Firstly I would like to thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about me and my art journey.
ABOUT ME: I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. I was born in Glenelg, South Australia and have lived in the Southern suburbs of Adelaide all my life. After a change in personal circumstances I rmade the move in 2023, with my adult son, to Victor Harbor, so as I could spend more time with my beautiful daughter and three grand children.
I have always been creative, probably inheritated that from my mother who introduced me to various crafts as a child and who is also an artist. Throughout school I studied art and in my final years focused on design, landscape and fashion mostly and I considered a career as a graphic designer, amongst other career choices. I always loved dolphins and also wanted to be a marine biologist, so that I could work with dolphins and other beautiful marine life. None of this eventuated and I found myself stuck in retail, retail management and hospitality industries.
Various crafts remained in my life and I dabbled in many different types, porcelaine doll making, teddy bear design and making, calico and lace, macrame and I also gained certification as a ceramics teacher. I still didn't see myself as ever being an artist or having the talent to be one.
Besides crafts and design I also have a passion for travel, learning about different cultures and visiting beautiful beaches, islands, waterfalls and countryside. I'm not really into cities or city life and find myself gravitating to beachside areas and locations. The perfect mix is country life with a beach nearby.
MY ART JOURNEY: As previously mentioned I have dabbled in many crafts throughout my life but I also did one oil painting when I was a teenager, with my mother's guidance. Whilst it turned out great I found I am far too impatiant for oil paintings, as the layers take far too long to dry for my liking. I didn't do any art again for many years, besides art classes at school.
Three years ago I took up doing art again, as a form of stress relief from working too many hours in two places of employment. I started off with acrylic painting and surprised myself when many pieces actually turned out a lot better than I was expecting them to. It was then I realised I may have some artistic talent afterall. On this journey I discovered fluid art, starting off with Acrylic fluid art, playing around with dutch pours, dirty cup pours, cell activators and many more. I then came across an amazing resin artist Erika Thornton, a USA resin artist and was inspired by her ocean pours. I invested in some resin products and started having a play with it and loved working with this media. Combining my passion for the beach and ocean my focus was on making waves, as realistically as possible.
I moved to Victor Harbour in 2023 and due to the move, having to set up a new studio space, finding work locally and trying to find where I put all my supplies resulted in me having 18 months off doing any artwork. The push I needed to get back into it came when I decided to enter the local Port Elliot Show. This encouraged my creative juices to flow again but in a slightly different dirrection, mixed media this time. A way I could combine acrylic art and resin art and experiement with various products and techniques. I entered three resin pieces into their craft section and recieved a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbon. All pieces were experiemental, playing with resin, shells, sand and more. I also created my first two mixed media paintings.
WHAT'S NEXT: I am loving experimenting with mixed media and now I'm including sculpture to create 3D pieces. I am still creating resin wave pieces and also experimenting with different techniques for texture.
Most of the pieces I create are inspired by my love for the beach, ocean and marine life, both wall art and practical art. I also branch off from time to time into fantasy pieces.
I plan to gain more exposure by entering my art in art shows and by having a stall at local artisan markets in the new year. My hope for the future is to get to the point where I can give up mainstream work and create art full time.
| 
