Why…
My art filled life…
Then…
Today I am based on the northern coast of New South Wales in Australia and am focused on honing my art skills.
But most of my life has been spent learning about and working with the natural environment and creating spaces for people which embrace and protect that environment. The Australian natural and built surroundings - lived in by people or protected from people - are very close to my heart and, as I have lived and worked in almost every state of Australia, I know and love it well.
Many years ago, I started to explore art through the Claremont School of Art in Western Australia but had to give it away due to work pressures. So, recently with more space in my life, I decided to follow my heart and take up practising my art full time.
Of course, the outstandingly beautiful and awe inspiring Australian landscape and flora are central to the art I create.
And now…
When I first came back to art, I started with watercolour and botanical illustration because I thought, given my background in botany and the many scientific drawings I had done in my life, it would be the easiest path. Was I mistaken! The detailed requirements of this challenging art form is not for me.
So I went back to using oils and acrylic and started to explore a looser more contemporary style.
I have found my art home.
A looser style gives me the tools to explore painting every aspect of the Australian environment - seascapes, the sky, forests, waterways, cities and lived spaces and of course my beloved Australian plants. Sometimes my art is reasonably realistic but more often it is abstracted so I can try to capture the extraordinary feelings of awe and wonder in place, space, colour, light and unique characteristics of the Australia I know and love. Painting huge stormy skies and seas and towering forest are current joys.
Today I live with my husband, Brian, in Coffs Harbour near my family. My focus is on exploring my art and always learning.
Daybreak at Murrays Beach after a wintery storm
