I guess when I really think about it, Alice is a version of me, and probably lots of you too. It’s the version I’m becoming. The curious, feisty woman who doesn’t care so much about berating her aging body, and eats the yummy cake without the side serve of guilt trip. Without the constant agony of imagining what other people think of her. Shove that cake in girlfriend. Life is too short to not love these wonderful jiggly vehicles we’ve rented to zip around Earth in.

‘Alice is no longer a carefully placed ornament or bauble amongst the still life; she is very much alive and embodying her wild feminine energy. Wind-swept, messy and (gasp) actually eating the cake in front of her, she throws her days of counting calories to the wind. We catch her in a moment in time when she’s chosen herself; chosen to rise above the limiting narratives given to her…decided that she can jolly well have her cake and eat it too. Let’s enjoy the butterflies that urge transformation, and the rabbit - not just a character in Wonderland, but a powerful symbol of fertility and rebirth for our peri menopausal heroine.’

The Botanist is an ode to the gardener, cottage witch and naturalist that lives inside many of us. She sit with the bounty harvested from her garden and the nearby forest. Ready to make remedies, spells, or perhaps just a really nice salad. The Botanist embraces her inner wild and lives closely with nature. She is a quirky, playful, soulful spirit to call upon in our busy, material world. A green thumb patroness.

Like many of my artworks, this is a self portrait. All of the goods collected to arrange for the still life were harvested from my very own garden.