Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

The first and defining work of this new series of botanical works is an observational study of the Kapok Bush seed pod, flower and stem. I stumbled across this particular specie on Mt. Luisa in Townsville on a hike and mistook it for a fruit. It seemed to have so many gorgeous elements, and I knew it would open up a door of creativity! So it began….

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

When the seed pod opens in the summer heat and the useful cotton sifts out, this is an indicator that crocodile eggs are ready to hatch! It’s also easy to mistake these pods for fruit. I’m sure most species have greater dialogue with its surroundings, and luckily there was enough information on the Kapok out there.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

In this study of the Kapok Bush, I decided to exclude the stem branch and attach the flower to the seed pod stem to highlight the features more and pay homage to artists like William T. Cooper and Hannah Murray whom have done this successfully. Ants are a huge fan of this bush, and so their pheromones they leave behind for the colony to find are on display, too.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

Again, I’ve stripped away the seed pod and branch to emphasise on this beautifully, vibrant, edible flower. Turns out that when these flowers are in bloom, it is a good indicator that Turtle and Crocodile eggs are being laid.

Graphite on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

I read that Corkwood leaves are alkaloids. They can be used to spike water, so that when animals drink from it, they’re easier to catch. The Buffel in the background, as always a symbol of westernisation is to indicate these practices rarely take place anymore.
I created this particular scene below a corkwood in Larapinta near my home. The buffel was removed and I dug a hole and brought buckets of water and hopefully gave this tree a longer life.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

I painted this fiery background they day it rained in Alice, which does not happen often at all, very uncanny…. It was also the day Darwin went into lockdown, and so a viral strain appearance was conjured.
This, however is a focus on simple story telling behind the specie. Mature Corkwoods only have leaf blades at the end of their branches but the juvenile ones have them all the way to the top. There are only thin layers of bark until bushfires rip through the country and the bark builds durability and give the trees that scarred/corkwood look they are famous for.

Ink on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

The bold trunk and fork feathered leaved of a juvenile Corkwood has such a nice illustrative look, that an ink drawing was to heighten that look. This was my first ink work in years and thoroughly enjoyed working with the negative vs. positive space.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

Now that a bushfire has ripped through this corkwood, it’s time for the bark to recover and build a fire-proof surface. A scarred look and texture westerners associated with corks. Hence the name.

Ink on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

This strand of Dead Finish is meant to appear sharp, contrasting and strenuous. A piece that could blur the line between appearing as a native specie or introduced Playing with the idea of appearing like a Covid strain, something sinister. Inspiration from William T. Cooper’s ‘Lowland Rainforest’ 1983.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

It had been 9 works in before I thought I should do another accurate depiction of the specie I was recently invested in. I love the sharp leaves, they make a tree look so insignificant from afar, until you’re about to run into one….

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

One month after the Olive Pink Botanic Garden’s inedible Bush Tomato’s bloomed like crazy, they withered away just as quickly when the sun got too hot and the grasshoppers and Yeperenye caterpillars had their feed. The tomatoes are not visible to reiterate the inedible nature of this specific specie.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

This plant is an ‘early coloniser’ as said by Olive Pink curator Ian Coleman. An early coloniser is a specie that rapidly sprouts after an invasive specie has been rid of. In this case, buffel was taken out of the area and the first most commonly spread specie to colonise the area was the bush tomato. This particular specie is poisonous: Solanum Quadriloculatum. I’ve chosen not to include the tomatoes to emphasise on its inedibility. The ecosystem surrounding this plant is incredibly alive and abundant!

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

(Ayepe, Yepetja) Sticky Tar-vine. The Yeperenye belongs to the plant according to its dreaming. I’ve now found the yeperenyes feeding on Bush Tomato leaves, Sticky Tar-vine, Purslane and Puncture Vine. x4 sources that are absolutely flourishing right now after this rain. I had the joy of watching hundreds… and i mean hundreds of these critters on the side of the road with a friend. The leaves of this plant typically occur in pairs and one is usually bigger than the other. Let’s call it the Big Brother arrangement!

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

A playful look at the Yeperenye snacking on its favourite treat, the Tar-Vine.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

Or the Rock Fuchsia bush. Of the 40 species of Eremophila in the NT, 30% have medicinal properties. There’s an abundance of these on the Emily to Jessie Gap walk. Looking at these little canopies from above resembles Margaret Scobie’s bush leaf medicine paintings.
Peter Latz said in his latest botanical book ‘Tough, Tantalising or Tasty’ that the leaves are good in tea for sore throats. Tried and if you can get past the bitterness. Thumbs up.

Ink on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

The 2 bold, intricate works previously done kept standing out from the other 15 works finished so far, and as I studied William T. Cooper’s ‘Lowland Rainforest’, I realised the level of depth this man has reached is just beyond me! I knew I needed to focus on depth with this work and I feel I have only scratched on the surface of the style, but I’m happy with the end result.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

A topographical look at this species without its stem is the standard look you will see in local aboriginal depictions of Arethe. I decided to pay homage to this style, whilst trill trying to botanically true. I wanted the surplus of ants that border the work to give a real earthy feel and serve as one of the dominant creatures in the red centre.

Ink on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

I’ve had this design up my sleeve for the past 3 years with 2 paintings coming from it, and now finally an ink work. The contrasting look is exactly what I envisioned. Although very laborious, it is a very rewarding final look.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
72cm x 52cm

I wanted this painting to take me back to the bush and remind me of the glistening look in the morning light that a clear winter day provides. Although this bush usually has many many more canopies, I restrained from adding too many, and to keep that illustrative look. A look that is both accurately true, but enchanting and fun, something you experience whilst bush-walking.

Acrylic on Arches Watercolour Paper
27cm x 36.5cm

I used 2 separate sketches to form this composition. I really liked the simplicity of this design and how it feels resolute but also begs the question, what the flowers look like, where the coconut grub is and what its role is? This specie has a lot of elements worth exploring, but for now, a simple observational design will suffice.