Living Art Magazine - Issue One

LIVING ART Rachel Ashwell -

A Floral Affair

M a k i n g M o n e y F r o m Yo u r A r t Julia Cameron - Returning To The Wonder Of Childhood

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Location: Jacqueline Coates Studio Photography by: Dragan Radocaj

Contents 8

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Coming out as an Artist Blushing Pink

by Jacqueline Coates

Returning to the Wonder of Childhood by Julia Cameron Can learning to paint in on the Monet Trail turn a group of amateurs into impressionist?

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The Art Hub My Floral Affair by Rachel Ashwell Creativity Success plus a great income can begin at 70 Bringing the Beauty of Natures Living Art into your Home by Erin Benzakein

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Introducing Mel Simmonds

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Location: Jacqueline Coates Studio Photography by: Dragan Radocaj

Editor in

Chief A warm welcome to all art lovers and art makers and to the very first issue of Living Art Magazine, an online art mag created especially to feed and nurture your creative soul.

My role as contributing editor and creative director of Living Art Magazine is to inspire you, keep you up to date with art info and art makers, art products that can make a difference for you, and handy tips for your private practice and more!

Enjoy the escapism of the French Art School article, (who wouldn’t want to run away to France to paint!), some great articles to help you keep your headspace clear to create, some painting tips and so much more.

Send us your feedback and if you’d like to contribute, share, or show off something you do creatively in the magazine simply get in touch with us.

This is a magazine for YOU!

For the next issue we will be giving a My usual full time job as an artist of 30 prize for the best letter to the editor years experience and the creator of a about the magazine and publishing global art business is inspiring others them. Feel free to include a photo of all over the planet to paint and produce yourself and your art. art, as I teach students and even total newbies how to paint from scratch with In the meantime, ENJOY! If you’d like my Blooms Painting Programs! to make sure you receive the next edition of Living Art Magazine This month we have some amazing simply jump onto guest including Julia Cameron, author www.livingartmagazine.online of The Artist’s Way, Rachel Ashwell creator of Shabby Chic, and the Love and creativity! talented Carol Marine of The Daily Painter.

Jacqueline Coates

contributors Melissa Simmonds

@melissasimmondsart @melissasimmondsart

I studied Visual Art for a time in Brisbane and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Teaching, majoring in 2D Art. I have recently decided to finish up my little stationery business named ‘the lead pencil’ which I have created, and evolved over the last 8 years or so. I have grown up in rural surrounds and have naturally drawn my visual language from this. The current body of work feature doe-eyed, curious cattle, farm dogs full of character and personality, blossoming seasons, ponies and other elements of rural domestic life. As a busy mum of 2 I feel my life makes sense on canvas where the colours and textures and feelings collide in what I hope are joyous explosions! The technique I have used begins tentatively with a sensitive drawing and evolves layer by layer with thick impasto which is delivered with palette knife, brush, card, sticks and more. I finish off with oil glazes and rich oil highlights.

Erin Benzakein

www.floretflowers.com @floretflowers @floretflowers

Considered to be the country’s most influential farmer-florist, Erin Benzakein has shaped floral design trends, redefined micro-farming and inspired thousands to grow, buy and design seasonal flowers. Erin’s immensely popular blog, book, workshops, social media channels and specialty seeds have amassed fans from around the globe. Aspiring and established flower farmers and floral designers from around the globe look to Erin to learn Floret’s secrets to growing gorgeous flowers on a small scale. Floret’s loyal fan base eagerly snaps up Erin’s recommendations and anxiously await the farm’s annual online sale of specialty seeds, uncommon bulbs and other garden supplies. Erin and her two-acre flower farm have been featured in major media outlets and amassed prestigious awards including Martha Stewart American Made award for Floral and Event Design and Better Homes and Gardens’ blogger award. Her book, Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest & Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms won the American Horticultural Society’s 2018 Book Award, set sales records at Chronicle Books and continues to inform, inspire and delight flower lovers around the world.

