Classic blue is the colour for 2020, according to Pantone. Blue and white never goes out of style and I have to say I'm a big fan of the combination. In fact you might think blue is my favourite colour - after all I created blue artwork almost exclusively for over 5years! (My favourite colour is actually turquoise.) Still, blue is such a lovely shade to work with for art and always popular.

Chinoiserie is also set to be a 2020 trend, another aesthetic I've enjoyed playing with in recent years. So there is plenty to choose from in the online shop right now to keep you on trend for 2020 interior design! Wall art prints and original paintings in beautiful blue tones.

It's been an age since I last did a mood board, it's something I used to do all the time as a designer and I do miss it. So I thought I might have a go at a few combining my art and some interior decor inspiration. This one - boho meets beach, meets botanical gorgeousness! Soft blues and pops of green with plenty of rattan.

From the top: Riviera Water Hyacinth Frame Wall mirror $115 from Living Styles, Hanging Fern Basket $15 from Kmart,  beach house via decoratifo, Rattan Basket Planter $149 from Temple and Webster, Woven Monstera print by Jennifer Bell, Tropical cushion by KOO $20 from Spotlight, Santa Monica beach vibe home via Apartment Therapy, Mico Armchair $289 from Castlery.

Woven Monstera Leaf is available as a limited edition print or the real thing here.

I liked this statement from the exhibition which I think explains quite well why I enjoy working with paper so much:  Paper makes the world go round. The backbone of the modern world, paper holds knowledge in the form of books, stimulates economies through currency and communicates ideas between people. A blank sheet of paper can be a terrifying concept but it also presents a world of possibilities. Paper's versatility makes it the perfect medium for artists wanting to experiment by cutting, folding, tearing, burning, crumpling, gluing and assemblage.

You can find two of my works at the exhibition, 'Coral Forms' a small work using cut cardboard and acrylic, and 'Waterfall' a photograph woven with strips of recycled paper. I particularly liked these two works:

As I tend to work with mostly the same sizes for my work. I thought I'd put together a bit of a visual guide for how they look in situ in a bedroom. Here I've used a standard double bed.
There are a few things to consider when choosing what size work you'd like for a bedroom - the bed size, ceiling height, are you going to frame the work, does the bed have a headboard, is there lighting above the bed etc. In the end it comes down to personal preference but hopefully the images here will be some help.

Most of my works on paper and limited edition print are the standard 10x8", 11x14" and 16x20" sizes. Yes, even though I'm based in Australia and we use the metric system, inches are still used for photos and framing, so those are still standard print sizes and easy to find frames for. The next images show the prints with a mat in a standard frame.

When you get down to the smaller sized prints you may want to consider more than one to help fill the space.

I hope that helps and remember if you're not sure if a particular piece will work in your room feel free to email a pic over and I can do a quick mock up to give you an idea - just make sure to have something in there as a size reference like a piece of furniture with the measurements so I can get the scale as close as possible.

Image used here: Woven Monstera Leaf Print

I've got so many exciting plans and projects for 2019, but it can be pretty overwhelming knowing just where to start. Sometimes just taking a moment to look back over the past years achievements can help with a little focus. So here is my version of the 12 days of Christmas, my 12 favourite things from 2018...

Some of my first works for 2018. Apart from a couple of pieces last year, I’d taken quite a long break from cutting paper so it was great to get back into it with this project cutting leaf vein patterns.

Pictured here is ‘Variegated I’ one of my absolute favourite pieces this year. It's been a great year getting back into my painting in a big way - going up in size and up on the detail! I particularly enjoyed added a little collaged paper to work like this.

So lovely earlier this year to be featured in UK based Artist Talk Magazine. You can still read it online via this link.

This year I was very excited to be a finalist in the Milburn Art Prize with this work 'The Woven Basket II

After attending a great art and science workshop a couple of years ago this year I finally started to delve into work inspired by patterns found at the microscopic level, like this piece 'Mulla Mulla Pollen Grains', another one of my favourites from this year.

One of the big focuses of this year was putting together a large body of work for my Variegated collection and show. Celebrating the simple beauty of leaves from the microscopic level through the to leaf vein patterns. You can see the full collection on the website here.

Very excited to be taking part in my first regional gallery exhibition with the Weaving Room at Pine Rivers Art Gallery. As well as being a finalist in the Morton Bay Art Prize earlier in the year with one of my woven photographs. On show until 19th January with 'The Mock Orange Hedge' woven painted paper and printed paper.

There's just something about water ripples, light bouncing off water and little bubbles on the beach I just love and keep returning to in my work. I was particularly pleased with this piece 'Variegated Rubber Plant by the Pool' with it's multiple layers of pattern.

And finally wrapping up the year is my coral work. Great timing with trend setter Pantone picking living coral for their colour of the year. I've still got some more pieces to share in the new year, as well as some particularly unusual work with recycled materials. This work titled 'Beyond the Shallows' is my entry for the Art Lovers Australia prize, another highlight this year being picked as a finalist for the 2018 show.

And that's about it. Wow, so much to look back on. I'm feeling very inspired for 2019! Thanks to everyone for your kind words of support and a big thank you to everyone who purchased my work this year. Can't wait to share all my new ideas with you.
If you had a particular favourite piece or technique this year please feel free to share in the comments, it might help me prioritise all these ideas :) And if you are interested in commissioning anything for 2019 please get in touch.

I'm always excited to hear the pick for Pantone Color of the Year, must be the designer in me, but I was particularly excited this morning to find they chose Living Coral. Perfect timing to introduce my current collection of coral themed artwork.