Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
I'm a mother of two and an artist working predominantly in Oil Pastel in Sydney. I am working full time as an artist so you will generally find me in the studio drawing still life, interiors, or whatever my heart desires that day. Other than that I'm chasing after my two little monkeys.
Can you tell us about your artistic journey? How did you first discover your passion for art and decide to pursue it as a career?
I've always had a passion for art which was fostered by my family. I attended Mosman High in their art stream, so I did extra art classes during the week, however, I wasn't quite brave enough to pursue art at the university level when I finished so I decided to study Interior Architecture instead. I spent just over a decade in that field and it really was the pandemic that triggered a big rethink on what I needed to be doing. I was pretty burnt out juggling a young family in the midst of the pandemic and picked up oil pastels to draw myself back to a better mental state. I had never directly intended to pursue art but from the moment I picked up those pastels it sort of snowballed from there and I was lucky to be found by some gallerists and art buyers who were very encouraging and bought and showed my works. Flash forward almost three years and I have three solo shows under my belt, numerous group shows, and a beautiful collector base. You can say I am pretty chuffed with that, and am honestly so grateful every day for the support I've had, in particular from my beautiful husband Adam.
How would you describe your artistic style and what inspired you to develop it?
My artistic style hasn't really developed per se but has been brought out of a practice that is highly intuitive, very much drawn from my emotional state when I sit down with a pastel and a surface to work. Its born of my natural impatience and excitement to see something form in front of me quickly, for the idea to be realised as quickly as it can, my marks are quick, intuitive, i don't overthink, I rarely rework, it is "just enough" and "it is what it is" - smudges, overlaps, hasty marks and all.
What are some of your key sources of inspiration?
Domestic life. The accoutrement, the spaces we inhabit, it's always been an obsession, which is of course what led me into interior design, but with my art it is more emotionally fuelled.
You previously worked in interior design, how do you feel this impacted your approach to art?
I think the importance of understanding how colour, texture, tone and form need to come together for a result that is balanced and innately pleasing is a skill that was honed as an Interior Designer, that and observation of spaces, and people, I think that I observe a lot, it was always a part of my nature but studying interior architecture and practicing it refines that even more and I think that has left me with so much to draw on in terms of what I draw or paint.
