September Newsletter 2026

It’s been a little quiet here in the studio over the last couple of months. I had a list a mile long of things I wanted to get done, but, as it turns out, very little of that list actually happened. In August, I was diagnosed with pericarditis. I had experienced it once before in my mid-30s, so I knew there was a chance it could happen again one day. It’s extremely painful and requires plenty of rest and, ideally, as little stress as possible. The exhaustion that comes with it is something else entirely. So, for a while, my days consisted of a lot of sleeping, watching YouTube and streaming services, and reminding myself that resting really was the most productive thing I could be doing.Thankfully, I did manage to get some work done in between all that resting, and one of the highlights was returning to teaching at the Tresillian Arts Centre in Nedlands. It was the first time I had taught in person for more than a year, and I thoroughly enjoyed being back in the classroom.

Thankfully, I did manage to get some work done in between all that resting, and one of the highlights was returning to teaching at the Tresillian Arts Centre in Nedlands. It was the first time I had taught in person for more than a year, and I thoroughly enjoyed being back in the classroom. Next term, I’ll be teaching the Acrylics Skill Builder again, along with a new Colour Mixing class. In this class, we’ll look at how to mix colours, understand what we’re seeing in our reference photographs, and create convincing lights and shadows in our paintings. Now that I’ve dipped my toes back into teaching in person, the next thing on my list is finally creating some online courses. I have most of the course outlines put together, so now I just need to find the time to film and edit everything. Easier said than done.

There was one painting I managed to finish while I was recovering, and it’s a bit of a milestone for me. At 91 x 121 cm, it is the largest painting I have ever made. It took considerably longer than I originally anticipated, mostly because I was so exhausted and had to work in small bursts whenever I had the energy.For this painting, I wanted to choose a subject I love to paint, but approach it a little differently from my usual work. I chose the Eucalyptus erythrocorys (Illyarrie), a beautiful Western Australian native with brilliant yellow blossoms that appear each autumn.There are so many of these trees growing around Perth—in suburban streets, parks, verges and bushland—and for most of the year they quietly blend into the landscape. Then autumn arrives and suddenly their bright yellow blooms make them impossible to miss.Alongside the Illyarrie, I added a Red Wattlebird. These noisy little birds are a familiar sight around Perth and the outer suburbs. At first glance, they can look like fairly ordinary birds, but then they move and that splash of red around their neck catches your eye.The Red Wattlebird is quite different from the birds I would normally choose to paint, which made it even more interesting for me. I’m really pleased with how the painting turned out, and I’m excited to share it with you.

Now that I’m fully recovered, I’m getting back into the swing of things and working on a small series of paintings for the Singapore Affordable Art Fair in November.I’m also trying to carve out some time to finally film those online tutorials!So, there is plenty happening behind the scenes, even if the studio has been a little quieter than usual lately. As always, thank you so much for your continued support. Whether you’ve purchased a painting, shared my work with a friend, followed along online, or simply taken the time to read this newsletter, I truly appreciate it.

It means more than you know.

See you in the next newsletter

Bec