Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
I have been and again will be
a full time artist. Presently I am a
‘starving artist’ and out of necessity I have immersed myself in a homeware
design business with two friends – www.sottodesigns.com. Painting, which helps me make sense of my
life, has taken second place. But the
wheels are turning and 2011 will show a return to hopefully almost full time
art. Yeah!
Who (or what)
inspires you to do what you love in your own creative business?
I love the beauty and colour, the light and the vibrancy of my
surroundings here on the Sunshine Coast.
I feel besieged at times with the need to put what I see on canvas and
enjoy using images from my everyday life.
My paintings are a personal response to the landscape I see each day as
I move through my environment - I see something or experience an emotion sometimes
in looking at the hills or the sea.
Often it is a thing I didn’t see the time before and the challenge is to
express this.
"Bayview to the Bay"
Where do you get
your inspiration from when you design/paint?
Mainly from nature, flora and fauna. Sometimes I see shadows on the pavement and
that forms an idea in my mind for a piece of work. Or an image from a book, a magazine, a corner
glimpsed in someone’s garden. I try to
let colours run and merge together on my canvas and once dry will sit and look
at what shapes and stories emerge from the random way in which I have prepared
my board. I love to let a painting grow
as brush meets canvas and often the initial plan is scrubbed in favour of an
emerging tale that creeps into my head as I paint. Birds bring such joy to my vista on a daily
basis and for this reason I also love to incorporate them into my work. I enjoy weaving figures into
my work, mostly women but sometimes the shadow of a man alongside which somehow
brings me face to face with a woman’s reality…….that of many journeys and
numerous farewells…..be it with lovers, children, friends or someone who has
been significant to my life.
"Between The Birds & The Sky 1"
What are the five
words that people who know you would use to describe you?
Balanced (!), generous of
spirit, animal lover, food lover, stubborn
Tell us about your
very first job and what path have you taken since then?
I trained as a legal executive
and went into a world of conveyancing and litigation. But after travelling for five years living in
many different countries my little creative baby was born. I guess it had always been there, waiting to emerge.
Describe a typical
day in your?
Presently it is about
networking, sales, customers, marketing and pushing the homeware business
forward. In my other life as an artist I
had a ritual. A takeaway coffee, hitting
the studio, sitting, reading, reflecting, observing – I cannot make a strike on the canvas until I somehow connect with a
quiet place inside and this ritual helps me achieve this.
"Evening Walk"
As an artist, what
is your biggest frustration?
Prioritising
Tell us about how
you prioritise your work.
Oh gee, now I have to tell the
truth. I am not good at prioritising my
art. I procrastinate immensely. And then, whammo – when I start to involve
myself in a piece I cant sleep, eat or think about anything else. I paint like a mad woman.
Since you are
working from home, can you please tell us about how do you connect with other
artists, and your customers (i.e. how do you network)?
I have several wonderful
artist friends and we often meet for coffee, share thoughts, a picnic, a glass
of wine. Sit and look at each other’s
work and critique – I love it and that is what I presently miss the most.
Lisa (right) & Friend at 2009 Exhibition
What advice can
you offer other creative people who are just starting out and following their
passions?
Find a mentor, someone who
encourages daily, weekly. Never say
never, all things can fit in to a busy life, we just need to do that thing
called prioritising!!!!! As I write this
and having shared ten days with Vinh I now feel ready to recommit to what has
always made me happy – creating artwork.
What dreams do you
still want to achieve or fulfil in your life?
To have six months somewhere
painting without any distraction. Perhaps
to even exhibit overseas would be a dream. To travel to some far flung places
not already seen. And to give back
something to the world, in some small way – the opportunity hasn’t arisen but I
am searching for it.
Between The Birds & The Sky 5
What is your
proudest moment so far?
Looking at my two kids and
realising I did pretty well!
Who do you most
want to meet and why?
Paulo Coehlo – any person who
can write a story as rich as The Alchemist would be wonderful to sit and share
a glass of wine with and find out where his inspiration came from.
What is the most
important lesson in life that you have learned?
To sit at the feet of your own
life and learn.
"The Eternal Now is All We Have"
What book are you
reading right now, and do you have a book you would like to recommend?
I am re-reading an Isabel
Allende book ‘Aphrodite’ – a sensual book on the mingling of food and
love. I find her writing inspiring.
A book I read recently was ‘In
a Strange Room’ by Damon Galgut and I enjoyed this tremendously although others
I know haven’t.
I am inspired to
re-emerge from hibernation, to enter some art competitions, to have another
exhibition, to not say no when someone asks me to paint a pieces
"Reflection Whilst Kayaking (1)"
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