Swans have long occupied a place in folklore and storytelling. Across cultures, they appear as symbols of transformation, devotion, intuition, and the space between the ordinary and the magical. They are creatures of both water and sky, moving effortlessly between worlds and often serving as guides through myth, fairytale, and memory.
This collection draws from a more personal folklore.
For many years, my daughters and I shared an ongoing story about a family of swans that lived wherever we happened to find them. Whether spotted along a shoreline, drifting through a marsh, or glimpsed from a car window, they were always the same beloved characters. We named them Violet, Lavender, and Lilac, and with each encounter their story continued to grow.
These paintings celebrate that imaginative tradition. The swans appear not as portraits of specific birds, but as recurring companions carrying memories of walks, conversations, and the limitless storytelling that flourishes between children and the adults who choose to believe alongside them.
Painted in oil on canvas and birch panel, the works combine fluid linework, layered colour, and atmospheric landscapes to create spaces where folklore and memory overlap. The swans become symbols of continuity, returning again and again across changing seasons and places, much like the stories we tell ourselves over time.
Violet, Lavender & Lilac is a collection about wonder, family mythology, and the small acts of imagination that transform an ordinary sighting into something unforgettable.
Swans have long occupied a place in folklore and storytelling. Across cultures, they appear as symbols of transformation, devotion, intuition, and the space between the ordinary and the magical. They are creatures of both water and sky, moving effortlessly between worlds and often serving as guides through myth, fairytale, and memory.
This collection draws from a more personal folklore.
For many years, my daughters and I shared an ongoing story about a family of swans that lived wherever we happened to find them. Whether spotted along a shoreline, drifting through a marsh, or glimpsed from a car window, they were always the same beloved characters. We named them Violet, Lavender, and Lilac, and with each encounter their story continued to grow.
These paintings celebrate that imaginative tradition. The swans appear not as portraits of specific birds, but as recurring companions carrying memories of walks, conversations, and the limitless storytelling that flourishes between children and the adults who choose to believe alongside them.
Painted in oil on canvas and birch panel, the works combine fluid linework, layered colour, and atmospheric landscapes to create spaces where folklore and memory overlap. The swans become symbols of continuity, returning again and again across changing seasons and places, much like the stories we tell ourselves over time.
Violet, Lavender & Lilac is a collection about wonder, family mythology, and the small acts of imagination that transform an ordinary sighting into something unforgettable.
