The Life and Death of St Francis of Australia

This is a portrait of my Aunty Dot who loved nature and art and was like a caring mother to me. She taught me to appreciate the visual world and nature. She nurtured my creativity from an early age. “Look, Tusie dear” she would say, pointing out the shapes of tree branches or the changing light in the landscape. Birds and animals were drawn to her. Magpies sat on her head, and she had names for the individual possums she fed. I had the privilege of being with her when she passed away and sketched her last breath.