I hope you enjoy the #1 ‘Letters From My Art’ which you can read below this message. I have carried the dream of turning my art into a book or publication for a very long time. Wishing for a legacy I can pass to my daughters. Over many years, I have had my artworks professionally photographed, always with this dream and waiting for the ‘right time’ to begin. After much wasted time and too much overthinking, I’m fully aware that my dreams won’t come true unless I take the daily steps needed to achieve them. This project is my way of taking one little step after another: creating the art, writing, and collating the information needed to fill a book.
These Letters began their journey as an analog snail mail, letterbox delivery in October 2025, but after realising the logistics of A4 paper and C5 envelopes, stamps and printers were dulling my creativity and enjoyment, I have decided to reimagine these into digital letters moving forward. You can subscribe to receive them for free digitally below. The first 6 prints and letters are also available by analog snail mail here whilst stocks last. I may reintroduce a revised snail mail delivery when I solve logistics. The first 6 Letters are also available at Aspects of Kings Park gift gallery in Perth, WA.
I hope you enjoy the first recipe found below. I’m not a cook...far, far from it. I regularly declare my lack of skills in the kitchen, and to be perfectly honest, my dislike of the daily grind of cooking, I’m surrounded by women who excel in the kitchen, namely my eldest daughter and sister in law, but what I can offer is an enjoyment in painting whimsical, joyful art and making humble and tasty food made with love. This project may just make a cook of me yet!
The recipes are simple, comforting family favourites, things I actually cook for my family, and the stories are from my heart. Many of the recipes will be inspired by old cookbooks or shared favourites from friends and family. I will acknowledge the original writer where I can. I will try to rewrite recipes in my own words. I’m sure there will be mistakes, and I know I will stumble here and there, but I hope this project will evolve and find its own rhythm over time.
Part art, part story, part nourishment, always from my heart.
Letter One - Australian Afternoon
My mum often tells me about her life as a child in the 1940s. One of her memories is of being at her grandmother’s table — it was always beautifully set, with a lace tablecloth smoothed into place, delicate china arranged with care, the silver polished just so, a plate of cakes and biscuits, ready for friends and neighbours who might pop in around 3 o’clock most afternoons. Mum remembers the guests arriving, also with plates of food, which they would add to the table until it was laden with cakes, sandwiches and other treats.
It wasn’t an occasion that needed planning; there was no invitation required, no fuss or formality. Chairs were pulled out, water heated, cups poured, and conversation resumed from the day before. Hospitality wasn’t a special occasion - it was simply life, baked into the rhythm of each day. Mum’s memories, though distant and dim now, were of the scent of cake and sugar, the clink of teacup upon saucer and the sound of laughter and community.
That memory came back to me whilst on a holiday in our beautiful South West of Western Australia. We were staying in a two-storey house, with the kitchen and living areas upstairs, wrapped by an expansive wooden balcony, surrounded by bush and majestic trees. That balcony was a dream for me. As an avid bird watcher, it was a retreat that allowed me to sit quietly with a drink, breathing in the fresh scent of eucalyptus and enjoying the birds flitting from tree to tree, foraging for insects.
One afternoon, I had just poured a cup of tea, plated a slice of “no-guilt, on-holiday” cake, and settled in to enjoy the gentle sun and the view, when a kookaburra landed boldly on the balcony rail. He balanced there, eyeing me with the confidence of a regular guest, as though he had been invited for tea and a chat. Then, with a flick of his tail feathers and a mischievous gleam in his eye, he let out a song of laughter that echoed into the bush.
“Grub’s up!” it seemed to say.
Sure enough, his mates waiting in the trees responded with gusto, ready to join the feast. I had to laugh! There is something so quintessentially Australian about it — birds at the table, loud in their joy, entirely at home in their world. They remind us that laughter, like tea and cake, is best when shared.
So with this Letter, I present to you my cheeky kookaburra, (various sized paper and canvas prints available here) perfect for popping into a frame and enjoying. May he remind you to take a moment for yourself, to delight in the little things, and to feel confident in your own place at the table. And since every good cuppa deserves something sweet beside it, I’ve tucked in a recipe for a classic tea cake (Below) — a simple, no frills, humble bake and the kind of thing my great-grandmother would have served to her friends at the table.
Artwork Focus - Australian Afternoon
There’s a lake near my home, a perfect 40-minute dog walking loop, that is teeming with birdlife. I often spot a solitary kookaburra on the hunt, but if I’m lucky, I’ll catch a pair perched together, laughing their raucous song into the trees. This is where I’ve taken most of my kookaburra reference images over the years.
These walks and the spotting of various birds often form into ideas and then become paintings. Stories are always waiting to take shape on canvas and with a little google education, the birds take on more meaning and life.
Here’s some fun facts I read about the Kookaburra.
- The largest of the Australian Kingfishers, famous for its “laughing” call, which it uses to communicate and defend its territory.
- Long-lived (up to 20 years in the wild) and carnivorous.
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Introduced to Western Australia in 1906. As an introduced species, they often cause consternation among bird watchers for their instinctual hunt of small native animals, reptiles and frogs.
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Territorial and mate for life, they raise their young in family groups. You will often see a pair and a third family member.
Tips and Tricks for making your own art
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If you are painting wildlife (or humans) a good place to start is with the eye - Aim to capture that glint of light when you are photographing and then painting- The whole personality will start to come alive with that one glint of light.
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Use loose, painterly brushwork to hint at feathers or fur and let the viewer’s imagination fill in the rest. You do not need to paint every single line in fur or feathers.
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Become aware of colour theory - In this artwork, I used a neutral palette of harmonious blues and browns that allowed the complementary orange-yellow to really pop. Orange is opposite to blue on the colour wheel.
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Don’t be afraid to edit your painting. Initially, I had a pattern in red on the cup, but it distracted from the simplicity of the image.
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Remember it’s just paint!
Until next time,
Mia x
(Please purchase here if you would like a snail mail package of this Letter and print. They make fabulous gifts!)
