First Coat International Art Festival, 2017
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery wall painting, Gallery Lane, Toowoomba
This work pays homage to my humble beginnings in Toowoomba where I started my creative journey here as a fresh-faced undergraduate at the University of Southern Queensland and volunteering at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery on weekends. After completing my studies I represented Toowoomba in the sister city Takatsuki as an ambassador and teacher, then returned several years later to open up an artist-run gallery with Co-founder and Director Alex Stalling. I've fulfilled my wildest creative dreams in this town, with an amazing few years of exhibitions and projects. The connections I've made mean even more - with the wealth of talented and passionate people that I've met here. The iconic red bridges of the Japanese Gardens feature in this work, where I used to spend my lunchtimes as a student. The Geisha girl, a suggestive self-portrait, is inspired by the aesthetic of Japanese ukiyo-e prints - connecting with my heritage. I feel like I've somehow come full circle in a place where I will always feel a strong connection to. My ever inescapable koi fish has finally found a home, on the side of Toowoomba's Regional Art Gallery, and I couldn't be more thrilled.
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery wall painting, Gallery Lane, Toowoomba
This work pays homage to my humble beginnings in Toowoomba where I started my creative journey here as a fresh-faced undergraduate at the University of Southern Queensland and volunteering at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery on weekends. After completing my studies I represented Toowoomba in the sister city Takatsuki as an ambassador and teacher, then returned several years later to open up an artist-run gallery with Co-founder and Director Alex Stalling. I've fulfilled my wildest creative dreams in this town, with an amazing few years of exhibitions and projects. The connections I've made mean even more - with the wealth of talented and passionate people that I've met here. The iconic red bridges of the Japanese Gardens feature in this work, where I used to spend my lunchtimes as a student. The Geisha girl, a suggestive self-portrait, is inspired by the aesthetic of Japanese ukiyo-e prints - connecting with my heritage. I feel like I've somehow come full circle in a place where I will always feel a strong connection to. My ever inescapable koi fish has finally found a home, on the side of Toowoomba's Regional Art Gallery, and I couldn't be more thrilled.
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