Homage to Beauty

This lady’s art pays homage to the beauty of wildlife, plants and our natural environment – in a realistic fashion. Yet humble buildings somehow live in harmony with their surroundings, and display a true beauty all of their own.

Iwas born in Sydney, and moved to the New South Wales Central Coast where I spent my childhood as part of a large family on a small hobby farm surrounded by grassy paddocks and bushland. For as long as I can remember, I loved drawing. I spent lots of time drawing pictures for my friends – copied from cute greeting card illustrations or photographs of horses.

My favourite place to be was sitting up in a tree, or walking through the bush looking for echidnas and lyrebirds in the hills behind our farmhouse. I think I was born with a love of Nature and the animal world.

I studied science subjects at school rather than art, because it was considered difficult to achieve high marks in art at the time. I studied to become a physiotherapist; and after spending some time working in Sydney, I returned to the Central Coast.

A defining moment for my art occurred while visiting Mogo on the south coast 15 years ago, when I walked into a small gallery featuring pastels by Lee Miller. I had been keen to embark on developing my drawing as a serious hobby, and to see beautiful and bright paintings created with sticks of pure colour was thrilling. As soon as I returned home, I found a set of pastels on sale at a local store … and I knew it was meant to be. Since then,

I have also expanded into acrylics and the occasional heat-set oil painting; but pastels remain my first love.

I have had no formal training. I have developed my art through lessons with several well known local artists. Now I have three young children, and I have tried to continue painting whenever I can – snatching time here and there. Pastels lend themselves well to the demands that come with a young family, as I can leave the painting at any stage and return later. Genesis Heat Set Oils are also ideal in this respect.

I read many books and magazines, where there is a huge wealth of information and encouragement to be found. But I must learn by the act of doing, and allowing myself to simply enjoy the process of making marks on paper or canvas. I find it a joy and a challenge to render a subject faithfully – whether it is a simple loose sketch or study, or a large scale work.

As a busy mum, I always work from my own photographs. This is quite easy in the digital age, and I work from my own images in order to avoid copyright issues. It’s a pleasure to get out there and see the world around me, while absorbing the atmosphere and translating my impressions into my work.

I have hundreds of paintings in my head and piles of photographs that are

waiting to make their way onto paper or canvas. I am known around my area for my intensely colourful, yet realistic seascapes … featuring Norah Head, The Entrance and Terrigal. I also paint native flowers and birdlife. My other passions artistically are the big cats and African wildlife.

Just like little children, the trees and birds and animals live their lives without any awareness of their own beauty. As artists, some of us are blessed with the desire and ability to see it and express it. I am now developing my portraiture skills and I am hoping to increase my commission work in this field.

I feel that I have been driven to draw and paint. It is simply within me, part of who I am. I can’t help but notice the beauty all around us in the natural world. I also find beauty in man-made structures that seem to incorporate some sense of harmony with our surroundings – such as lighthouses and country sheds. Perhaps it is partly because many are created from wood or stone that come from the natural

surroundings in which they are placed; and they give me some kind of hope that we can live in harmony with our planet if we try hard enough.

I now find myself in demand as a tutor, for workshops and home lessons. I sell works on a regular basis at a local community gallery. I have sold about 70 pieces over the years. I participate regularly in local art society exhibitions.

Whether or not you think you can’t draw, try it anyway! You will improve. You will enjoy it. You will learn something. You will appreciate art on a deeper level. And in time you will gain skills and experience, and find a new passion in your life. Remember that you are allowed to make mistakes – it is part of the learning process.

American pastellists Harley Brown and Richard McDaniel are among my favourites. They have the ability to render beautiful realism while maintaining dynamic pastel strokes. My absolute favourite artist is Vincent van Gogh. He barely sold any works in his lifetime, but he never gave up. He painted pictures full of colour, movement, brightness and joy.

My ultimate goal is to be a fulltime professional artist … but as long as I can continue to paint in pastels and further my skills in other mediums, I will be happy. To earn an income doing what I love would be the best job in the world. ■