Perfectly imperfect

Even that which seems broken in this world still has beauty and purpose.

Printmaking has become one of the most meaningful parts of my studio practice this year. Each process—lino printing, screenprinting, and metal etching—offered a different way to explore emotion, memory, and healing. I discovered that printmaking is not just about ink on paper; it is about repetition, rhythm, and the quiet space that opens when the hands stay busy and the mind is allowed to breathe. Lino printing taught me the honesty of carving. Every cut is permanent, every

Creating What She Carried was like unfolding a lifetime—one small moment, one tender memory at a time. This concertina book became a deeply personal way for me to honour the love story shared with my husband, Allan. Each page opens to a fragment of our journey: the first connection, letters and courtship, our wedding rings, the home we built together, our children and grandchildren, years of companionship, and the gentleness required when health begins to fade. The book stret

My ceramics journey this year has been one of colour, earth, and emotional healing. I began with bright, joyful hand-built works — two small floral mugs and a bold purple-and-orange jug. These early pieces were full of warmth and playfulness, celebrating comfort, domesticity, and the small rituals that make a home feel safe. Their colours were loud, happy, and full of life, and at the time, that was exactly what I needed: permission to create joy. But as the semester deepen

The Forgotten Pumpkin began as a sculpture, but very quickly it became something much larger — a way of revisiting a childhood wound and reshaping it into strength. This piece draws on a memory of being called a “princess” as a little girl, only to have that identity quietly taken away when life changed. I was no longer the princess. I became “the pumpkin” — overlooked, forgotten, and left on the edge of the story. Creating this wearable sculpture allowed me to return to that

Blog Entry: Creating Flora Line – A Soft Sculpture of Strength and Sanctuary Over the past few months, I have been quietly working on one of the most meaningful pieces I’ve ever created: Flora Line, a fully jointed soft sculpture built from repurposed materials, wire, calico, lace, and imagination. What began as a simple studio exercise soon became a deeply personal exploration of identity, protection, and the inner world we retreat to when life becomes too heavy. Flora Line

Inversion, Intuition & Unexpected Joy I didn’t expect to enjoy this lesson — but by the time I stood back and looked at the finished piece, I was genuinely surprised. This week’s process invited me to step away from logic and perfection and instead lean into play, repetition, and surprise. The task was simple but transformative: trace the same image five times, rotating the paper each time. No concern for realism or perspective — just shape, colour, and possibility. What emer

Colour Play and Creative Inversion This week was absolutely wonderful — playful, vibrant, and full of surprises. I really enjoyed myself, especially working with bold colours and discovering how masking techniques can shape a painting in such a crisp, deliberate way. Instead of starting with the background like we usually would, this lesson flipped everything around. I painted the foreground and main subjects first, then added the middle ground, and lastly, layered in the bac

Painting with Feeling, Not Just Form This week explored abstraction and emotional expression through colour and shape. I began with soft, layered backgrounds using three muted tones mixed with white — creating gentle spaces that felt like memory, mood, and atmosphere rather than just backdrops. Using those same colours plus one more, I built a portrait where soft blends met sharp, blocky shapes. It became less about realism and more about a conversation between form and feeli

Mixing Skin Tones – Portraits in Layers Portraits once felt intimidating, but this week something shifted. I explored skin tones, underpainting, suggestion, and layered lines — learning to build faces with both structure and feeling. The grey scale and colour scale helped me see light differently, while working loosely with washes taught me that less can say more. What once felt too difficult now feels like play. I’m learning to let go, trust the process, and enjoy the strang

Framing Perception: Line, Colour, and Composition This week invited me to slow down and see with greater intention — through tone, colour, and compositional structure. Creating grey and colour scales helped me observe subtle shifts in depth and light, reminding me that colour is not just visual, but emotional. Through continuous line drawings in pencil and diluted paint, I let go of perfection and embraced instinct. These flowing marks, inspired by Matisse, taught me to trust

Painting Foundations - Surface, Substance, and the Colour of Feeling This week deepened my understanding of painting as both a physical and emotional process. Stretching my own canvas for the first time gave me a sense of quiet ownership — a reminder that every artwork begins long before the first brushstroke. Exploring different materials, from textured heavy-body paints to delicate transparent mediums, taught me that paint has personality. As I mixed colours by hand and bui

A Pause with Purpose This week offered a gentle pause — a chance to step away from the studio and reconnect with what grounds me most: nature, stillness, and time with those I love. As much as making art fills me, taking time to simply be is just as vital. In the quiet spaces between creation, I find renewal. This moment reminded me that rest is not stepping back — it’s returning to centre. Surrounded by trees, light, and love, I gathered the kind of inspiration that can’t be

Life Drawing - Marking Presence, Recording the Everyday This week was all about real-life figure drawing using charcoal — and while stepping into a room with a live model can feel a little confronting at first, this wasn’t my first rodeo. In fact, I knew our model personally, and she brought such grace and warmth to the space. It was a privilege to draw her. Her stillness, strength, and quiet confidence made the exercises not only possible, but meaningful. In Blind Contour wi

This was a tough week — I’ve never felt particularly confident when it comes to drawing faces. But I leaned in, applied myself, and surprised myself with the results. In Studio Exercise 1, I sketched four imaginary heads using proportional guidelines — discovering how structure and creativity could co-exist. Then, working large with charcoal in Exercise 2, I let intuition guide me. Standing as I drew, the marks felt alive — smudges, shadows, and strong lines began to form so

Landscapes - Light, Line and Living Spaces This week I explored the landscape through quick contour sketches, ink drawings, and detailed botanical studies. Working with pictures of the outdoors helped me focus on depth and light, while ink encouraged me to commit to what I saw without hesitation. Botanical drawing, in particular, deepened my appreciation for the structure and rhythm of nature. I utilised freshly collected Australian Natives to capture the colour and the line

Single and Two Point Perspective This week, I explored interior and exterior spaces through single and two-point perspective. What began as technical linework became a deeper lesson in focus and structure — learning how space unfolds when guided by a vanishing point. Drawing rooms and buildings taught me that perspective isn’t just geometry — it’s imagination and intent, a way to build clarity on the page and in practice. Interesting Readings: MC Escher: The Illusion of Sp

Still Life - objects This week deepened my understanding of observation. In our still life exercise, I learned that drawing isn’t just about objects — it’s about relationships between shapes and space. Shifting focus from outlines to tone, I began to see how light and shadow quietly tell the story of form. Through chiaroscuro and erasure, I explored drawing not by adding, but by revealing — letting light emerge from darkness. These early exercises reminded me that drawing is

Throughout this year-long course, I will be introduced to key techniques and materials across Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Ceramics — building a strong foundation for my emerging arts practice through skill development, artist research, and creative exploration. This series of blog entries will contain the first six months of the year-long subject, VIS1012 Foundational Studio Practice. Within these pages, I will reflect on the experience as both thrilling