Creativity is my passion.My Grandmother and teachers at primary school taught me to sew and make traditional crafts. As an adult I found many ways to express my creativity. Some of these including knitting, crocheting, weaving, macrame, scrapbooking. My young married life was full of creative activities which I enjoyed including landscaping, gardening, house designing and interior decorating and homeschooling my two children.
2001, I took an “Introduction to Arts” course that started my explorations in painting. The following year I moved to the Central Coast of New South Wales, joined local art societies and started participating in workshops and society meetings. As I started to exhibit and sell my paintings I started to view this hobby more professionally.
2011, I decided to resign from my nurse-carers position and pursue this creative path. This has involved turning the downstairs area of my home into a workshop space and gallery, “Studio on Bradleys,” developing a facebook profile and this web page.
Art helps me to personally connect my own hands, heart and mind and gives me a way to connect with people in my community. I also enjoy helping others find their own creative voices.
My art practice has grown and continues to change. After painting for 15 years I picked up my old crochet hook and produced an exhibition of soft sculptures. I've made friends with my old sewing machine and used it to up-cycle denim producing a range of handbags. I've discovered free-style weavings using a variety of re-cycled textiles and found materials. Recently I've embraced the Slow Stitch Movement so now I'm making art pieces using textiles, needle and threads. Plus I continue to coach and participate in different social art & craft groups.
The Mask artistic Self-Portrait - A visual representationof my art practice. (up until 2018) Accepting the Tuggerah Lakes Art Society challenge of painting a mask, mounted on a 20cm x 30cm canvas, I endeavoured to visually represent aspects of my art practice. The result is this artistic self-portrait.
This piece has elements of the varied and numerous creative disciplines that I have explored over the years, such as - found-objects art, pen work, painting, jewellery, paper and textile work plus art forms using knitting and crochet. I feel it represents me:-
My ideas could not be contained within the mask shape but have spread to the mount canvas and overflowed down the sides.
The painted beach scene reflects my attachment to the Central Coast.
The “tangle heart” and “mandala” in pen work are samples of my active mediation.
The mask is attached on a slant because I’m proud of my artistic “bent.”
I wear glasses.
I support the ideas of up-cycling and have not hidden the fact that the canvas is re-cycled.
Part of my business card has been attached to the left edge of the canvas with details of my web and Facebook pages, all of which I designed. I find creativity in using the computer.
Although the overall piece is busy, there is harmony and balance, a suitable metaphor to describe one aim in my art practice and my life.
Awards 2023 - Highly Commended for a textile stitch work on linen at Women in Art - The Entrance Gallery, NSW. 2019 - Highly Commended, for a pastel entitled " Toowoon Bay. ""Women in Art", at the Entrance NSW. - Viewers Choice- TLAS - meeting challenge for painting "Segregated Minority." 2015 - 2nd place, Tuggerah Lakes Art Competition, "Texture" for soft sculpture called "Falling Down." 2014 - 1st place non-indigenous section, Reconciliation Exhibition, Gosford Regional Gallery. 2007 – Grandma Moses Art Competition, 1st Place, Section 5 (Inspired by the Coast.) 2006 – Viewers’ choice within the TLAS meeting.
Donations and Public Places to View Work 2012 - Gosford Hospital. (Hospital purchased 2 small abstract paintings.) 2011 - Nepal children’s relief, pastel painting for auction. 2008 - Central Coast Parkinson’s Group, pastel painting for a raffle. 2006 - Adventist Retirement Homes, Normanhurst, Sydney, paintings for walls and foyer.
Memberships 2023 - The Makers Studio - East Gosford (print makers and textile artists) 2020 - 2022 - ArtSpace Pop-Up Gallery, 211 The Entrance Road, The Entrance, NSW. 2002 - 2021 - Tuggerah Lakes Art Society 2014 - 2019 - Central Coast Art Society 2017 - Toukley and District Art Society. 2016 & 2017 - National Association Visual Artists.
Education 2017 - 2020 - Personal art/creativity sessions with Ingeborg Zotz. 2016 - Abstracts with Felicity O'Connor. - 12 week online course - The Artist Way with Felicity O'Connor. 2012 - Oil workshop with Noelene Miller. - Abstract workshops with Jean Scott. 2011 - Professional Portfolio and Proposals , Wyong TAFE. NSW. - Drawing with Graham Balchin - one term only. 2010 - Abstract Art and Mixed Medium workshops with Jean Scott. 2001 - Introduction to Arts, Healesville TAFE. VIC. - Pastel Painting with Anita Dickson.