Birding has taught me to pay attention.

Spending time observing Australian birds has changed the way I see the world. I have come to realise that they live rich, wild lives parallel to our own, unfolding in plain sight. While we are absorbed in our daily routines, they are building nests, finding partners, raising young, defending territories and feeding their families; sadly even experiencing their own pandemics.

Lifelines grew from these observations. Each painting is rooted in the careful study of Australian birds, native flowers, and the landscapes they inhabit; a living presence that sustains these lives through shelter, food and continuity across generations.

This awareness has also brought a deeper sensitivity to what is at stake. The more familiar these birds become, the more acutely I feel the loss of habitat and the quiet disappearance of species from places where they once belonged.

Lifelines reflects on the connectedness of all living things. By attending more closely to the natural world, we may begin to recognise that we are not separate from nature, but part of a broader narrative.