As the year comes to an end, I cherish not only milestones but also small, meaningful moments. Those subtle shifts, gentle pauses, and conversations that linger long after they happen.

2025 was more about deepening relationships than making grand gestures. It encouraged me to be present rather than rushed, to listen instead of constantly trying to prove. It showed me that genuine artistic growth relies not only on visibility but also on care.

De Rerum Natura Installation at Gallery Lane Cove, 2025

I was listening to a Mel Robbins podcast, where she was discussing how to plan for the year ahead. Her predicament is based on the fact that to plan a good year forward, one have to be really honest understanding your starting point by asking yourself where are you right now? To do so, she recommends grabbing the photos on your phone, and analyse them month by month. To make the story short, I took on the challenge, and jumped into what seemed endless images of paintings in different stages of  progress, exhibitions, projects and collaborations; mixed with cherished family moments, hugs, kisses, children's milestones, landscapes, sunrises, dogs, and so on. 

I was interested in noting how often we don't celebrate the small things, like we are constantly awaiting to pop the bubbles only if a big event takes place; but life is a miracle we get to experience everyday; and that deserves to be acknowledged daily.

Some of these 'big events' took place this year for me, but it was the growth and connection around them that made these so special.

De Rerum Natura and Art as a Shared Experience.

During June, ‘De Rerum Natura’ served as both an exhibition and an ongoing exploration. Reflections on nature, matter, and medicine highlighted the quiet similarities between the human body and the natural world. What moved me most was witnessing how people engaged with these ideas. Heartfelt conversations arose surrounding fragility, resilience, belonging, and the universal language of being alive.

Art in Spaces of Healing

During September, this authentic connection also grew through the installations at Wyvern Private Hospital, where art became a quiet companion in spaces of vulnerability and healing, offering a breath of calm, a spark of curiosity, or a reminder that beauty can exist even in uncertain spaces.

Installation at Wyvern Hospital, 2025

Recognition, Prizes and Collaborative Work

Two highlights that filled my cup during this year were being recognised as a finalist of the St. Columba's Art Prize (May) and the Northern Beaches Environmental Art Prize (July).

    Seeds, 2024. Acrylic and oils on canvas. 140 x 120 cm

Field Notes From The Bottom Of The Earth, 2025. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas. 120 x 120 cm

I was honoured to participate in wonderful projects and collaborations, such as Twenty-Six Seconds. A project led by artist Susie Dureau at Eramboo Artist Environment, allowing me to explore how body and land resonate with one another by making use of medical equipment. 

Extending my Practice Beyond The Gallery

The launch of my first Capsule Collection also played a quiet but vital role this year. The collection served as a way to extend conversations beyond exhibitions, in a smaller, more intimate format, inviting slower, personal encounters with the emotional side of the works.

Tales From Within, 2025. Acrylics and pastels on board, 30x30cm. Framed

Beyond studio and gallery spaces, 2025 took my practice into unexpected but meaningful environments. Presenting ‘Colouring the Spectrum’ at the EACH 25 Conference by ASPIRE (Australian Social Prescribing Institute of Research and Education) demonstrated how art and care are becoming increasingly intertwined. Seeing my work embraced through social prescribing reminded me that art isn’t separate from life; it naturally integrates into it, creating space where words can sometimes fall short.

On a personal level, this year was about navigating the space between spaces, identities, disciplines, and cultures. 2025 helped me view that tension not as fragmentation but as an opportunity for growth. The pauses between labels and definitions became fertile ground for new understanding.

I am truly grateful to the curators, institutions, collaborators, collectors, and friends who supported my work this year, and to everyone who engaged with it with care, curiosity, and their own stories. Art truly comes alive through relationships.

As I approach the end of this year, I do so with a gentle trust in the beauty of slow, genuine growth, in heartfelt conversations that matter, and in the quiet resilience of staying present with our work—even when the answers aren’t immediately clear.

Thank you all for walking with me through 2025. May the coming year continue to foster curiosity, care, and meaningful connections.