About the Artist:

Since the age of 5, I have been drawing and painting and making a variety of art. After completing High School, all I wanted to do was continue making art so I studied and completed a 3 year Diploma of Fine Arts in Sydney in 1996.

I majored in Studio Painting but it also gave me experience in Etching, Black and White Photography and Sculpture.

I had my first group exhibition in Sydney in 1996 which was a great experience.

In 1999 I moved to Newcastle, NSW where I lived for 5 years and in 2001 I started my own Art Business selling my own orginal hand made Greeting Cards and Gift Tags to local Boutique Gift Stores which I continued until 2003, at which point I left Newcastle and moved back to my home of Sydney.

Since then I have worked in various jobs from a dishwasher to a recruitment consultant in the corporate world, the only real satisfaction I have experienced in regards to work is with my work as an artist. I believe it is important to follow your passion in life whatever form that takes, in order to experience a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

These days I am grateful to be able to spend more time on my Art and work a day job part time.

I have always been fascinated by the use of colour, light and luminosity as well as the effects of light and shadow. I am also greatly inspired by nature, mythology, astrology, spirituality, archetypal imagery and well as symbolism and dreams.

Art is truly a therapy for me a way to connect to my higher self through colour and seeing an image come to life from the initial vision, to the final result.

Many different artists inspire me, some include Josephine Wall and Judy Mastrangelo, Sara M Butcher, Brian Froud, David Delamere, Maxine Gadd, Lisa Hunt, Constable, Van Gogh, Klimt, Edward Robert Hughes (Pre- Raphaelites and Romanticism) Jonathon Earl Bowser, Catherine Andrews and Howard David Johnson.

Here I have answered questions that I am often asked about my art.

Why faeries and mermaids?

When I paint I feel as though I am tuning into something beyond the five senses. I have always been sensitive to undercurrents and since I was young I have always been highly attuned to the beauty, serenity and power of nature. I am an observer by nature and love watching things and letting my senses perceive what is beyond the surface of reality.

It may sound strange but I can often see faces in trees and mountains, I believe anyone can tune into these things you just need to sit quietly, quiet the habitual chatter of the mind and allow the mind to open up to its natural receptive state and you may be suprised at what is perceivable.

The energy of Faeries, Mermaids and Spiritual energies come to me from nature and beyond and throw a little imagination into the mix and the result is a painting. These are the things that I am inspired to paint, there is no logic as such to it, it is simply what captures my soul and what I am driven to portray through the medium of painting.

What Mediums do you use?

All of my paintings are hand painted with Acrylic paint on either stretched canvas or canvas board. I use a range of different Acrylic paint brands which include, Winsor & Newton, Atelier and Matisse Professional Artists Acrylic. I also use a broad range of brushes, which include sable brushes for finer and more detailed work.

What size are most of your paintings?

My painting/canvas size varies from the smallest size being around 9" x 12" and more commonly  16" x 20" or at the largest 18" x 24"

How long does each painting take to complete?

From the time I start laying down a sketch on the canvas, it usually takes from 8 - 10 hours for a smaller painting all the way up to around 24 hours for a larger size painting. Once I start on a piece I get extremely focused and can sit for 8 hours at a time not realising how much time has actually gone by whilst I have been sitting there. I prefer painting in complete silence, though sometimes I listen to classical music which helps me focus more.

Working on "The Music Of The Faeries" painting.

Stay posted for more photos from my studio - COMING SOON!

 

 Do you have a question about my Art that I did not cover?

Please use the email form provided on CONTACT PAGE of this site to email Susan your question.