"Jupiter channels the energy of expansion, benevolence, and higher wisdom, driving the growth of the soul and the amplification of potential.”

Drawing from early alchemy, this suite of seven paintings explores the ancient understanding that the movements of the night sky share a direct, physical relationship with the materials of the earth. Observed from the vantage of the Southern Hemisphere, seven constellations are rendered as intimate celestial maps suspended over low horizons, translating the vastness of space into contemplative, jewel-like nocturnes.

Rather than engaging modern astrological tropes, the series investigates historical planetary rulerships and their foundational ties to early metallurgy: the Sun (Gold), the Moon (Silver), Mercury (Quicksilver), Venus (Copper), Mars (Iron), Jupiter (Tin), and Saturn (Lead). While classical texts often privileged gold as the ultimate pursuit, this series positions copper as the foundational vessel—a living, receptive support, honouring the metal's pivotal place in my eleven-year practice.

This dialogue is embedded directly within the physical construction of each piece. Mounted within dark timber profiles, each miniature oil painting rests on an exposed copper plate prepared to cultivate slow, atmospheric oxidation. The delicate patinas that developed organically across the metal echo the grain and warmth of the surrounding timber.

Historically ruled by Venus—the metal of attraction, harmony, and physical embodiment—copper acts as an active collaborator rather than an inert ground. Through its initial volatility and enduring stability once cured with hand-ground oils, the metal substrate bridges the eternal geometry of the southern sky with the living, metamorphic chemistry of raw matter.