Heading to the Light

I have lived along the coast all my life, and my love of the ocean, it's creatures and the peace are all factors that inspire me to paint these underwater pieces. My love of colour is always evident and reflected in the vibrancy and boldness of my pieces. My works are very impressionistic and start with an often busy background of colour and texture in acrylics, which I then paint over the top of in oils. I want these backgrounds to add their own interest to a painting in their mark making, but not take away from the main painting on top, and I invite the viewer to get up close and personal and look at what's going on in the many layers. Once completed, I like my underwater scenes to be finished with a satin varnish spray, which adds a vibrancy and lusciousness to the colours and protects the work for years to come.

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"I love to paint what I live - the local flora and fauna, all influence my work in some way”

Madeleine was born in England, however, coming to Australia when only 3, she has grown up and still resides in the southern coastal area of South Australia.

She was an avid drawer in her childhood and was recognised by many teachers for her drawing prowess, but like many people, her artistic endeavours were put on the back burner when she entered into the corporate world for work. It wasn’t until her early 30’s that she decided to start her art journey again, and commenced weekly art and craft classes at Goodwood. 2010 saw Madeleine notch her art priorities up another level again. In order to hone her skills and broaden her knowledge, Madeleine began to attend regularly workshops hosted by local and interstate artists, including a 7 day workshop in Italy with international artist, Julian Hyzler. February 2019 saw her finishing up 6 years of general painting classes with a local private art school in order to branch out and focus on her own style of art.

Madeleine first started showing her work in public when she was invited to display her paintings at Ekhidna Winery, McLaren Vale which is nestled in the southern wine region of South Australia and a renown tourist area. Her works were permanently displayed for approximately 2 years, during which time many pieces were purchased by local, interstate and international collectors. She now continues to exhibit frequently throughout Adelaide and has garnered herself a small following through her art page and website - maearts.

“South Australia’s clear, bright skies bring out the best of our nature’s colours, and it is this beauty of colour I like to enhance and play with in my pieces in an impressionistic style working in both acrylics and oils through many genres, be it still life, landscapes or abstracts ” (Madeleine Elkin)