Influences…..
As a child I grew up in Western Queensland, Australia on a sheep and cattle property. My early artistic endeavors were fostered and encouraged by both my Mother and my Aunty Gill in Melbourne, both who have had active artistic careers. Aunty Gill continues to sell and exhibit regularly in Victoria today. I went on to study art throughout my secondary education at a private boarding school in Brisbane. I then attended the University of Queensland where I enrolled in a 4 year Bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy and later undertook post graduate studies in the Upper Limb through Curtin University in Western Australia. Since this time I have worked in the health sector both publicly and privately, specialising in the treatment of injuries affecting the hand and upper limb. In 1997 I was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study hand injury management at Centres of excellence in the USA. I then went on to establish the EKCO Hand Unit in 2001 which has now grown to be the largest private hand therapy business in Australia.
I have always enjoyed involvement in artistic endeavours and have painted over the years. More recently with the forced lockdowns associated with the pandemic, I was afforded the luxury of time to establish a portfolio of works and to dedicate myself to the pursuit of my adored artistic endeavors.
When I think about my influences in my artworks, there are several that come to mind. Firstly, I would say a bush childhood with an artistic Mother!! Growing up in the West was a privilege and as I look back through my rose coloured lenses, it was an absolute delight…. However if you have ever spent time in the bush in the height of a hot dry Australian Summer, you will know what I mean when I describe the dust, the incessant flies, and the searing heat. As kids we were often helping Dad outside, whether it was on horseback mustering sheep or draughting cattle in the yards. These are all great Australian activities, and arguably some of the best character developing tasks you can engage a growing child in. However I can tell you, when there was even the slightest chance to help Mum at the homestead with some of her tasks I was more than ready to jump at it!!!!
And that, I think, is where I really developed a creative and artistic side. We didn’t have any shops or cafes, so invariably we would look to engaging in something creative. And Mum was always my greatest support. I have such fond memories of setting up a stack of old copper saucepans on the kitchen table and sitting painting them for hours with Mum constantly hinting at where the light was falling and how would I reaveal that in my work. She was undoubtedly my greatest influence, and at the age of 88 she remains that to me. I constantly ring her to discuss colours, lines, shadows etc etc….. and she never falters to stop and spend time advising me and assisting my work. I am forever in her debt…….. my greatest influence.
