Campaspe Artists Studio Trail

In 2015, I was cajoled to attend an art journal workshop. It was a fantastic two days; I loved it and was eager for more. The sense to be free with expression and get in touch with feelings and moods were highlights for me. I found art journaling very cathartic after losing my dear Dad in January 2014. Initially grief and emotion filled my journal pages, but amongst those pages were ones filled with experiment, wonder, colours and movement.

When the word COVID became common place in 2020 and we spent a lot of time at home, journaling became one of my main coping mechanisms to work through the various lockdowns we have all endured. Journaling was a great tool to have in my mental health kit bag, as it was a great space to escape to, clear my mind, reflect on feelings and clarify thought processes.

With my passion for art having been rekindled, when I saw the “100 day project” gaining momentum on Instagram in January 2021, I felt I was ready to make a commitment to, and hopefully sustain a daily practice for my art. With encouragement and inspiration from another dear art muse, Frankie O (who has completed two 365 day projects), around day forty three, she encouraged me to “get out” of the journal and work on a range of surfaces, which I did. Towards the end of the project, I knew I didn’t want to stop or lose that daily connection creating with my art and my now growing cheer squad.

With this in mind, the concept for my “Embrace Imperfection” exhibition was to celebrate my achieving my 100 day goal and to share my art away from an electronic screen and to share it with people in real life. The title is a shout out to others that it’s ok to just create. Too many of us (including me) sometimes get caught up in creating a perfect image or piece and often what we need to do is just be free and explore movement.

I work primarily with watercolour and acrylic paint and my art is mostly drawn from feelings or emotions that are just under the surface. Not a lot of pre-planned thought goes into it. I pop some watercolours or acrylic paints on papers and then see what has evolved during the day in my mind or in my heart.

I currently work from my study at home on our farm and get my inspiration from all sorts of places and things around me. I experiment with different mediums, applications and drawings from the nature around me with an abstract tone. I guess what is unique about my technique and what I continue to explore is a combination of fast, free moving style, creating some specific marks that are mine, and at the other end of the scale; slower more tedious designs that clear the mind and bring clarity to my thoughts.

I am very fortunate to be influenced by lots of artists here in Australia and overseas who create exhilarating images as part of their daily practice and are brave enough to share them with others. I hope I can follow in their footsteps and inspire others to embrace their imperfections and give themselves permission to create.

After my initial exhibition, the world of workshops opened up and 2022-2024 has seen me deliver lots of workshops around the Goulburn Valley and beyond to a wide variety of audiences. I pride myself on creating a safe, inclusive and supportive space for people to create in, and encourage them to create imperfections and all.