2025
01. Saving Lee Point, Heidi with finches.
Heidi is an inspiring activist, prop maker, and passionate bird lover. I’ve known her for several years, and we share a deep commitment to protecting Australia’s critical native forest habitats and advocating for climate action. Through her work with the Bob Brown Foundation, I’ve witnessed Heidi’s remarkable growth over the past year as she has taken on leadership roles, inspiring others to engage in sustained activism.
Although she’s not one to seek the spotlight, Heidi has stepped out of her comfort zone with a good-natured yet steely determination. In this portrait, she is pictured in her aviary, surrounded by her flock of endangered Gouldian finches. Footage of Heidi in her aviary was originally featured as part of the ‘Save Lee Point’ campaign.
Heidi is an inspiring activist, prop maker, and passionate bird lover. I’ve known her for several years, and we share a deep commitment to protecting Australia’s critical native forest habitats and advocating for climate action. Through her work with the Bob Brown Foundation, I’ve witnessed Heidi’s remarkable growth over the past year as she has taken on leadership roles, inspiring others to engage in sustained activism.
Although she’s not one to seek the spotlight, Heidi has stepped out of her comfort zone with a good-natured yet steely determination. In this portrait, she is pictured in her aviary, surrounded by her flock of endangered Gouldian finches. Footage of Heidi in her aviary was originally featured as part of the ‘Save Lee Point’ campaign.
Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
Canvas Size
120 cm x 150 cm
Canvas Size
120 cm x 150 cm
02. The Cover Up
Here’s my painting of Dr Karl named ‘The Cover Up’. In the background is a section of Ed Hawkins warming stripes showing the period between the 1977 and 1990 - a time when Exxon teamed up with Amoco, Gulf Oil, Mobil, Phillips, Shell, Standard Oil, Sunoco, Texaco and Sohio to carry out and share fully funded climate research, collecting data on the impacts of C02 on the earths temperature.
This was a pivotal period in climate history - however in 1990 the research ends abruptly and the fossil fuel industry decides that profits are more important than humanity, denying the science and appointing the ‘Climate Coalition’ to lobby and corrupt governments into the future. As part of the painting this story can be found on Dr Karl’s shirt which features excerpts from his book - Dr Karl’s Little Book of Climate Change Science.
Dr Karl has been a joy to get to know as I set out to show a different side to him, talking about a subject that he’s unashamedly passionate about - Climate Change. I’d like to thank Dr Karl and my friend Isabelle for this fun opportunity.
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Finalist
The Vincent Prize
2025
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Here’s a few pics from the opening night of the Vincent Prize! Congrats to Robby Bennett, Marion Abrahams, Johnathan Dalton and all the finalists! Special thanks to Sean and the crew at Art-Van-Go, Scratch Space and Jason Phu. I’m chuffed that Dr Karl’s portrait got selected for this cool local show.
Here’s my painting of Dr Karl named ‘The Cover Up’. In the background is a section of Ed Hawkins warming stripes showing the period between the 1977 and 1990 - a time when Exxon teamed up with Amoco, Gulf Oil, Mobil, Phillips, Shell, Standard Oil, Sunoco, Texaco and Sohio to carry out and share fully funded climate research, collecting data on the impacts of C02 on the earths temperature.
This was a pivotal period in climate history - however in 1990 the research ends abruptly and the fossil fuel industry decides that profits are more important than humanity, denying the science and appointing the ‘Climate Coalition’ to lobby and corrupt governments into the future. As part of the painting this story can be found on Dr Karl’s shirt which features excerpts from his book - Dr Karl’s Little Book of Climate Change Science.
Dr Karl has been a joy to get to know as I set out to show a different side to him, talking about a subject that he’s unashamedly passionate about - Climate Change. I’d like to thank Dr Karl and my friend Isabelle for this fun opportunity.
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Finalist
The Vincent Prize
2025
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Here’s a few pics from the opening night of the Vincent Prize! Congrats to Robby Bennett, Marion Abrahams, Johnathan Dalton and all the finalists! Special thanks to Sean and the crew at Art-Van-Go, Scratch Space and Jason Phu. I’m chuffed that Dr Karl’s portrait got selected for this cool local show.
Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
Canvas Size
120 cm x 150 cm
Canvas Size
120 cm x 150 cm
03. Mother of Climate Change
This is my portrait of amateur scientist Eunice Newton Foote - Mother of the Greenhouse Effect.
