I was born in London in 1961 but came to Australia in 1967 with my parents. I grew up in the ship building town of Whyalla in South Australia. I started art at the age of 15, and mainly drew animals and people portraits. I gained an A+ in Advanced Art through high school.
I worked as a horse trainer for many years, and also trained dogs as a hobby. I think this is where my passion for pet portraits comes from.
In 1987, my husband Ian and I moved to Albury in New South Wales – where we raised a family of four children. The art got put on hold for many years during this time, which is something I regret. But I did do the occasional backdrop for school plays which helped to ‘keep my hand in’.
About seven years ago I finally picked up a paint brush again, and I have been hard at it ever since.
After attending TAFE (Fine Arts) for a year, and working with various tutors (including two years in a drawing class under Janene Castillo), I am now constantly working at refining my skills and continuing to learn as much as I can.
I try to attend workshops and classes on a regular basis, as I believe this keeps me on my toes and helps me not to become stale. As artists, we never really stop learning … there’s always more!
I have taught several classes in drawing and painting for beginners. I would like to pursue this further, at some time in the future.
This story is from the No 167 edition of Artists Palette.
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This story is from the No 167 edition of Artists Palette.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Eye of Observation
Draw, draw, and draw some more; develop your artist’s eye of observation. Sterling advice from a lady who believes that seeing shapes in paintings requires a truly ‘arty’ eye.
Pelicans To Portraits
This lady has painted everything from pelicans to portraits. She has completed commissions including cats, dogs, horses, possums, numerous beach scenes … and even a Scottish piper.
Gregory John Brennan: Lost Profession
Looking back on his early career as a bulldozer driver, this rural New South Wales painter laments the days when he was too young to appreciate his outstanding potential as an artist.
Pastels: Once We Were Important
A simplified and well named painting tells a powerful and interesting story. This clever pastel artist is delighted to share her techniques for the benefit of others.
Fibre Art
This artist feels that the hardest lesson she had to learn was to believe in herself … and once she did that, everything started to fall into place and her confidence grew.
Water Lily Magic
Instead of paper and paint, this artist uses fabric and threads … and she uses a sewing machine instead of a brush. The textures, colours and prints of fabrics thrown together with threads fascinate her, and often give inspiration for her designs.
Loading Wheat – 1920s
It is rare to see an artist displaying this level of skill and understanding in capturing the activity and atmosphere of bygone days from Australia’s agricultural history.
‘Jama' – King Cheetah
This exquisitely talented lady believes that every artist has failures … but it is important to remember that every success is better than the one before.
Blahuta's Ute
Early in the year we ran a feature about ‘Utes in the Paddock’ – a landmark project by several notable artists. In this article, one of those artists shares his story and some of his views … and describes the process of creating his own piece of an amazing collaborative work.
Artists' Easels
Many important tools are employed by artists in creating their paintings. Artists’ easels are now available in a host of styles and configurations to enhance the creative process. Some of your favourite art materials suppliers are more than pleased to highlight a selection of the many products being offered.
