To my Grandmother, my collaborator across the cosmos. You will always be a part of my creative Self. What an honour it is for my art to hang together with yours. 

My Grandmother was many things… a painter, teacher, sculptor, opera singer, nature lover and wildlife enthusiast. She was cheeky and serious, eccentric and classic. I remember sitting in her studio on many weekends and school holidays. Small and curious, I would poke my nose and hands into her collections, feathers, stickers, paints and pencils, every colour my mind could imagine.

I have a box of her scarves which still smells like her perfume, White Linen. Sometimes I catch a whiff without opening the box, I smile. She is watching.

This presentation and body of work mean much more than a homage. They symbolise re-connection, spirit, memory, ancestral gifts and wonder of the natural world. Each of my framed works are painted on paper which was Marion’s, the birds nests made from textiles from her fabric collection she gifted to me. Once torn, cut and sewn by her hands and finished by mine. I used her brushes, pencils and paints, each stroke and swirl infused with her creative spirit.

I stepped out of my comfort zone and into hers, studying the elegance of her eucalypt leaves and her superbly skilful miniatures. Marion’s admiration for the Australian landscape always fostered her creative practice. She taught me that every bird, flower, insect and fuzzy marsupial is an everlasting source of inspiration and reason for celebration. What could be more than a bird in a tree?

Though she is not physically here for this exhibition, I know she is floating around and I know she is proud. 

To Nan, this exhibition is for you. Thank you for sharing your skills, knowledge and love with me, painting and wildlife alike. To the viewers, I hope you enjoy experiencing Marion’s wonderful watercolours again. I hope you feel uplifted by this unique story and perhaps inspired to spend some time marvelling at a bird in a tree. 

Olivia Lawton