They are not on my list or in the budget. But on a Friday evening, after a long week during which I have truly struggled and suffered, the color and their spirit of these hot pink tulips represent all the joy that I feel in the coming weekend. So I buy them and paint them.

Not one of my copies is a perfect representation. The lilies I paint are not as beautiful as the ones I buy from the fruit shop. The yoga postures I do are not as good as the ones I see on Instagram. My abstracts are not as exciting as the feeling that inspires them. But […]

The highlight of each week, for me, is Mass on Saturday. Behind the altar stands a wooden lattice that catches light pouring in through stained glass windows. A sea of liquid gold, and when it mingles with songs of praise my heart leaps up, so full and bright, with greater joy than I have ever […]

After a dissatisfying weekend of mainly cooking and cleaning, this is what appears on Monday’s canvas. Not perfect, but better than the rest of the house, that’s for sure.

I buy three pears from the providore on Whitehorse Road: one each for my daughter and my son, and one for my lunch mid-way through painting class. But my pear, freshly in season, looks so beautiful and quite seductive, that I decide to paint it instead (and, inadvertently, drop it on the floor and get […]

I am Australian, as were my ancestors. After being away for twelve years I am back here, my feet grounded in the soil of my present. I am grateful for the support and nourishment of this sacred earth.  I dig in, hands and feet, praying to this mother for the grace and strength I need […]

My first completed painting in Melbourne is a triumph over adversity. Since we have moved to a tiny townhouse, I have to paint in my garage. It is very dusty, the light is poor, it is too hot or too cold, there is a car in the middle of it and it is also where […]