The Bush Fairies

This series, Bush Fairies, is a tribute to the world of imagination I lived in – and still do. Made with upcycled materials, each fairy sits on a plaster disc, brought to life with acrylic, pencil, markers and soft pastel. These are not borrowed fairytales. These are new spirits, born of the bush & the plants my father grew. A hobbyist conservationist, my father was the provider and protector of our bushland. He taught me that our native life was sacred, essential to the balance. He feels the magic of the bush, too.

My mother added her magic in different ways. She filled my shelves with books of folklore with enchanting illustrations. We often made fairy circles together in the grass. She’d always leave a marshmallow there on behalf of the fairies.

Bush Fairies explores how myth is shaped by environment. Growing up immersed in Australian flora, Dreamtime stories, European folklore and English fairy tales all inform the way I see and understand magic. This work asks what it means to create a uniquely Australian brand of magic and myth.