I am a creative soul living and working on Turrbal and Yuggera Country in Brisbane, Queensland.
I make sculptural ceramic artwork that makes my heart sing and other people happy.
MY PRACTICE
My work is, at first glance, a celebration of birds and flowers—but at its core, it is an inquiry into joy and connection.
It reflects the joy I find in combining the tactile experience of clay with human themes and botanical inspiration. This sense of playfulness translates into my finished pieces, inviting others to share in that feeling.
As someone from elsewhere else, native flora and fauna offer the South African in me a uniquely Australian way to connect to my adopted home. I explore design, colour and pattern through flowers and foliage and use native birds to bring implied movement, song and often a human narrative.
Underlying all my work is a reminder of our fragile relationship with the natural world.
MY WORK
I create sculptural vessels and totem poles. In my vessels, I explore themes of connection through the rhythms of change—domestic life, friendship, nostalgia and the interplay of absence and return. I draw inspiration from shifting seasons and the ebb and flow of life, weaving threads that mark people, places and past experiences.
They offer a space to playfully explore the relationship between form and surface. I incorporate leather cord, thread, grass and mosaics, to add layers of texture and meaning. Each piece is hand-built, layered with slip, colour and texture across varied clay bodies, and finished with glazes, underglazes, stains and oxides.
My totem sculptures are different. They are bold and designed to make an expressive statement. Each conical form, crowned with a single totem, stands as a quiet yet powerful sentinel among foliage in courtyards and balcony gardens. I enjoy the freedom these simple forms offer — space to paint, carve and layer marks that together build depth and texture, creating imagery that invites contemplation.
Whether through surface design or sculptural form, I embrace the flexibility of moving between two- and three-dimensional art — keeping my practice dynamic and ever-evolving.
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
BUSHLAND IMPRESSIONS IV
SAT 23 MAY - SUN 7 JUNE 2026
MAROOCHY BUSHLAND BOTANIC GARDENS, Sunshine Coast, Queesland
Bronwyn Barton, Kristina Pearson, Kath Melzer, Pattie Murray and Susan Trimble
Makers Perspective is back in 2026... at a new time of year and for an extra long two weeks exhibition! I am delighted to be invited back again and this time with ceramic artist, Pattie Murray. Lots of new, beautiful botanical work!
📅 Sat 23 May - Sun 7 June 2026
🕙 10am-4pm daily
ARTISANS IN THE GARDENS
SAT 24 OCT - SUN 1 NOV 2026
LION GATE and VICTORIA LODGES, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
The much–loved Artisans Exhibition will return in 2026, once again celebrating the skill, creativity and diversity of Australia’s artist community.
I am excited to be part of this wonderful exhibition of exceptional works across a wide range of practices, including ceramics, textiles, woodwork, jewellery, metalwork and mixed media. Visitors can look forward to a beautifully curated collection that reflects both traditional craftsmanship and contemporary innovation.
📅 Sat 24 Oct - Sun 1 Nov 2026
🕙 10am-4pm daily