A sense of dislocation and disconnection has  profoundly influenced my journey of identity and  belonging, distorted through the lens of adoption. 

In this work I celebrate the women who settled in the Western Plains of regional NSW, and seek to create connections with their stories, their sense of dislocation and loss of the familiar resonating.

Remaining close to the media of embroidery and  needlework linked to what is seen as traditional women’s work found in local   museums,  recognising in it an opportunity to re-combine  these skills in a new way, seeing value and placing importance on practices that have always been a part of my life.

   “You don’t know where you’re going if 

   you don’t know where you have been”                               – Maya Angelou

With regional towns closed with COVID I freed  myself from the structure of colonial gardens,  exploring instead plants on verges of the natural landscape.  Following Anna Atkins botanical work with cyanotype, I gathered objects, botanical material and photographs creating new layers of meaning, and suspending the vesica shaped canvases to retell their stories in a contemporary setting.

In acknowledging the women of this region I hope to spark conversations of reminiscing and wonder, a celebration of women’s ability to adapt, create and endure life’s changes, and to recognise, value and carry forward their achievements.