Part of Tipping the Scales—
Tipping the Scales is my fifth solo exhibition with Maybaum Gallery and brings together a new series of paintings that explore growth and the strength of nature in a time of deep uncertainty. With so much conflict, displacement, and environmental crisis around us, I felt compelled to make work that offered a quiet resistance—an intentional act of optimism. These paintings are my way of trying to tip the scales toward something more compassionate and healing. As with much of my work, I’ve combined a range of techniques—watercolour, ink, pen, collage, spray acrylic, and encaustic wax. The layered surfaces and botanical elements speak to a love of materials and mark-making, and to the richness I find in the natural world—not as a form of escape, but as a vital source of resilience. Two key works, The Story Makers, are based on news images of destruction and human displacement. In them, I’m asking viewers to pause, to reflect, and to not become numb to the ongoing suffering around us. I want us to remember the importance of safety, resilience and compassion in these trying times. Another pair of works, Guardian I and II, depict two trees of deep personal significance. These trees quietly watch over the studios of two long-time collaborators: Wilfred Kalf in the Netherlands and Neville French in Australia. Wilfred’s wild pear tree, with its gnarled branches and gentle presence, stands sentinel beside his woodcraft studio in the Dutch countryside. Neville’s sprawling walnut tree, laced with golden lichen, grows just outside his ceramic workspace in country Victoria —its vibrant colour and form a constant companion to his relentless curiosity and experimentation. I’ve spent time with both these trees, felt their energy and quiet authority. They’ve become symbols of creative guardianship—natural anchors in the environments where ideas are shaped and refined. These paintings are my tribute to those spaces, and the quiet forces that support making.