The penny had started to drop for me
during these classes. I realised what
it was that I needed to keep building
upon, and still am to this day! During
TAFE I spent endless late nights and
long days experimenting, to achieve
techniques that I thought I could use.
I really wanted my paintings to depict
and represent how I interpret things
from a design point of view, thus,
finding my love for acrylics!
I especially love Dervian Mattise
Flow paints and their Impasto
medium. I’m not a huge fan of
any particular brushes, I find I use
sponges more and lots of things from
my kitchen. For example, straws,
toothpicks, onion bags, plastic wrap
and bamboo skewers, basically
anything that will leave a mark! At the
end of 2011, as a TAFE group we had
the opportunity to hang in the “Perc
Tucker Gallery” of Townsville. It was
an awesome experience that I’ll never
forget, as I managed to sell my first
painting there! The diptych of “The
Wrasse and the Lionfish” it has been
my favourite so far. It was great to
know that someone else liked all my
hard work enough to buy it.
TAFE didn’t return to Charters
Towers in 2012, but I didn’t let that
deter me. Knowing that the “Winton
Regional Gallery” ran an art show
each year, I decided to send some
preliminary photos and was selected to
hang in the show. The highlight for me
was not the hanging or the selling in
Winton. It was attending a workshop
there run by John Lovett, covering a
mixed media approach to water colour.
Truly amazing. I think I walked on
clouds for months after. I found it very
useful and inspiring! I realised I really
enjoyed the mixed media approach
to all of my artwork, including my
acrylic paintings.
In July 2012 I was fortunate enough
to display in the “Don Roderick
Gallery” of Charters Towers at
the annual “Evolution Mining” art
competition. We have some very
talented artists here in The Towers.
I attended one more workshop for
2012, with pastel artist MaxineCoy
Barramundi
Big Bend