becoming a nature artist

living on the northern beaches during my teens, helped lay the foundations for my daily practice of alone time in nature, as i would sneak out of our busy house after dinner, find a favourite rocky outcrop and watch the sky change colour, while hawks hovered above, tree martins darted in and out, and people on their walks far below were unable to disturb my private reflections

in my early teens bird identification became somewhat of an obsession after borrowing binoculars from my grandpa and heading into the local bushland nature reserve, where i waited so quiet and patient for the tiniest birds to land right in my line of sight

what started out as a lesson in ornithology, with bird identification books that awakened my awareness of the significance of habitat, introduced species and seasonal migration on bird populations, progressed through a science project into lasting inspiration for paintings and drawings

now days, no matter where i am, being close to nature is the most significant influence on my mood and creativity, so i am usually very proactive about getting out into the outdoors to experience the landscape, which for me is often akin to being inside a magnificent masterpiece

during a period where my physical health prevented me from enjoying my daily walks, it became important to find other ways to connect with nature, using the time to observe closely the texture of a leaf, vein pattern, arrangement on the stem, or even the colour and grain patterns of an old piece of driftwood, finding endless fascinating subjects for art-making or even just a moment of quiet reflection