I cannot remember when I first sent work to the Richmond Gallery, in Melbourne. It was during 2001, and I was advised to do so as they had a particularly good director, Tamsin Davidson. Anyway, I sent a CD of my work over, and was asked to send some paintings, and Tamsin sold them!! So I sent some more, and she sold them, too. The phone used to ring, usually on a Saturday afternoon, and it would be Tamsin, saying she'd just sold this or that painting, and I used to yell across the paddock to Ken, and then he'd go and buy a bottle of champagne and some smoked oysters.

To continue...this is the second of the still lives on a white background, so that the object truly 'represents only itself'. Fortunately, we didn't need the money as not one of them sold (even in Melbourne) and they were all three very difficult. There was no possibility of cheating, blending stuff with a background, distracting the eye or using visual tricks to create an illusion of space.

I used fake irises both with a nod to Van Gogh and also because I love the juxtaposition of the real with the unreal. Also, they don't die.

When this was exhibited in Melbourne and Adelaide I was told it was not representative of my work, whatever that is. Perhaps I should just stop at a good seller and go on copying myself forever.