finished work; it is in the process and
pleasure one receives along the way.
I guess my career as an artist
started by painting and drawing
cartoons and caricatures for
fellow workmates at the Kyabram
Hospital, who encouraged me to
enter art shows and to my surprise
I sold work and got commissions.
I began going to workshops in the
1980s under the guidance of Ross
Paterson and other artists including
Barbra McManus, Janet Hayes,
Colin Johnson, and Lance McNeil.
In 1997 my husband passed away
and I had to make a decision as to
what I was going to do with the rest
of my life. He had always encouraged
me to further my career as an artist,
so I took the major step of going to
Goulburne Ovens Institute of TAFE
in Shepparton as a mature aged
student. The teachers put me at
ease, and it was wonderful for my
self-esteem, giving me confidence
and I learnt so much. I completed a
two year full-time Diploma of Visual
Arts Course, majoring in Painting and
Sculpture, and during my study I was
offered some teaching jobs with TAFE.
In 1999 I went on to start my own
arts business, named Cockatoo
Island Art Retreat and Art Supplies,
and I was fortunate enough to
be accepted into the NEIS (New
Enterprise Incentive Scheme) for
small business management,
a State Government scheme to
provide income whilst getting your
business up and running. I couldn’t
have done it without the NEIS.
Also included was a teaching
course, which enabled me to run
my own multi-faceted arts business
creating artworks on commission
including portraits, running classes
and workshops from my home in
Nathalia, travelling to arts groups
and schools as far away as Hay,
Moulmein, Deniliquin, Mathoura,
Swan hill, Yarrawonga, Cobram,
Benalla and many other towns
teaching art and also selling art
supplies traveling in a van.
kiana
(Kiana)
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