It’s been a crazy busy couple of months, working hard to get the GOOD SPACE Festival up and running in Ultimo, Sydney.

Last Friday, we held the Good Art opening night, featuring multiple artists, art collectives, open studios and art shops across 2 floors of the venue.

I was instrumental in organising the event, hiring live performers to play and creating activities such as art talks and Q&A sessions to provide a platform for the artists to promote their work and practice. I was very chuffed with how well the event went and with the turnout. 

Thank you so much to everyone who came along and supported the art opening.

I have two pieces of work on display at the GOOD SPACE Festival – The Little Things and Totemic Spirit Figures. My very talented daughter, Lynx (aka Maia) also has her HSC VA major work on display.

The Little Things

We’ve all been faced with multiple catastrophic events and enforced isolation over the last few years, resulting in our worlds growing smaller and smaller. When navigating an overwhelming and traumatising world, we seek refuge in the comfort of minutiae and the tenderness of the little things. 

When we are forced to slow down, to take notice of our immediate environment, to retreat into a smaller world, we discover new interests and unexpected delights in the familiar and find that what is most valuable and important to us changes significantly.

The Little Things is a personal journey, documenting through photographs the little things I noticed – sometimes for the first time, the things I appreciated, took refuge in, was comforted by and that brought me joy. 

All images are for sale. $100 each, 5”x7” framed prints. Click here to see the full catalogue. Contact me to purchase.

You are invited to contribute to the live feed by uploading an image of a little thing you found comfort or joy in during this time, using the hashtag #thelittlethings2023.

You can see the feed of images currently on display on my Instagram feed @theartfulbea.

Totemic Spirit Figures

My Totemic Spirit Figures were first created as guardians for the Wild Temple of Yam. The sculptures were originally conceived as an embodiment of the spirit of all indigenous ancestry and of reconnection, a homage to indigenous cultures around the world. There are 12 figures in total, designed to sit in circle. 4 of them are on display.

Each of the totemic spirit figures represents an Australian native animal. They are an invitation for us to consider our own origins, our connection to nature and to this country – our home, our responsibilities to respect the knowledge of our indigenous people and to learn about and care for this country.

The Totemic Spirit Figures are a waste-to-art project. Each sculpture is created out of stacked recycled flower pots, djembes, urns, vases, timber and other found materials. They are glued together with liquid nails, painted with acrylic paint and sealed with a waterproof gloss sealer. Each sculpture features hand-made or found accessories relevant to their characteristics.

1. Wombat is a chilled out dude who lives in the snow country. He likes mountains, snow and alpine flowers.

2. Possum is the queen of the night time treetops. Pretty as a picture and quite the fashionista, Possum rocks an Elizabethan stick collar and a lovely faux fur cloak.

3. Echidna is a well armoured, slow rambler who loves to poke about grubbing for ants and digging up yummy insects with his super strong claws.

4. Quoll is the hunter goddess of the night. She’s cute as a button but don’t let her toothy grin fool you. She’s a super vicious merciless killer who wears trophies from her victims on her belt and in her feather headdress.

The sculptures are for sale: $2,000 each. Click here to see the full catalogue. Contact me to purchase.