At the beginning of Alison Alder's career, she was screen printing political posters in a tin shed at Ainslie Village.
Fast forward four decades, Alder was on the other side of the lake, being named the inaugural artist in residence at Parliament House.
Announced by President of the Senate Sue Lines and Speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the news came as the Parliamentary Library launched Picturing Politics, a book featuring Alder's screen prints of the country's first 16 prime ministers - all of which have been on display in the Members Hall since late last year.
"It shows that there is interest with some people in parliament to show a different side of history, than what's normally portrayed. And that, I think, is a great thing," Alder said.
"It's a bit daunting to think that sometimes you might feel constrained by having a position like this and not wanting to offend anybody or something. But there are ways around that. I think that you can be just as kickass as before, but just maybe in a slightly more subtle way."
The artist-in-residence program will see Alder focus on creating screen prints of different women in Australia's history, in particular those involved in the suffrage movement in the late 19th century.
The series - and indeed a lot of Alder's artistic work - aim to act as a reminder of certain parts of history that have been forgotten over time.
"I see my role as not to represent my own interests in life - that'd be a bit dull - but to visualise the underrepresented histories and contemporary issues that impact on our lives, be they negative or positive, and on our progress as a nation," she said.
"There's so much to learn, even in this house, where you would think we would know so much, but Australians have a great capacity to forget when it is important to remember.
"And I hope that my work will in some small way, provide a reminder for both how long, in short, our histories are, and how those histories impact upon and inform the present."
Each of Alder's prints is filled with hidden symbolism. Take the Picturing Politics series. While each work features an image of each of the prime ministers, they also include motifs taken from different elements of their lives - in and out of the top job.
There is a starburst behind Alfred Deakin, taken from the sheet music from the Australian Natives' Association, of which he was a leading member. Meanwhile in the background of the James Scullin portrait, there is an image of an Australian ration book from the Great Depression.
The details from the portraits are included in the Picturing Politics book.
