Wybalenna

I live on the beautiful but isolated island in Tasmania, the Flinders Island. There are magnificent mountains, over 120 pristine beaches, rock formations with red lichen. A paradise to live in and a constant source of inspiration for an artist's soul. The island is also a place of sadness where in 1834 some 134 Tasmanian aboriginals were housed, ostensibly for their own safety away from dangers to them on the mainland Tasmania. Their health failed in accommodation unsuitable to them. They died here, at Wyballena, longing for their own country. The cemetary is a very sad place. In the past the graves were marked and identified, but now there is only bare grass and thistles. This work is influenced by the history and sadness of Wybalenna, depicting the dozens of graves and the longing for home.

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I have been making art for the last three decades. After my retirement in early 2000 I have been involved in art just about full time. I owned and ran the only commercial art gallery in Albury, N.SW. Australia. The gallery was quite successful. However all my energy went into promoting my staple of artists. So, I decided to sell up and concentrate on my own work. I work in all mediums but prefer oils to all the others. I have exhibited my works in my gallery as well as in other galleries and solo and group exhibitions.

There was a lull in my creative efforts for some years while my husband was very ill. Sadly he passed away and I moved to Tasmania. I live at Palana, by the beach, a very small village in Flinders Island. I have a little cute dog, Lilla, and we make daily walks to the beach. Red lichen rocks and ever changing dunes are a great inspiration. My formal art education is limited to a 3 year drawing certificate at TAFE. But my teacher was wonderful, saying that all art is drawing. I went to TAFE to learn to draw perspective. I walked out without knowing how to do it, but learned painting, even sculpting. All in the name of drawing.

I originally started to paint and draw to leave something of myself behind for my descendants. I migrated to Australia back in 1966 and am the only one of my Finnish family here. It is important to me that my daughter and son, and their children and children’s children will have works of art left to them. It is kind of immortality, and I am grateful that my children value my works.

My main interest is and always has been the human form. It seems to creep into most of my works. I might start with an idea of drawing veins I find in a rock, turning the canvas over and over during the process, looking at it from all angles. Invariably the work has nothing to resemble the original inspiration.

Future for me is looking rosy with more art being created each day. All I need to do is look out the window and there is so much to inspire me. In the past, especially since I started to paint again after such a gap of many years, I feared the empty canvas, but have overcome that fear now. I paint for my enjoyment, if it sells great. But if not, well I have had a few hours of joy.