After discovering the versatility and sculptural value of textile in my art, I have been exploring the natural environment to find natural Australian objects that I can incorporate into my work which remind the viewer of the greater and consistent beauty of our wildlife, our oceans and our bushland that surrounds us daily.

Furthermore, as a woman who loves to work with textiles such as weaving and macrame, there is something innate about practicing a traditional craft by women over centuries. Incorporating weaving into my sculptures grounds me in the feminine and reminds me of the fragility of our natural environment. The textures of fibres and wools, especially raw fleece and working with driftwood, treed branches, feathers, possum fur, corals and other found natural objects recreates and reimagines my sculpture as a natural phenomenon.

As a woman with a lived experience of mental health issues and disability, there is nothing more meditative than working with fibres and collecting/arranging objects. Weaving simulates my thought patterns and externalises them creating a calming effect. Collecting and arranging objects has a similar impact on my mind – calming, categorising, making sense of my external environment.

For me, the process of collecting natural objects from our environment is filled with enjoyment and amazement. To me, it is as though the trees, the oceans and wildlife have blessed me with elements for my art and have asked me to create something beautiful.

The whole journey of my sculpture simulates my thoughts and calms my world as I arrange and re-arrange, re-shape and shape the sculpture. I trial colours and object combinations into the sculptural piece that I feel is one with the natural environment and one that I feel others can resonate with and appreciate. In this way, I personally have touched, calmed, and reimagined a space where peace can rest in my mind and my thoughts can backtrack through the sculptural journey – a reminder always of where my peace truly sits.