The Map Written in Starlight
The Story Behind My Ithaka Series
Every painting has a journey, but Ithaka became a whole pilgrimage for me. It began in my little studio overlooking the Derwent River, where the changing colours and shifting skies whispered that it was time to create something deeper. Something honest. Something that carried both my South African roots and my Tasmanian becoming.
The series grew slowly, shaped by the landscapes I’ve walked and the memories I carry. Derwent River, Kunanyi/Mt Wellington, Wineglass Bay, Cradle Mountain, and from across the ocean, Graskop op in South Africa. These places became waypoints in a personal map of belonging. Each painting became a chapter, a conversation between past and present, familiar and foreign. Migration is never a clean story, but it is rich, layered and full of unexpected beauty.
The poem Ithaka by C. P. Cavafy followed me through the whole process. It kept reminding me that the treasure is not the destination, but the journey. That line hit differently as I painted these landscapes. As a migrant, I am always navigating who I was, who I am becoming, and how these two worlds braid together. The symbolism became intentional. Roots searching for anchorage. Rocks carrying the weight of time. Waterways guiding the path forward. Flora blooming in places that once felt strange but slowly begin to feel like home.
Of course, I wasn’t wandering alone. Artists like John Glover and Andrew Wyeth sat on my shoulder the whole time. Glover whispered about light and the way Tasmania breathes under soft skies. Wyeth nudged me toward emotional clarity, showing me that restraint can speak louder than drama. Their influence shaped the atmosphere of the series, but the heartbeat stayed mine.
Creating Ithaka wasn’t always smooth. Balancing abstraction with recognisable landscapes felt like tightrope walking at times. I wanted the paintings to be grounded, but still dreamlike. I wanted them to feel like memory, rather than a snapshot. Yet every struggle led to something richer. Layers of glaze became layers of story. Scratches hinted at scars carried across oceans. Embedded imagery created a quiet language inside the land.
What I discovered along the way is that landscape isn’t just scenery. It is a keeper of memory, a storyteller, a witness. These places held space for me to examine what belonging really feels like after leaving one homeland and finding another. The Tasmanian environment especially became a teacher, reminding me that beauty and resilience often come from being weathered.
Looking forward, Ithaka has shifted my practice. I am diving deeper into the emotional power of landscape painting. I’m researching the histories of these places with more intention. I’m embracing the way abstraction, symbolism, and realism can weave together into something that speaks to the soul. And yes, I’m letting myself be even bolder with colour, texture and contrast because clearly my heart loves that dance.
This series is an ode to the journey. To the way we grow new roots in unfamiliar soil. To the landscapes that shape us and the ones we carry inside. It is my story, but I hope you see your own journey in it too.
If you’d like to explore the Ithaka collection, you can find it on my website under landscape paintings, seascapes, abstract realism and of course life’s journey.