Adding colour to your life is my speciality…
In my Brisbane studio I create paintings to evoke memories, decorate homes and offices or just add some colour to your life. My inspiration comes in many forms but the process of how I work creates a common thread through my paintings.
By layering translucent inks, thick bright acrylics and other media I build interest throughout my compositions.
My paintings hang in private collections all over Australia and internationally in the UK, Ireland and New York
Popular Series of Work
I have been producing these paintings for over 20 years and have completed many commissions. A wonderful photographer friend climbed the Manly Water Tower many years ago and photographed Wynnum Manly from a whole new perspective. I could instantly visualise these photos as paintings, simplifying the shapes and colours in my mind. More recently, I obtained new photos providing me with a fresh new look of the same landscape 20 years on. My new series of these paintings are different to my previous hard edge graphic style but they are as popular now as they were then.
My Reef Series is all about my love of Tropical Queensland. I am originally from Cairns in North Queensland so images of the The Great Barrier Reef have always inspired me. To create these paintings I use a mixture of mediums overlaying many layers, illustrating the many overlapping layers of shapes and colours found in these landscapes beneath the sea. These artworks provide a tranquil place to escape to when you have one hanging in your home. It is my hope that my paintings are a constant reminder of what we will be missing if we lose this precious environment.
New Art from the Studio – Hastings Point Series
This body of work is dedicated to Tess and Frank Furlong ( Nana and Granno) and reflects my family’s deep connection with Hastings Point. It is a stunning location in Northern New South Wales where my in-laws lived for many years. For over 40 years, we visited and stayed in this beautiful place where my children spent every Christmas holiday fishing, swimming, and enjoying the beach life with their Nana and Granno and extended family. Every year, visiting Hastings Point was a chance to de-stress and find calm after a busy year. While not every moment was perfect, the landscape itself remained the constant source of calm and escape from tension. Just setting your feet in the sand, soaking in the sea or casting a line into the water reminded you that you were on holiday.
However, in 2022, we lost Tess, after surviving her 2 husbands, she passed away at 92 in her own home in the place she loved.
Cleaning out her house was a mix of emotions – a time for sadness and celebration of the wonderful times we spent there as a family. When the property sold it inspired me to create an exhibition of paintings that encapsulated our precious memories.
In each piece of artwork, a human element is depicted within the landscapes, creating a connection to the place. The pathways, whether real or suggested, symbolize the journey towards the future without Hastings. All of the paintings are square and are bordered in white, in honour of Granno and his extensive collection of faded polaroid photos that we found. His unique way of capturing our time there served as the basis for my inspiration and colour scheme. By combining my own photos and those from my husband’s family, I have made artwork that celebrates our collective memories.
Currently Showing at Kaye West Studios, 549 Old Cleveland Rd, Camp Hill, Brisbane QLD until 19th November 2023