Rachel Ashwell

www.shabbychic.com @rachelashwellshabbychic

Over 25 years ago Rachel Ashwell had a very simple mission; to inspire, guide and educate households across the world to live beautifully and comfortably without care. To invest in practical solutions rather than meaningless décor and to surround oneself with treasures that bring joy and breathe life into a home. These have become the hallmarks of Rachel’s “Shabby Chic” philosophy; a way of living that has inspired households across the world.

Today we move onto the next chapter of our story. Inspired by our past and elevated to meet the needs of our ever more discerning customer, we bring you “Rachel Ashwell.” A designer collection of furniture, bedding and bath essentials that are an evolution of Rachel’s timeless design philosophy. Incorporating luxurious textiles, exquisite details and uncompromising quality that stands the tests of daily life.

@rachelashwell Ashwell had a very simple mission; to inspire, guide and s the world to live beautifully and comfortably without care. ions rather than meaningless décor and to surround oneself oy and breathe life into a home. These have become the bby Chic” philosophy; a way of living that has inspired Julia Cameron rld.

Julia has been an active artist for over four decades. She is the author of more

forty past books, including such bestselling works on the creative process next chapter of our story. Inspiredthan by our and elevated as The Artist’s Way, Walking in This World and Finding Water. Also a novelist, ever more discerning customer, weplaywright, bring yousongwriter “Rachel and Ashwell.” poet, she has multiple credits in theater, film and marked the of 25th anniversary of The Artist’s Way, with over rniture, bedding and bath essentialstelevision. that are2017 an evolution five million copies sold. hilosophy. Incorporating luxurious textiles, exquisite details ty that stands the tests of daily life.

operates a retail location in Los Angeles as well as an online juliacameronlive.com oth offering high quality furniture, bedding, décor and handHer “Simply@juliacameronlive Shabby Chic” collection is celebrating its 12th year ew branded partnerships coming soon. @juliacameronlive

es, Rachel Ashwell has published 10 books, most recently in ed “My Floral Affair.”

C O M I N G

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Artist

J A C Q U E L I N E C O A T E S S H A R E S H E R S T O R Y International artist, mentor, & art teacher Jacqueline Coates, shares her creative journey from leaving the corporate world to following her dream of becoming a successful artist.

From single to single mother, corporate to country, Jacqueline juggles single motherhood and establishing herself as an artist from a small country town in the Barossa, making a name for herself with her floral paintings then becoming a global art teacher.

Be Inspired with the excerpt from Jacqueline’s Making Money from art an entertaining memoir peppered with practical tips.

‘ M A K I N G A S T A R T I S T H E B I G G E S T S T E P .’

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P A B L O

P I C A S S O

The paintings progressed after hours and on the weekends. As long as I showed up at the studio, the paintings grew in number, slowly but surely. An hour or two stolen from a busy schedule here and there soon added up.

I began with small canvas studies I could later sell. In the studies I unlocked the secrets to the colour recipes held in the folds of the blooms. Once I felt confident I then committed to a larger canvas.

The accumulating paintings were stacked against the wall and hung on every available wall space. Something more than the paintings alone was very definitely happening. A swell of interest grew from other artists and from visitors to the warehouse.

I frequently found people standing in my allotted studio space discussing my work when I arrived.

The indecisive delicate works on paper I had been working on previously had been put away to be replaced with bold colour reaching every corner of the canvas. The new paintings literally reeled in viewers with their rhythmic organic designs and pleasing colour combinations.

‘That’s looking good, Jac,’ Ursula would call out. This was high praise coming from Ursula, a mature age artist with a wonderful way of layering and sanding the paint in many layers so the surface of her canvases hinted at the figurative yet retained mystery in the merging colours of the shimmering surface.

‘There’s a new one every time I turn up here,’ said Constance in amazement, amid her own sumptuous array of posh still life paintings.

‘Good to see you aren’t just doing red ones,’ boomed Sophie Gralton from the other end of the studio where she was busy producing encaustic wax on board and

canvas pieces recalling her grandmother’s day dresses, and a nostalgia for family and domesticity.

‘These are looking really good,’ offered Audrey, encouragingly. ‘They aren’t necessarily to my taste, but I can see that people are going to love them.’ Audrey’s own work was wax and oils, with many layers, some of which had been scraped back and polished to create the most jewel like surfaces and colour combinations.

