Art of the Bruin, an exhibition held in Melbourne, VIC invited me to exhibit as one of their artists in focus. Unfortunately I was unable to attend due to family commitments, however I was fortunate enough to send one of my pieces, entitled "Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh my!".

The first inspiration was from my sister who used to chant this, dancing around the house very animated, just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I had felt like I'd put myself out on a limb again and was thrilled that it had also captured someone else's imagination as it was one of the first pieces sold.

Ever since I can remember my mother called me a faerie child. I'd come out with some great fantasy about how I'd like something to be creatively evolved. When seeking some kind of approval and/or disapproval to my idea, she'd just shrug her shoulders and say "why not?"

So if my ideas weren't so ridiculous then I was free to go off and create them. I guess when I decided to take my bears into a different realm, it wasn't that surprising. After all in my mother's eyes, I am a faerie child.

So pixies, fae and all things magical are top priority on my design board. I finally feel I have the technical know how and confidence to experiment within my pixie ears, faerie wings and fancy feet.

Some of my early work is now featured on silk panels and as a cross stitch for DMC. The images used were painted by Maureen Christie of Christie Art.