art at large | pockets of wonder
'Pockets of Wonder' is a custom project that I created for Art At Large: Samford Footpaths, a Moreton Bay Regional Council initiative.
The artwork offers glimpses of some of the wondrous gifts of nature we are surrounded by here in Samford. When we pause to be with our surroundings, we open ourselves to experiencing the tiny magical worlds that are waiting to be discovered.
I hope this artwork will inspire locals and visitors of all ages to weave micro mindfulness moments into their day, where they open themselves to noticing the pockets of wonder hidden everywhere. It’s such a special place we get to live and gather in. The artwork is installed in John Scott Park from March to September 2026.
The Planning
I kicked off the project, working on the layout and shapes of the stickers. I wanted this to be an experience and something that could be interacted with.
I have a passion for creating work that incorporates nature and also plants a seed of an idea or thought that the experiencer can take back into their life. A mission of mine has been to inspire others to look for wonder and magic that exists around them in everyday life. We may look at a space and think that there’s not much going on - but then when we look closer we may notice a lizard scuttling through the grass, a flower popping up in the gap in the concrete or a little bird spying on us from the tree above. This is the inspiration behind this piece.
I also knew that I wanted to take people on a journey of the surrounding landscapes of Samford Valley - the mountains, the creeks and the farms.
After going out on site to measure and evaluate the footpath I had to work with. I got to work creating the framework - which is something that’s important for every project I work on. Designing the experience and the structure, which makes it so much easier later down the track because I know the logic and parameters have been locked in so then I just get to play!
Planning looked like thumbnail sketches of the broad layout.
The Brief
My task was to create a piece of artwork designed to fit a footpath that is 15 metres long and 2 metres wide. The artwork would be printed on vinyl stickers, and I had to consider how the artwork may contribute to visitors’ experience of the park. The catch? Of the the 15×2m area - I could only use 40% of the surface area, and there was a limit to the size of each sticker.
I love a good challenge!
Then creating the shapes in Adobe Illustrator so that I knew exactly how big each giant sticker needed to be.
The Drawing
Once I had the shapes and sizes locked down, it was time for sketching to flesh out each sticker - bringing my vision to life.
Inspiration for my work always comes from my life experiences and photos that I’ve taken or life drawing. On walks you’ll always find me stopping to snap a piece of life that captures my eye - I never know when it may come in handy!
The Painting
Then came the fun part - playing with colour and painting each sticker in the span of two weeks. The stickers were huge so there were some hurdles to overcome in this process, digital painting in Adobe Photoshop at such a large scale. I had toyed with the idea of painting the images in vector in Adobe Illustrator so they could be scaled at any size - but I really wanted a handmade feel of an actual painting. I enjoyed creating custom brushes and painting each stroke by hand on my Wacom.
The Final Installation
I happened to be at the park the afternoon the artwork was installed. It’d been raining for weeks on end, and the skies needed to be clear for a number of days so the footpath would be dry for the installation. What a nice surprise when I happened to be at the park that afternoon and my artwork was gracing the footpath!
I was SO impressed with the vibrancy of the stickers. If you know me, you know I love playing with colour and creating vibrant artwork. One thing I’ve learnt over the years is that the vibrancy can change so much from the digital screen to the final printed products (based on a lot of things including the material the artwork is printed on, the printer used, the inks used etc.) It made me do the biggest happy dance to see how beautifully each illustration translated to these giant stickers!
It was so beautiful getting to share this project with friends and people in my community. I also loved visiting it over time. The prints held up really well and it was so cool to see the environment interacting with the artwork - real leaves laying on the illustrated leaves creating a natural mixed media piece. So cool!
A little video of my experience…
I am so grateful to Moreton Bay Regional Council and the amazing team I got to work with, for the opportunity to bring this project to life. It was such an honour to be able to brighten people’s lives through this initiative.
