The year began in France, where we sang in the New Year on the backstreets of Paris with the sky shattering into a thousand brilliant comets.

In February, the brilliant Tyger Gallery showcased The Road to Wee Jasper which was extraordinarily successful. A bunch of rolled canvases, lost in international shipping, miraculously turned up halfway through the exhibition. We were able to extend the show for one week with a bumper collection of additional works.

One particularly piece, Under the Casuarinas, was acquired for the permanent collection of the ACT Legislative Assembly.

Michael Reid Southern Highlands also exhibited a Special Release of river works for summer which walked out the door.

In March, I made a site visit to Maitland Regional Art Gallery where I’m working with Kim Blunt to stage a solo exhibition in early 2026. I can’t say much about it right now, but this massive installation will take me most of 2025 to create.

In May, ACT City Renewal Authority commissioned me to create enormous hoardings for buildings sites right across the ACT. This projects focused on the natural landscapes of the area and will be rolled out in association with the Suburban Land Agency.

In August, my residency at Bundanon was two weeks of intense work, putting 13-14 hour days in the studio and coming away with 10+ works inspired by the landscape of the lower reaches of the Shoalhaven. Some of these works formed the basis of an exhibition The River Between Us at Michael Reid Southern Highlands in October.

Read more about my time at Bundanon

In October, I won two awards at the Paddington Art Prize for my work On Upturned Fields: the Rathenart Printing Award and the Anthea Polson Gallery Award.

Read more what the judges had to say about my work

October was also time for a second show of the year with Michael Reid Southern Highland. The River Between Us is a conversation of contrasts, traversing time and geography to unite disparate worlds. The river serves as an emotional conduit, inviting viewers to experience the landscape through a felt sense of place rather than direct representation.

​On top of all that, a new release of works just landed at Watson Kennedy, Seattle. They’ve arrived in the Pacific North West just in time for the holidays and are so new, they haven’t been put on their website but you get a sneak peek below. Make sure you sign up for their newsletter to know when the new works drop.

What lies ahead for 2025?

It’s hard to focus on 2025 with so much uncertainty in the world. The slaughter of innocents in Gaza, the grinding war in Ukraine, conflict in Sudan – and yet we do need light in the world. We need to be creative, we need to create.

To make beautiful things in an ugly world is not to ignore the horrors, instead it’s a reprieve, a remembrance that there are beautiful things in the world and together we can manifest a better future.

Speaking of a better future, my next exhibition at Tyger Gallery is in mid 2025, I’m working on the collection right now. Be the first to hear about it by signing up to Tyger’s emails at tygergallery.com.au

What was 2024 like for you?

What are you looking forward to in the year ahead? Tell me in the comments below.