My Story
My current painting/artistic journey started 4 years ago when I decided I wanted to try a different form of painting, to challenge myself, which is something I like to do!
Why a different form of painting?
I am a trade-qualified Painter and Decorator, and most of my canvases, so to speak, were houses!
In 2013 I co-founded a health promotions charity called HALT – Hope Assistance Local Tradies, with Catherine Pilgrim.
My charity work involves me travelling across Regional Victoria to speak, and the topic, mental health, and suicide prevention, is tough and can be, at times, emotionally and physically draining.
I started noticing sheds, wool sheds, shearing sheds, all the corrugated iron sheds, as well as dilapidated shops and sheds in the small towns and countryside I travelled and stopped to rest and take photos to break up my work.
I’d always enjoyed taking photos, now I turned to converting those photos into paintings. With no formal art background, apart from year 9 art, I harnessed what knowledge I had, as well as the advice, knowledge and expertise of artists in my own region, and began experimenting.
Maybe it’s the house painting, but I like solid colour, bright, earthy colours and finishing off with black outlines.
I feel confident, through my painting trade, to be able to mix colours confidently, which helps with so many colours!
What’s the process of finding a shed/house/shop?
I love to explore the countryside. It can be a quick adventure for an hour, or an all-day exploration covering hundreds of kilometres.
I’ll pick a country town, as an example, Murtoa, which is a few hours’ drive from Castlemaine, where I’m based.
I’ll get a rough idea of the way to go and then it’s in the car/ute and hit the road.
I drive until I see a shed/house that looks interesting, different, unique, both in its shape and form, and the backdrop.
I hop out full of excitement at seeing a shed for the first time and work out the best location to take the photo, being mindful of cars and trucks!
I take a few photos and back in ute looking for the next shed/house/shop. Once home I’ll go through the photos looking for the ones that stand out. I then print them, work out a suitable canvas size and I’m ready to paint! I do take some artistic licence when it comes to the colours, but hey, I like bright and vibrant colours!
The other aspect I love about exploring/adventuring is the people I meet along the way.
There are so many fascinating, original, curious, honest, inviting and lovely people to meet in the small towns I explore who are up for a chat and happy to share historical knowledge they have about a certain shed/house/shop, or tell you about more sheds in the area!
There are op shops, café’s, pubs, community groups, museums, art galleries, book shops, bakeries, and lots more to discover.
There are roads that I have travelled many times and I still see new sheds, people send me photos of sheds they’ve discovered on their adventures, it’s a new movement for sure!
These adventures make me so happy and I’m never going to be short of inspiring sheds/houses and shops to paint and for communities to meet!