Back in 1856, Foote conducted experiments on the heating properties of different gases, including air, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide (then called carbonic acid gas). She discovered that carbon dioxide absorbed more heat than the others when exposed to sunlight.
Considering Earth’s history, she theorized:
“An atmosphere of that gas (CO₂) would give to our Earth a high temperature; and if, as some suppose, at one period of its history, the air had mixed with it a larger proportion than at present, an increased temperature from its own action, as well as from increased weight, must have necessarily resulted.”
This was a clear early statement of how increased CO₂ levels could lead to global warming.
My portrait is an artist’s impression of Eunice with her experiment. In the background, Ed Hawkins’ Warming Stripes (1856–1861) appear in cool blues, representing a time before climate change took hold. On her right-hand side, a warm glow signifies a distant future—our present reality—where her prediction has come true.
This is my portrait of amateur scientist Eunice Newton Foote - Mother of the Greenhouse Effect.
Back in 1856, Foote conducted experiments on the heating properties of different gases, including air, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide (then called carbonic acid gas). She discovered that carbon dioxide absorbed more heat than the others when exposed to sunlight.
Considering Earth’s history, she theorized:
“An atmosphere of that gas (CO₂) would give to our Earth a high temperature; and if, as some suppose, at one period of its history, the air had mixed with it a larger proportion than at present, an increased temperature from its own action, as well as from increased weight, must have necessarily resulted.”
This was a clear early statement of how increased CO₂ levels could lead to global warming.
My portrait is an artist’s impression of Eunice with her experiment. In the background, Ed Hawkins’ Warming Stripes (1856–1861) appear in cool blues, representing a time before climate change took hold. On her right-hand side, a warm glow signifies a distant future—our present reality—where her prediction has come true.
Oil on Canvas
04. Tullah House
The subject of this painting is indigenous artist and bush foods expert Kris Schaffer. Her late father was part of the “Hidden Generations” which has had a negative impact on interrelations with some indigenous peoples throughout her life. I see this as yet another example of the ongoing impact of colonialism on first nations families. Despite these hardships Kris is a caring, optimistic and generous woman. Her art is a collection of artefacts, symbols, cultural stories and personal treasures.
“I first met Kris while on the 2025 Art for Takayna residency staying at Tullah House along with eight other artists and was instantly taken by her lovely nature, knowledge of plants, culture and the obvious emotional wounds”.
“For me, through the hurt often comes great healing and growth”
Objects depicted from left to right:
Box filled with scented herbal bush leaves (smoking ceremonies)
Emu feathers (once part of Tasmania’s ecosystem, a creator spirit)
Stone tool, wrapped in emu leather strapping (from her father)
Wooden chest, often central in Kris’s work-keeper of precious things, culture, her father’s protection, secrets, and privacy (closed or open to the few) Small wooden tobacco pipe made from myrtle wood (father smoked)
Small shrine (for spiritual messaging)
Seaweed baskets made from bull kelp, containing maireener shells Killiecrankie Diamonds, (topaz, story of 7 sisters)
Stingray-skin purse (story of 3 sisters)
Myrtle branches, (guardian trees of the rainforest)
The subject of this painting is indigenous artist and bush foods expert Kris Schaffer. Her late father was part of the “Hidden Generations” which has had a negative impact on interrelations with some indigenous peoples throughout her life. I see this as yet another example of the ongoing impact of colonialism on first nations families. Despite these hardships Kris is a caring, optimistic and generous woman. Her art is a collection of artefacts, symbols, cultural stories and personal treasures.
“I first met Kris while on the 2025 Art for Takayna residency staying at Tullah House along with eight other artists and was instantly taken by her lovely nature, knowledge of plants, culture and the obvious emotional wounds”.
“For me, through the hurt often comes great healing and growth”
Objects depicted from left to right:
Box filled with scented herbal bush leaves (smoking ceremonies)
Emu feathers (once part of Tasmania’s ecosystem, a creator spirit)
Stone tool, wrapped in emu leather strapping (from her father)
Wooden chest, often central in Kris’s work-keeper of precious things, culture, her father’s protection, secrets, and privacy (closed or open to the few) Small wooden tobacco pipe made from myrtle wood (father smoked)
Small shrine (for spiritual messaging)
Seaweed baskets made from bull kelp, containing maireener shells Killiecrankie Diamonds, (topaz, story of 7 sisters)
Stingray-skin purse (story of 3 sisters)
Myrtle branches, (guardian trees of the rainforest)
Oil on Canvas
Canvas Size
112 cm x 112 cm
Canvas Size
112 cm x 112 cm