The Keystone takes the Roman aqueduct at Segovia as its starting point. At the centre of one of its monumental stone arches, the keystone has been replaced by a compressed pink balloon, apparently bearing the weight of the structure above it.

I’m pleased to announce that my painting The Keystone has been selected as a finalist in the Calleen Art Award 2026 at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.

Established in 1977 by Mrs Patricia Fagan OAM, the Calleen Art Award is an annual national acquisitive painting prize recognising contemporary Australian painting across all styles, subjects and approaches. This year’s major prize is $30,000, with the winning work entering the Calleen Collection at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.

The Keystone takes the Roman aqueduct at Segovia as its starting point, using its architecture to consider the hidden dependencies that allow larger structures and systems to endure.

In an arch, the keystone is the point at which opposing forces are transformed into stability. The same principle appears in nature, where a keystone species can exert an influence on an ecosystem far greater than its size might suggest.

The painting considers these often unnoticed dependencies: the apparently minor elements upon which much larger systems rely, and the vulnerability that becomes apparent when one of them is compromised.

It asks what happens when the thing carrying the greatest burden is also the most fragile.

The Keystone
Oil on Italian linen 130 × 130 cm 2025

The Calleen Art Award 2026 is on at Cowra Regional Art Gallery
77 Darling Street, Cowra NSW 2794
Exhibition dates: 06/09 to 18/10/2026

I’m delighted to announce that my painting #singlelife has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious 2025 Calleen Art Award at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.

This work is from my highly collected series Five Minutes To Famous, inspired by some of the most banal yet popular social media hashtags. In it, I hold up a mirror to our obsession with curated digital personas by reimagining classical stone figures. Renaissance-inspired realism collides with surrealist twists, as sculptural muses are overlaid with the silliest Instagram and Snapchat filters. These figures parody our relentless drive to capture an idealised life while often missing the essence of carpe diem.

Being selected for this prize again carries special meaning for me. After many years since my last inclusion—and several unsuccessful attempts in between—it is both a relief and a source of pride to be recognised once more.

The Calleen Art Award exhibition runs from 14 September to 3 November 2025 at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.