The Garden was born as the world shut down, as we were all told to stay inside. As my walls closed in I began to create a place of wonder, with no confines, where anything could could grow and anything was possible.

I thought The Garden was a lockdown project, but I was wrong. Eight months into the creation of the series, I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and my world changed.

In March 2020, our worlds shifted. We were all ushered inside and as the doors closed, a pandemic ravaged the world. The Garden began as pure escapism - a role for idle hands. I could no longer shoot portraits in my home studio. All my trips were cancelled, we couldn’t leave the city. We were all trapped.

Weeks passed and like everyone, I found myself craving open spaces and interactions. Most of all, I needed to create something. On daily walks with my dogs, I began to notice nooks and crannies in the trees, dappled with Autumn sunlight, peppered with little yellow flowers. I sat on my balcony and listened to the lorikeets in my trees.

I began to dream of a magical place. Somewhere without rules and restrictions. Somewhere I could go when I couldn’t go anywhere.

The Garden began as pure escapism but with my breast cancer diagnosis, the journey shifted. Over the following months, from the scenes I created began emerging the themes that were being mirrored in my experience of what was happening in my world. Each image began to reflect the wild journey of fear and uncertainty I found myself on, but woven through the tales were signs of hope, fragility, rebirth and new beginnings.

The Garden is mostly shot in my lounge room.