Deanne Newland is an award-winning Lake Macquarie-based artist whose focus is on the natural landscape, working predominantly in acrylic paint, oil paint, and inks.
She started her professional art career when she moved from Coledale to Swansea Heads opening her art business The Artistic Soul Studio in 2008 after working as a Visual arts teacher at High School for 18 years.
Her work is an exploration of Australian flora & landscape, the play of sunlight, and her surrounding area.
Most of her landscapes are intuitive and evolve as she creates them. She rarely uses a photograph but relies on her memories of places she has been to or knows well.
Swansea Heads is her home and inspiration. This special location is where the natural bushland meets the sea and channel. Within these little pockets of the bush is a maze of walking tracks which lead to breathtaking bays, beaches, and headlands.
Deanne grew up in Lake Macquarie and studied art formally in Newcastle, obtaining a Certificate of Art and Design, a Bachelor of Visual Arts, and a Diploma in Education (1991).
Deanne’s beautiful artworks have been purchased by international and Australian collectors.
She has facilitated many art workshops, run artists' retreats overseas, been involved in numerous group exhibitions, held several solo exhibitions, and is part of the wonderful artist community in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
Deanne explores different mediums. These include inks, acrylic paint, oil paint, mixed media, photography, ceramics, and watercolour.
When using inks and watercolours the works are loose washes combined with fine drawing techniques.
Some of Deanne’s local beach scenes are created using thick and textural oil paint applied in a gestural manner with a palette knife and brush to capture the feel of the coastline.
When using acrylic paint, many layers are created to produce the overall effect.
Her love of trees and coastal scenes has been a continuing theme throughout her work for the past 15 years.