My Art Story
Why art
My mother was an artist and architect, and she loved to take us kids to galleries and museums. The art gallery is my church - filled with light, colour and mystery. Art gives me insight and an appreciation of other humans and the wider world. I enjoy films, books and museums for the same reasons. I am a culture junkie. I create art because I have to - but its purpose is still vexed. Who is it for really? Am I just creating more "stuff" that the world does not need? I guess that my human drives are not unique - curiosity, love, alarm, fear, awe - but I choose to channel these in part through making "art" .
Drawing
Throughout my life I have always drawn - using every kind of pencil or marker - and I have so many ! I have forayed into painting - but always come back to drawing. I do like starting with that blank sheet of paper - not knowing where it will go. When I paint I am much more likely to plan the composition and design, but when I draw the composition is much more intuitive and I enjoy the spontaneity in drawing. I have many sketchbooks, and I have started to make my own sketchbooks. These books are full of ideas and reflections - not intended for any commercial use, nor for exhibition. Sometimes I use them as reference for other works that end up in shows or for sale.
Urban sketching
I enjoy sketching outdoors as a way of experiencing the world with a deeper reflection and appreciation for the environment. It's also lovely to chat with passers by while sketching, and to meet with other sketchers. Each sketch holds memories of the place and people I met. I joined Adelaide Urban Sketchers in 2021 and I have found this to be a great way to practice my drawing skills. I went to the Asia Link Slketchwalk in Penang in 2024, and met many hundreds of amazing artists there. I am hoping to attend the international symposium on urban sketchers in Poznan, Poland in August 2025. I do a lot of drawing on my own, choosing subjects of interest to me. I am currently interested in drawing places of cultural significance, such as the Three Rivers Fountain, and Chihuly in the Botanic Gardens. I am working on a couple of art projects based on these places, and hope I can use my drawings to develop other art works that I can exhibit. The sketchbooks are a treasured foundation.
Prizes and shows
I have entered a few prizes and group shows, and earned some accolades: * Peoples' Choice Award, Royal Society of Arts members exhibition, January 2023. This was for the picture shown here of my dogs eye. * Highly Commended award from Blackwood Rotary Art show, 2024. This was for a charcoal drawing of a male figure in the landscape. * Winner, Bald Archies Portrait Prize 2009. This was for my portrait of Charles, which is now hanging in the Grace Emily Hotel. * Finalist West Torrens Art Prize, 2022. My painting sold at the opening.
Painting
Painting is all about composition and colour for me, and I usually plan this out quite carefully. I use acrylic paint for quicker results, or where I need texture, or for underpainting layers. Oils are more refined and allow me to be more accurate with colours and details in the final layers. Painting is really a solitary activity - best done carefully alone in the studio. That said, I have had some success painting "all prima" quickly. MY painting of the Black Cockatoo was carefully planned and drawn up, but the painting was completed in just 2 hours as artist in residence at Blackwood Rotary. My fellow artists at the Splashout studio call me speedy because I can paint quickly once I know the basic layout.
