Australia’s Mangroves: Living on the edge

Browse the artwork

2016

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Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Tweed Regional Art Gallery & Margaret Olley Centre, Murwillumbah, NSW

A major solo exhibition encompassing the majority of Australia’s mangrove species as scientifically accurate illustrations, some never previously illustrated. The outcome of higher degree research.

From 2009 I spent 7 years researching the mangrove species of Australia. This involved travelling to Far North Queensland and the Northern Territory where half of the world’s mangroves species can be found.

The term ‘mangrove’ can describe the plant species as a community, or the environment in which they live. Mangrove plants only live in saline conditions in tropical or subtropical areas. They are found along estuaries and riverbanks in regions of high rainfall and require tidal movement to transport reproductive material.

During the course of my fieldwork, I sourced the majority of Australia’s mangrove species which I then illustrated with scientific accuracy. World expert in mangrove ecology, Dr Norm Duke, gave his generous guidance during her research. They met on numerous occasions on field trips searching for elusive species.

In 2016, I graduated with PhD (Natural History Illustration) from the University of Newcastle, Australia. My graduation exhibition was held at Maitland Regional Gallery, NSW. Subsequently, the collection was shown at Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, and Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Centre in Murwillumbah, NSW.

In October 2023, the body of work comprising 88 finished illustrations and working watercolour paintings were gifted to the Library at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, London. Here, the illustrations will be kept in perpetuity alongside historically important plant illustrations from Australia and around the world. With prior arrangement, anyone is able to view the mangrove illustrations, a lasting legacy.