Art has always been a part of my life.
I’ve always been intrigued with making marks and the beauty of how colour “talks”. I’m happy when physically ‘doing’ and the creative process never ceases to amaze me.
After finishing school in Sydney, I went on to study art and completed a full time 5-year Painting Diploma at Meadowbank and East Sydney Technical Colleges where I developed skills in multiple mediums and techniques including printing, photography and sculpture.
I then undertook a Diploma of Education at Sydney Teachers College and went on to teach Visual Arts to Secondary students with the Education Department for 27 years.
After retiring from full time teaching, I was able to devote more time to pursue my own art practice. while also tutoring many art groups, including Adult Education, and individuals locally and in Brisbane.
About my art……
My love of drawing is reflected in the 2 mediums I mainly work with which are charcoal and acrylic paint. Although I have tended to keep these mediums as separate styles of work, I have started bringing them together of late.
The landscape is a constant resource for my work. The shapes, the repetition, the colours, the ever-changing movement. I’ve always had a fascination with trees and how they dominate the landscape. From climbing trees in the park at the back of my childhood home to feeling like I was in the middle of one of Fred William’s paintings as I drove out to my first teaching appointment in Walcha, I’ve been in awe of the landscapes around me.
I’m now living on the Far North Coast of NSW where I’m surrounded by the beautiful and varying coastal terrain.
Through my charcoal drawings I create a sense of space where the audience is drawn in. Often negative space dominates as what is not there is as important as what is there.
My works draw on emotions, particularly my colourful paintings. Although I use a strong colour palate, the moods are often peaceful and serene, allowing viewers to get lost in the colours and strokes.
Over the last few years whilst introducing a linear aspect to my paintings I have been experimenting with mono-printing and introducing layers to my pen and charcoal drawings. These processes often introduce unpredictable marks within my work, which is something I have come to enjoy working with.
It gives me great pleasure to share my life work knowing that my love of art is appreciated.