My family recently celebrated two birthdays and we have a tradition where we try to go to an island for birthdays – so this time we went to the beautiful Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island). We spent almost a week there in winter, which means WHALES! We lost count of the number of breaching calves we saw, and the occasional big splash from the mums!

Most mornings were spent at Home Beach which is dog off-leash, to make our very energetic dog a bit tired! We did lots of walks around Point Lookout, spent a morning at Amity, and a fantastic day at Flinders Beach where we saw many sea birds.

I always get a lot of inspiration from trips like this, and carry my sketchbook along with a small set of watercolour paints, some pens and pencils. I did a bit of sketching while I was there and also worked on some shell illustrations after I got home. I also have some colour studies I made of the ocean colours that will be used in some future art.

As this was the longest amount of time we’ve spent on Minjerribah, it was lovely to just relax and take in the nature – I think we were there at the quietest time of year, so it was incredibly peaceful and we were able to imagine what it would be like living in a beach house and literally waking up every day to go to the beach. The dog refused to get in the car when we had to leave – neither of us wanted to go back to the city!

I’m always grateful for any time spent on this amazing island, and I’ve come away from this trip with many ideas for shell illustrations and ocean art – hoping to capture that peaceful vibe and also the stunning colours and views of nature on the island.

If you’d like to see the new art and patterns inspired by Minjerribah, join my mailing list — I share new art, behind-the-scenes peeks, and a few ocean-inspired freebies along the way.