I owe a great deal of my art journey to my mother, who was a local artist in the small town, I grew up in. She was my inspiration and my teacher, encouraging me in many opportunities to practise and showcase my artworks through art competitions and exhibitions. I also had lessons from other local artists, working with mediums such as oil and acrylic paint, drawing, palette knife and brush work, and art composition. Over the years I have used these skills not only in my teaching career, but also in business, for community groups and when commissioned for specific projects. These have included works like large billboards and murals, musical sets and backdrops, images on clothing and many, many canvas paintings particularly of Australian wildlife.
My favourite object to paint has been animals and in particular Australian animals and birds. I have recently developed my own style of embellishing a pre-poured acrylic background. I create a pour painting, then look at the patterns and colours to see what image appears in the pour. I then embellish the pour with brush and pen work to draw out the subject of the painting. The fluidity of the design in the background gives a new dimension of movement and life to the animals I’ve always loved to paint.
For most of my working life, I have taught Early Childhood Education. Teaching children gives me great joy but immersing myself in the creating of an Artwork gives me another type of joy and sense of release. Painting gives me an outlet that is energising, spiritual and good for my soul. The word, ‘Artspirations’ has come from my heart to inspire others with the joy of life.