Graft

I am intrigued by life in familiar suburban places. I like to imagine how the stories of plants match with those of people and the community. I ask questions like: Where did it come from? Is it local? Is it a weed? Where will it grow next? Where can I find a lemon, a bay leaf, rosemary, oregano? How does that grow there? Can I eat that? What time of the year is it when the Jacaranda flowers fall all over the ground?

This body of work was formed during a mentorship with Laura Wills. Our respective art practices incorporate abstract representation of maps and represent botanical imagery. They also come from a strong ethical and environmental foundation.

I go beyond the formal notion of parks and gardens, and through mapping and art-based documentation I observe how we engage with nature in informal green spaces. Informal green spaces are those that occur through nature’s magic, through the serendipitous distribution of seeds to vacant or abandoned land, streets, footpaths, creeks and verges.

Maps have the flexibility to communicate both the imaginary and the hyper-realistic, allowing them to be used as a tool to express unique perceptions of place. I am examining the experience of nature in the places where we live. The artworks are based on my personal study of place and contain representations of the physical world as well as of stories, myths and legends.

I am continually exploring our relationship with the natural world; the kinds of informal green spaces that are integral to our experiences and the identity of places. These are so often overlooked or forgotten by the ways we plan and think about green space. I hope to encourage my community to reflect on their personal experience of place, to share stories and opinions, and to think about our everyday encounters with informal green space.