(Photo: Our daughter at 2 weeks — tiny, brave, and already teaching us what beauty truly means.)
-
Because every smile tells a story — and every story deserves to be seen.
I was born with a cleft lip. A visible difference that shaped the way I expressed myself, the way I connected, and the way the world saw me.
Years later, holding my newborn daughter in my arms, I saw the same story reflected back. She, too, was born with a cleft lip. That moment changed everything. I was no longer just the child who lived it — I became the mother guiding another through it.
What followed was a journey of healing, surrender, and fierce love. Surgeries. Scars. Grace. Through it all, I stopped seeing the body as something to “fix” and began to see it as sacred — as whole. That shift now lives in everything I create.
My sculptures are offerings — not just of wood and texture, but of presence. They are invitations to soothe, to centre, to remember that we are already enough.
And through this work, I give back.
A portion of every artwork supports Operation Smile Australia, providing free, life-changing surgeries for children with cleft conditions around the world.
Because giving back smiles…
is giving back dignity.
is giving back confidence.
is giving back light.
This isn’t strategy. This is personal.
It’s my story. My daughter’s story.
And, with your support, part of every child’s story still waiting.
.
A moment held in three frames — Before: her original smile, wide and unfiltered, just as she arrived. During: the quiet strength of a mother and daughter wrapped in hospital gowns, hearts beating together through the unknown. After: a tender glimpse of transformation — her first new smile, soft and swollen, but full of possibility. A sacred journey of courage, surrender, and love 🤍.
.
.
👉 Learn more: Operation Smile Australia - Website
👉 View Artworks that give back