Ordinary Things

According to this lady, any painting begins with thoughts and feelings aroused by everyday things that are special – seen and experienced in daily life – then communicated to the viewer through a work of art.

Ihave always been fascinated, as a visual artist, by the environment and our nurtured spaces and the impact these things have had on us; the human form; and the nurtured forms we as people create. It is impossible to consider a visual experience without reference to these occurrences and the impact they have on our daily lives.

My paintings give the viewer the capacity to wonder, to use imagination, and to see ordinary things in an extraordinary way … taking them into an infinitely wonderful world revealing the beauty of ordinary things. I offer a personal artist’s vision and perception. My unique painting style has been a consequence of different events.

I paint in traditional and contemporary styles – with watercolours, mixed media, acrylics and pastels.

I live at Marcus Beach on the Sunshine Coast where I have a studio. It is here I produce my paintings and teach people of all ages about the wonderful world of creating a vision and an experience.

I was born in Hamilton, Victoria, in 1955 – the year of the Chiko roll. After a rather boring and innocuous beginning, I attended the local Presbyterian College from Kindergarten to Matriculation (the last year it was named as such) at the age of 17 in 1972.

The dust hadn’t settled when I left for

Geelong in 1973 to complete my Bachelor of Arts. This I completed in 1977, and later in the same year I married.

I was employed in a variety of jobs. Research assistant for Community Chest (a fundraising organisation); driving instructor; and librarian

were a few. I re-enrolled in university three years later to converge my arts degree into a fine art degree. At the completion of my first year, I became pregnant. Eight months later I gave birth to twin sons. Needless to say, my further education came to an abrupt halt!

In 1982, I moved to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with my husband and sons. In 1985, I gave birth to our daughter.

Along with the responsibilities of rearing three children, I became President of the Peregian Beach Kindergarten and Pre-school.

As a professional artist, I found a lack of creative tuition and basic drawing in general education. Drawing is as instinctive to the mind as speaking. I spent voluntary afternoons in the art rooms of my children’s schools. This eventually led to teaching on a private level.

My love of art began at an early age; I was always painting or drawing something. I loved art at school. My passion continued through my tertiary education. I sold paintings to fellow students in order to buy books.

Over the years my artistic interests have changed, but I still have the same passion with the journey as it continues. It just changes direction and I continue along a different path. Colour is my constant fixation, and my biggest inspiration.

I started using oil paints at school and during those days I also dabbled with other media – pastels, watercolours and collage. I then started using acrylic paints when my children were very young. Acrylics were very exciting, took little time to dry, and were less toxic (with children in the studio). Watercolours are a particular favourite … painting people in different poses … and I have had several successful series called ‘Beach Bitches’ – painted in an abstract way in watercolours. Unfortunately I lost all those wonderful images during a Queensland storm and a subsequent flood.

I paint a wide variety of subjects. It is the mood and colour that inspires me, whether it be a wave, a flower, an object of admiration, or people in particular poses. Sometimes it is just a shape, space and colour.

I usually paint a series of images all linked in some way. At present I am in the midst of a series of lamps and everyday objects that I have an attachment to in some peculiar way. These paintings are of a tactile nature; using other media with acrylic paint to form textured and structured works in multi media. They use plenty of raised modelling compound to accentuate the shapes. The canvases are reasonable large, as I prefer working with large areas.

Colour is important as it evokes a powerful emotion with the viewer, and the tactile dimension also allows the viewer to participate within the boundaries of the canvas.

I have sold my work from restaurants, art shops, galleries and exhibitions; and I am a member of many art groups, finding the inspiration and interaction between other artists a great learning experience.

I have suffered many disasters, but these are part of a big learning curve. I never repeat the mistakes.

I have taken time off several times to concentrate on other practical necessities like rearing children and making a constant income … but I have always painted in some form. Now that my children are older and all self reliant, it is time for me to concentrate fully on my dreams and passions.

I conduct art classes at my studio on a weekly basis. I encourage the children’s visual creativity, because this seems to be a quality not sufficiently dealt with in our lives. My adult classes are approached with a similar concept but in a more complex manner. Most people have to be retaught to ‘see again’ because they are visually illiterate … they look at things on a very mundane survival level.

During the early ’90s, I worked at Art Base Studios in Tewantin – with Peter Hales – teaching children and adults. That space also exhibited and sold my art work. A wonderful experience.

More recently, I set up an art and craft studio in the Peregian

Beach Shopping Centre. This outlet introduced me to many other facets of the community in its pursuit of recreational arts. I became a member of the Aqueous Arts Festival in Noosa, and organised ‘Kidz Artz Day’ – a hands-on workshop day solely for the children to come and pursue their art interests. Their work was presented in the form of a large mural; each individual art piece was stapled together and mounted on a wall, giving the impression of a very large bedspread.

I do not believe I have painted my own outstanding piece as yet … but I continue to improve, and strive for that special piece, while I reach for the ultimate goal of my work being exhibited in a major gallery. I would also love to earn enough income through art to enable me to paint full-time.