The Feathered Ancestors began arriving in the early 2020s, during a time of rapid change, fear, and collective unrest. In those years, these beings came through one by one — birds in human form, humans in bird form — speaking from a place old, bone-deep, and beyond language. Each flew in carrying knowledge, companionship, and guidance for the thresholds being crossed.
These Ancestors are intimately connected to the land on which I live in Australia — the Country of the Wangerriburra people of the Yugambeh Nation. Some of these birds I see every day, some visit seasonally, and all hold a deep-time presence here. Their teachings move through me in the way I draw them, collage them, and write for them. I felt honoured that they chose to come through me, asking to be remembered.
Each ancestor began as a hand-drawn figure in charcoal, pencil, or pen. Later, I wove them with digital imagery to create new landscapes and stories — custom pieces for those who felt drawn to a particular bird-being or who needed a specific guide for their own passage. Every commissioned ancestor is paired with a personalised poem, a small ritual of remembrance.
The Feathered Ancestors began arriving in the early 2020s, during a time of rapid change, fear, and collective unrest. In those years, these beings came through one by one — birds in human form, humans in bird form — speaking from a place old, bone-deep, and beyond language. Each flew in carrying knowledge, companionship, and guidance for the thresholds being crossed.
These Ancestors are intimately connected to the land on which I live in Australia — the Country of the Wangerriburra people of the Yugambeh Nation. Some of these birds I see every day, some visit seasonally, and all hold a deep-time presence here. Their teachings move through me in the way I draw them, collage them, and write for them. I felt honoured that they chose to come through me, asking to be remembered.
Each ancestor began as a hand-drawn figure in charcoal, pencil, or pen. Later, I wove them with digital imagery to create new landscapes and stories — custom pieces for those who felt drawn to a particular bird-being or who needed a specific guide for their own passage. Every commissioned ancestor is paired with a personalised poem, a small ritual of remembrance.
