I’m CARITA and creativity is my first language. I grew up in a family where music and poetry and painting were part of our every day life. My Grandmother, Kit, was a Painter. She taught me to paint when I was big enough to hold the brush. One of my earliest memories is of sneaking little sips from the water jars where she washed her brushes. So I guess you could say painting has, literally, always been in my blood!
My mum, Annette, was a diva. She would cook our dinner and then run off to rehearse theatre shows at the Rockhampton Little Theatre Clubrooms - a magical place where all the adults laughed loudly, chain smoked and played dress ups. I loved going there with her. I’d take my blanket and pillow and watch rehearsals until I’d fall asleep on a row of seats.
I spent much of my childhood ‘purposely’ getting lost. I would set off on solo expeditions around the neighbourhood, pretending I was the last remaining human on the planet. My survival relied on foraging for seed pods, rocks, sticks, leaves, flowers and any other interesting found objects and bits and pieces that would help me to create my very own oasis to take shelter in. I loose myself when I'm creating. Often I finish a painting and I’m not entirely sure how I made it — as if other forces are at play and I just showed up to hold the brush. Times like this, when I feel really in the zone, it becomes a means of connecting with my mother and grandmother, honouring their legacy through my work.