My work may appear to be about birds and flowers but it runs way deeper than that. It is about the layers of connection that make up our lives as individuals and those that link us all to a broader community. 

For me, it is the connection between my internal and external worlds. I make to process and explore my environment, emotions and ideas. We are not designed to digest the vast amount of chaos and distress we are exposed to on a daily basis. Being in nature restores my inner balance and I find working with clay transformative, grounding and restorative.

As someone who came from somewhere else, native flora and fauna offer the South African in me, a uniquely Australian, powerful and universal way to connect with my adopted home. I explore design, colour and pattern through flowers and foliage and use native birds to bring implied movement, song and sometimes a human narrative if there is one to be told.

For the ceramic sculptures I make, it is the connection of my graphic design background, love of painting, deep appreciation for nature and the ceramic process.

It is about the connection between like-minded, kind, gentle people who love birds, gardens and ceramics. My intention for all my work is to always offer anyone a happy, safe, uncomplicated opportunity to engage and really enjoy what they are looking at. 

And underlining it all is the connection between the human community and the fragility of our natural environment. Despite its masterful design and unbelievable adaptability, we will lose it if we don’t appreciate it and look after it properly.