Things about Myself that have influenced my art and the process that brings my work to life
I find that I am most inspired to create when I immerse myself in nature. I draw from the beauty of my surroundings and do my best to capture the emotions I experience in my art.
My time in nature leaves me refreshed and inspired to create and to imagine. Being surrounded by so many beautiful places makes me realise how lucky we are to be here, on Earth.
I took this picture in late 2025 at a flower festival in Canberra, known as Floriade. I wanted to reflect the delicate beauty of the flowers I saw during this trip into an oil painting, and that became the piece below.
'Where Steel Sleeps' - Oil Painting on Canvas
Where Steel Sleeps explores the quiet kind of peace that can only be found in stillness—those rare moments when time seems to slow, the world softens, and you feel completely held by the world around you.
I wanted this piece to reflect the feeling of resting in nature, where the earth seems to cradle you in something almost maternal—gentle, kind, and unwavering. It is the feeling of lying in the grass beneath the warmth of the sun, of being returned for a moment to something childlike: safety, softness, and the simple comfort of just existing.
The knight, often seen as a symbol of duty, endurance, and protection, is instead shown at rest—no longer standing guard, but surrendering to stillness. Surrounded by wildflowers and golden light, even steel begins to soften. Strength is no longer found in resistance, but in allowing yourself to be at peace.
My inspiration came from those quiet moments in nature that remind us what truly matters—when the world slows enough for you to remember that peace, not urgency, is the thing we spend our lives searching for.
This painting is about that return: to softness, to rest, and to the quiet understanding that peace is perhaps the most important thing we can ever find.
