JOURNAL
16.10.2026
The Story behind Palm House.
A collection 40 years in the making.
CHAPTER ONE.
Childhood memories, tropical landscapes and the feeling of somewhere warm and far away.
There are places that stay with you long after you've left them.
For me, it's North Queensland.
I grew up surrounded by the most incredible tropical landscapes. Lush, cool rainforests, enormous palms, endless greenery and that unmistakable North Queensland heat. My grandparents had a sugar cane farm that was basically our childhood playground, and so much of my early life was spent amongst these extraordinary landscapes.
It's funny how certain places become part of you. The colours, the shapes, the light, the feeling of being there. You don't necessarily realise how deeply they've stayed with you until years later, when they start finding their way into the things you create.
And I think that's exactly what happened with Palm House.
An idea I've carried for years.
I've had visions of creating big, green, leafy artworks for as long as I can remember. Enormous botanical forms, intricate details, lush layers of colour. Something that felt a little wild and overgrown, but also beautiful and considered.
I could see these artworks in my head long before I knew exactly how I wanted to create them.
Over time, as my art practice evolved, I found myself increasingly drawn to the idea of combining highly detailed drawings with loose, imperfect painterly gestures. The contrast between something so carefully considered and something wonderfully spontaneous.
And slowly, the pieces began to come together.
Looking back, I think Palm House was always there, somewhere in the background. An idea I kept returning to, a feeling I wanted to explore, a story waiting for the right time to be told.
Finding the feeling
When I began creating the collection, I wasn't particularly interested in recreating a specific landscape.
I wanted to capture how I remembered it.
The lushness of the rainforest. The contrast between cool, shaded greenery and searing hot landscapes. That wonderful feeling of being somewhere warm and far away. I started experimenting with large botanical forms, layering intricate ink drawings with loose, painterly shapes and beautiful imperfect textures.
Colour became a huge part of the story. Deep earthy greens, warm camel and ochre, creamy neutrals, little moments of blush, teal and paw paw.
I wanted the greens to feel incredibly lush and alive, without becoming too bright or overpowering. There was a lot of experimenting, printing, comparing and adjusting to find exactly the right balance. Sometimes the tiniest shift in colour or texture made all the difference.
Chapter One — Palm House
The finished collection brings together ten artworks, some designed to stand beautifully on their own and others created to sit together as pairs. There's a wonderful mix of detail and simplicity, structure and spontaneity. Big leafy shapes, intricate linework, rich colours and those beautiful little imperfections that make a painting feel alive.
"It's a new direction for my work in many ways, but also feels like a very natural evolution of everything I've been exploring over the years."
More than anything, I wanted these artworks to create a feeling. Because I believe art can do so much more than fill a wall. It can change the atmosphere of a room. It can transport you somewhere else. It can make your everyday surroundings feel a little more extraordinary.
Maybe that's what I love most about Palm House. It's about the feeling of a place that has stayed with me for a lifetime, and the possibility of bringing a little of that feeling home.
This is Chapter One — Palm House.
With love,
Kimmy x
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