ABOUT THE ARTIST
I have always loved art since my school days. In fact, I loved art in the first year of high school and my art teacher urged me to continue on. But the nuns had different ideas. I was counselled that art would get me nowhere and that I should do economics/commerce instead!
The nuns were probably right but it meant that I was a late bloomer when it came to following through.
I have now done a myriad of courses over the last 20 years with TAFE, Artable, individual artists and, more recently, the Colour Circle and Art Society of Tasmania here in Hobart. I also attended the inaugural Pastel Expo on the Sunshine Coast in 2018 (sadly 2020 was cancelled due to Covid 19). I am particularly inspired by the work of Australian Eminent Pastellist Lyn Diefenbach and have attended two of her 5 day art retreats (2019 and 2020). I am also now enjoying teaching others in Acrylic Pouring, scratchboard and pet portraits.
I have tried oils, acrylics, watercolours, Scratchboard, acrylic pouring, resin, airbrush and pastels. I love the softness, vibrancy and purity of colour that you can obtain with pastels and the detail and contrast of scratchboard. I have also moved into Acrylic Pour snap button jewellery after discovering the addictive and therapeutic world of acrylic pouring ago after a visit to my hairdressers. She mentioned that she had been up “pouring” until 2 am and so the conversation and journey began.
As an artist, I think my enduring love and affinity for animals has made me very observant of their characteristics and behaviours. This has allowed me to capture the unique personality, pose and mannerisms of my subjects, particularly those well known to me. I pay particular attention to their faces as, with humans, their eyes can be just so expressive.
It is my eye for detail, patience and my willingness to continually experiment with new compositions, techniques and media which make me the artist that I am. I also use quality artist materials and substrates/surfaces.
I am an active member of The Colour Circle, the Huon Art Exhibitions Group and the Art Society of Tasmania and have exhibited in various exhibitions here in Tasmania, including the Poochibald Exhibition (of dog portraits) in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. I am also an exhibiting member of the Australian Society of Miniature Art Tasmania Inc. (ASMA). I am currently a committee member of ASMA and a member of the Pastel Society of Australia.
In September 2019, I won the Rangers’ or Packers Prize at the annual Poochibald competition held by Hobart’s Clarence City Council with my scratchboard of border collie, Missy. In October 2020, I was honoured to win a Silver Medal in the ASMA national inaugural online Exhibition “Small and Precious” for my pastel floral “Shady Lady”. In March 2021 I was delighted to win a Gold medal for my “Sweet Bunny” pastel miniature (10 by 10 cm unframed) in the Annual National Exhibition of ASMA held at the Lady Franklin Gallery and to also receive the annual Founder’s Award from Society founder Bernadette Connor OAM for a minimum of 3 high standard miniature works in the annual exhibition and a significant contribution to the work of the Society. (I had taken over as President from Pat Young in February 2020 when she urgently stood down due to pressing personal reasons).
In November 2020, I exhibited 5 pastel artworks at the Joan Humble Heritage Art Group Exhibition “Celebrating Nature” at the Art Society of Tasmania’s Lady Franklin Gallery.
After doing portraits of family and friends for many years now, I have decided to offer my services as a portrait artist to those who might be interested. I hope to add a separate page and gallery of my previous people portraits very soon. I have recently added a Celebrity Powder Room to our new home with portraits I have completed of Dame Edna, Elvis Presley, Princess Mary, Dr Evil, Hugh Jackman and Marilyn Monroe. My portrait of Princess Mary has been used for several years now by Hobart Rotary as a display photo when marketing their annual Art Show at the Wrest Point casino. During Covid 19 lockdown in early 2020 and this year, I have produced a series of portraits of my wonderful tennis friends (the “Tennis Tragics”) as surprise gifts. They were warmly received! I am actively developing my people portrait skills .. watch this space!
I was delighted to win the equivalent of the Packers’ Prize at the 2019 Poochibald for my scratchboard of border collie, Missy.
Painting is a passionate hobby, but one which I am endeavouring to turn into a small business. I have been painting animals and pets for years, but primarily as gifts for friends and family, or to adorn our walls at home. Our Golden Retrievers, Roxy (who sadly passed away in April 2019) and Bentley, appear throughout our house.
In working to establish my art as a more permanent “hobby”, I am keen to promote a strong customer service focus and be responsive to your needs and requirements. I will also consult with you along the way to ensure that the finished portrait meets your expectations. I will also endeavour to get your portrait done in the quickest possible timeframe, without sacrificing quality.
A personalised pet portrait is a wonderful and thoughtful gift idea for those hard to buy people. It is also a wonderful way to immortalise an ageing pet or one who has recently passed away. I am happy to provide a Gift Voucher from Animalia Art to an agreed value.
My innovative snap button jewellery including my original, unique Acrylic Pours is being very well received. Please contact me if you would like to know more about this or view my full range of base jewellery and other items.
You can view a selection of my pet portraits and animal paintings in my Gallery pages. A number of my animal paintings are available for purchase (with the cost of postage and handling additional). Prices are in Australian dollars and include GST.