Cambodia: Australian Pouched Rat print

“I had the pleasure of visiting Cambodia in 2025. While travelling, I encountered countless moments of beauty, from ancient temples to the fascinating wildlife that surrounded them.

This painting was inspired by one of those moments – an unexpected animal encounter and an incredible story.

“Inspired by my trip, I began with a blue background, choosing a colour on the opposite end of the colour wheel to the first painting in my Cambodia series, Underwater Angkor Wat. While that painting depicts one of the country’s most iconic temples at the bottom of a lake, I wanted this piece to explore a very different side of Cambodia.

“I then scattered dry rice across the surface. Rice is one of Cambodia’s staple foods, and I loved the idea of using it to create a beautiful, organic pattern within the painting.

“Next came the Australian Pouched Rat at the centre. During my research, I learned how these rats had been trained to detect landmines – an extraordinary response to the legacy of landmines left by years of conflict and civil unrest.

“Look closely and you’ll see that the rat has one blind eye, representing the devastating impact landmines have had on people. Above it sits a banana, a treat given to mine-detection rats as a reward for successfully locating a landmine.

“The more I learned, the more this unexpected animal encounter stayed with me. Eventually, those ideas became Cambodia: Australian Pouched Rat — a colourful contemporary painting combining travel, memory, symbolism and a little piece of Cambodian culture.”