I've just finished a new piece to go on show at the Brunswick St Gallery in Melbourne which is 100% inspired by my love of the inner city. I'm waiting for my varnish to dry and about to wax and prep the tray frame for hanging. It's no wonder I've opened up a new blog post - no procrastination here.

I'm so drawn to city walls, city architecture, city colours and city life.

To me, it's just as fulfilling as a countryside landscape. Always changing, prone to the weather, building up layers of history and stories and altered with time. 

When I first moved to Melbourne I was fascinated with spotting walls bulging with layers of bill posters, faded and peeling and plastered with brand new shiny ones. Another favourite is spotting ghost signs, the hints of old sign writing painted on the sides of buildings.

My camera roll is filled with obscure photos of urban shapes and shadows, flaking paint, rusted signs. I walk every day and love composing compositions in the cracks on the footpath, weathered fences and overgrown gardens, a stack of colourful chairs around the corner of the cafe.

A lot of the work I've created this year has been influenced by old walls. And I'm pretty chuffed to include 'If These Walls Could Talk' at the Small Works Art Prize at Brunswick Street Gallery this January.

These pieces link back to my Crayon Chick jewellery collection influenced by my love of the inner city. Synonymous with warehouse conversions and cool cafes, this collection draws inspiration from industrial materials and an urban style. It feels good to follow a consistent thread through my work. Because as I keep saying, a small business is all about heart and if you don't create work that is true to you then it just makes it that much harder.