With a maker for a father and a mother whose pockets are perpetually stuffed with foraged seeds, it's only to be expected Polla would end up as a creative inspired by nature.
She has a degree in Fine Art from the University of Western Australia, studied interior design and has also worked for many years as a graphic designer for screen printing and print media. In an interesting career twist, she is also a qualified Personal Fitness Trainer as it does the body good to get out from behind the easel sometimes.
Her early work was mainly in the medium of bold-coloured acrylic, with subjects revolving around commercialism and pop culture.
Following the sudden, tragic loss of her 31 year old partner of 15 years in 2009, only months after the birth of their first child, she stopped painting. A year later she started again, attempting to heal and reclaim her life by reaching back to her roots in nature, this time primarily in the delicate medium of watercolour.
Polla's representative style now expresses the simple joys of nature and and life as it surrounds and embraces her - still life, portraiture, animals, birds and flowers. After much time freelancing as a graphic designer and working as a commissioned artist, she has recently begun actively pursuing the development of her personal practice, with a number of interesting projects now bubbling away.
The world turning as it does, she now lives happily with her "second chance" husband and family on a small, rural property in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia, just beyond the outskirts of Perth. Her immediate surroundings are a constant source of inspiration. She embraces simple country life, aspires to Minimalism and enjoys exploring artistic possibilities whenever possible.