Hello, I’m Jodi

My love for art began when I was a little girl. I was always creating, sewing, drawing, writing stories and poems. I was a quiet child who could happily disappear into my own world of ideas, sitting for hours trying to turn something I had imagined into something real.

As I grew older, I discovered painting and ceramics at high school and became fascinated by art, particularly the European masters and the work of Vincent van Gogh.

As life became busier, creativity came in ebbs and flows. I travelled, became a primary school teacher and continued creating whenever I could. Eventually, I decided it was time to follow my heart and study Visual Art. I completed my Diploma in Visual Art, where I began exploring ceramics and finding ways to combine my love of painting, music and clay.

Finding my own style happened very, very slowly.

Years later, while continuing to teach, I began spending a few nights each week making pottery at my local community studio. This was where things really began to fall into place. I discovered sgraffito and colourful underglazes and finally found a way to bring my love of painting and ceramics together.

Over time, the Australian natural world became the heart of my work. I began painting the flowers, birds and wildlife I saw around me, celebrating the beautiful little things we can so easily walk past without noticing.

Becoming a mum has shaped my work in ways I never expected. So much of what I create is inspired by my children's curiosity and their love of discovering the world around them. Watching them stop to investigate a tiny insect, notice a bird or ask endless questions has reminded me just how naturally children wonder about the world.

That sense of wonder is also what led me to create Curious Tracks. It brings together so many parts of my life: being an artist, a primary school teacher, a mum, and someone who believes that when children learn about the natural world, they begin to care about it too.

These days, whether I'm painting, working with clay or creating a new Explorer Letter, I keep coming back to the same hope: to encourage people, especially little people, to look a little closer, discover something new and fall in love with the beautiful natural world around them.

And now I can’t stop creating.