The Tub O' Life series is a kinda whimsical branch of my big bonsai series. I'm a lover of Asian ceramics hence the realistic pots featured in the series. This is contrasted against the semi-abstract and layered mound of life, made up of poppies, daisies, moss and topped with a Japanese Maple bonsai. The maple tree trunk and roots is created by paint pours/skins that have dried into organic patterns... this "natural" way of painting, where you employ nature and the attributes of paints and mediums to to create something that mimics nature itself, is at the root (pardon the pun) of Daoist painting.

The hanko stamps you see in the signature (see detailed image) are made up of my signature stamp, the bonsai series stamp (Japanese characters), year stamp, and small circular stamp represents ‘M’ for painted in the Melbourne studio.

Read more about my obsession with bonsai in this blog post: The Big Bonsai Catalogue .