From a distance it reads as a soft, silvery Banksia-like presence; up close, it opens into intricate colour fields and an intense hidden energy within the surface. This work grew from my ongoing fascination with Australian native forms (Old Man Banksia) and what lies just beyond what we first see in nature. It reflects that moment of discovery when something familiar begins to shift under closer attention. Built with layered acrylic and texture paste, the surface appears in soft silvery-pink tones from afar, while revealing unexpected bursts of fiery orange hidden within the lower structure when viewed up close. No pure white, black or grey was used. Subtle greens, blues and yellows sit across the upper sculptural layers, with warm orange undertones beneath, together creating a layered optical effect. It speaks to what is held beneath appearances.