure cause absence seizures that may appear benign but feel like a storm inside my head. My visible symptoms are blinking, staring, or pausing mid-sentence, yet their greater impact lies in the internal disruption: sudden anxiety, detachment, impaired concentration, memory loss, and severe migraines. This makes my thinking unreliable, as though my brain is misfiring or lagging, leaving scarring on both mind and body.

When storms arise, I experience clusters of severe symptoms that impair my ability to engage with the world. Growing up, I learned to mask my symptoms—projecting composure while hiding the storm inside. Painting became a way to see through the storm.

This self-portrait aims to increase awareness of epilepsy’s hidden impacts. Juxtaposing internal chaos with external composure, revealing the dissonance between lived experience and outward perception.

Lace Heart

100 x 100cm

Oil on canvas

FINALIST Noosa Art Prize 2026

 Exhibition 9 - 29 October 

  Lace sits at the heart of my work as a powerful symbol — at once fragile and resilient. Its intricate construction mirrors the complexity of our own DNA: delicate in appearance, yet strengthened through interconnection and repetition.

From six weeks after conception, to the moment we exhale our last breath, the heart beats continuously. Minute after minute, day after day, our heart pumps tirelessly. There are no rest breaks, no days off; the heart continues to beat. 

The strength of this organ belies the fragility of life, hiding an inescapable truth. When it stops, we stop.

This piece explores the anatomical foundations of life which weave throughout us. Highlighting the juxtaposition of their innate strength against the delicate nature of life.

Reformation II

91.5 x 122cm

Oil on canvas

I have been enamoured with this period since being exposed to its beauty. While the backdrop is a 16th century room divider, part of a collection at the great, Elizabethan building, Burghley House in Stamford, England. Northern European paintings of the Renaissance (14th-17th Century) was typically characterized by oil paints, realism and the ability to hide subtle details, that reveal a deeper meaning beyond the surface.

The lace depicted in this piece was acquired from Leiden, Holland (my family’s homeland) by a local fabric maker. As my work continues to pay homage to my family and that of my mother, the link between the knowledge she has shared with me especially of this period will forever hold in strength.