Year - 2026 · Size - 30 x 21 cm / 11¾ x 8¼ in (artwork) · Medium - Ink on paper

Framed in brushbox frame, sealed finish

The Port Jackson fig tree at Scotts Bay has always been one of my favourite trees. Ever since I was a kid I would go there and climb the labyrinth of twisted trunks and branches that bend over to touch the ground, root there, and shoot back up again. The mother tree is now surrounded by a forest of offspring — it's hard to know where one stops and another starts, or what belongs to who. This creates a cave-like feel, made all the more convincing by bunches of aerial roots hanging around the place like living stalactites. So it was a delight to step into that cave with my inks and spend some quality time with an old friend.

I have a fascination with butcherbirds. Their appearances are rare for me but they tend to show up with poignant timing. My first encounter was when I rescued what I thought to be a funnel web spider from my house and drove into the park to release it. As I tipped it from the container it began scampering across the forest floor, almost aware of what would happen next. I stepped back — and a butcherbird swooped from nowhere, gobbled the spider down and was gone before I could comprehend the scene.

So it was no great surprise that mid-painting a curious butcherbird flew in and perched on a thin branch right above my head. There it stayed for a while, as if observing me at work. Naturally it would become the subject of this painting — without completely stealing the show from the magical fig.

Currently available at Black Daisy Trading.