The first formal art class I ever attended was a beginners Folk Art course in my home town of Sydney in the 1990's, although it has only been within the last few years, following a move from the south coast of NSW to Queensland, that I have had the opportunity to pursue art full time.
From there, I moved into the somewhat more civilised Decorative Art, where I attended hours and hours worth of workshops with some of the best in the field. While many would consider Folk and Decorative Art pretty basic styles, it gave me a fabulous grounding in many techniques, such as shading and using different tones, how to use your brush to get the effect you want, as well as some basic art rules, like getting the composition of a piece right. It also taught me not to be scared of throwing paint around. That confidence has lead me to be more open to creating some of the more impressionistic style pieces I come up with these days.
While I have attended many, MANY, hours worth of workshops over the years, I have no formal art qualifications - a fact I used to shy away from admitting, however these days, I will proudly refer to myself as 'self-taught' - with full credit to all my teachers, of course.
Acrylics will always hold a special place in my heart, but I prefer not to limit myself to one medium, and am currently studying watercolour and pastels with a gifted local fine artist. I don't like to limit myself to one style either, and I work in abstract realism, impressionistic and painterly styles. I find inspiration in things I love - tropical landscapes, sea scapes, surf culture, our native flora and fauna.
