A Conversation with BUMCHAIII
Alicia Roberts aka BUMCHAIII works in mixed media — moving between digital illustration, photography, drawing and collage.
For Flash. Issue 03 — a Project See & B × Jean Marie Film collaboration that gave twenty creatives second-hand film cameras and total freedom — BUMCHAIII picked up a Canon SureShot BF and leaned into experimentation.
She’d been wanting to combine digital illustration, photography and collage for a while. These works are what happened when she finally let herself try. Not to perfect it. Just to play.
Her final pieces — Time &, Cacophony, and Living — sit somewhere between dream logic and real life. Textures overlap. Images interrupt each other. It feels layered, like a mind trying to hold two realities at once: the big stuff out there, and the tiny details of getting through the day.
As she writes in her artist statement:
“The works are my contemplation of what it means to exist in a time where there is so much political and social uncertainty and how it feels to navigate that and manage the daily minutiae of my every day life.”
Where did this project begin for you?
“I had been wanting to combine digital illustration, photography and collage for a while and these pieces were the outcome of that experiment. I chose a few words at random from some old text books I had on hand and then intuitively chose images based off the way the words felt.”
How did you approach making the work?
“My process is a bit haphazard, it’s mostly to encourage me to participate in the activity of play. I usually start with a word, feeling or single image and then build upon it.”
Layering is key — visually, and emotionally.
“I like to layer my work and I try to work as intuitively as possible for non-commissioned pieces. I really enjoy the playful aspect of art and creating and I try to embody that in my art practice.”
And underneath that play is something steadier.
“I find that this process also helps to work through any emotions or experiences that I am struggling to verbalise. It’s a little bit like meditation.”
What were you hoping the work would hold?
“I was hoping to create something fun! I wanted pieces that had interesting textures and overlapping images. Something sort of dream like in feeling, I think I achieved that goal!”
How would you describe your practice?
“I would describe my practice as a multidisciplinary one. I like to work with textiles, mixed media, collage, digital illustration and I also like to paint! I am an avid crafter too! I feel like I collect different forms of artistic expressions/techniques to help me realize intangible feelings or thoughts, dream states and to explore my inner world.”
What’s inspiring you creatively right now?
“I am inspired by folklore, my dreams, nature and the intangible. I often use my art practice to work through things I can't or am too afraid to express openly. A lot of the time my personal work is a reflection of my inner world. I really like textile works at the moment. I am super interested in learning to weave! And I would love to learn to handsew my own garments and make my own textiles!”
What’s next?
“I am not working on anything in particular at the moment:) Just plugging away at a few personal projects to keep my hands busy!”
Sometimes that’s the most honest answer. Not everything needs a big rollout. Sometimes you just keep making things because making is how you stay connected to yourself.
To see more of BUMCHAIII’s work, find her on Instagram @bumchaiii.
Flash. — Exhibition & Issue 03 Launch
Flash. Issue 03 One-week-only exhibition:
19 — 25 January 2026
10am to 4pm daily
Terrace Greenhouse Gallery
223 South Terrace, South Fremantle, WA
Free entry
Project See & B is dedicated to amplifying under-represented voices in the creative industry. Issue 03 was made possible thanks to the support of The Blackbird Foundation.
