Heads of the Family is a series of 24 paintings created in the final weeks of my stepfather George’s life. I transformed the living room of our family home in Bendigo, Victoria, into a studio. As visitors came to say their final goodbyes, I asked them to look at the camera and think of George. Using these photos as references, I quickly painted their portraits while they were in his presence, capturing deeply personal emotions in this un-staged family environment. I was fascinated by the conversations, often very emotional. There was also laughter and a sense of urgency. I felt that the paintings helped us all to accept, weep, celebrate and simply be together with George.

I am drawn to the role as a ‘death documentor’. I have also been at the other side of life where a baby enters the universe. It is a sacred space and time unlike any other.