My paintings took time to make. I laboured over the petals, trying to achieve the depths in the folds. I laboured to create the fine edges, and to build up the rich colours, blending the many colours to be found in a single petal as it traversed the tonal range from dark to light. I discovered new colour combinations I had never mixed before.

Every stroke felt tentative yet every stroke was an affirmation and commitment to the new direction. It was satisfying and exciting to see the paintings grow on the canvas before my eyes. Oils were my chosen medium with subtle glazes applied to deepen and intensify the colours.

The more complex the rose, and the more shapes, the longer the painting would take to complete. I chose my compositions carefully knowing time for the project was finite yet still setting myself a challenge by taking a new step in each painting that would further the learning curve.

Every painting I produced created something else I hadn’t expected. My emotional state which recently had resided in fear was shifting to wonder, amazement, pride and a feeling that maybe, just maybe, I might be able to pull this off and regain control of my life in the process.

Any spare money gleaned from my pay went towards photography of paintings completed, more blooms to photograph and more art materials. Each artwork completed was a potential cheque for myself and the children in the future. As well as being beautiful creations in their own right, the paintings represented a buffer zone from financial doom.

As the weeks and months wore on my painting overalls bulged with my growing belly. Counterbalancing the weight, I began to feel tired from being on my feet painting.

The knowledge that I would soon slow down or even stop painting altogether for a while fuelled my commitment to complete as many pieces as possible.

Although I was working full time and painting after hours, I wasn’t feeling tired.

On the contrary. Seeing my subject matter open up onto the canvases was addictive and energising. The studio was beginning to look more like a florist. A painterly florist.

‘ A G I R L S H O U L D B E T W O T H I N G S : W H O A N D W H A T S H E W A N T S .’

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C O C O

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As the collection grew, I began to feel more certain about my vision for the exhibition. I had several paintings that stood for the direction of what my show would be about. These selected hero images I then arranged to have shot on film and dispatched as transparencies with

accompanying letters I wrote myself to five national home making magazines. How would I get the show off the ground and selling if I didn’t let as many people know about it as possible?

On the other hand, who did I think I was? I was a complete unknown. However I was an audacious unknown artist, prepared to put myself on the line for what I loved, the kids and my paintings included.

It was one thing to manifest the paintings and not to be underrated as a bold act in itself. It was another equally important step to get the paintings sold.

The paintings reproduced onto film powerfully with rich colour. I hadn’t tried sending material to magazines before though my art direction for clients had appeared in magazines on numerous occasions. The magazines hadn’t heard of me. I was merely one of thousands of emerging artists. Why should they put my name in print? I could only ask. They could only say no, I reasoned.

Would they like the style of my paintings?

Would my letter be tossed in the bin along with hundreds of other wannabes? Stylists and editors were assailed constantly by

marketers for editorial requests. Doubts assailed but I had no chance whatsoever if I couldn’t get myself out the way and connect the dots.

‘Get the letters in the post, you can think about it later when you have more time,’ I told myself and the little voice of self-doubt that liked to sit on my shoulder.

To my complete surprise and delight I received positive interest and responses from several assistant editors which I learned when they phoned to spell check my name and the contact phone number, in order to include me in their style news pages of forthcoming editions. My submissions had been taken seriously.

Type on top of the images was definitely to be avoided. It would clutter the design and take away from the paintings. My name was printed prominently but not too loudly under the paintings images. The preview printout looked great.

After phoning around to get an idea of costs I had five hundred invitations printed on card with a gloss finish at Annandale printers. I had checked with the post office only to discover I could choose an oversize postcard size that would still meet the requirements for the standard postal rate.

The larger scale would maximise impact.

The oversized invite printed spectacularly.

The printer had managed to get the colour just right. The combination of the brilliant A cunning survivor version of myself was red rose contrasting with the flame rose emerging. The new me drew on every bit of was rich and eye-catching. The images marketing experience I had, but this time for went to the edges of the invitation apart my own brand not someone else’s. I knew from a chic black panel underneath with I needed all the publicity I could get. These white type reversed sharing the details paintings would fund my maternity leave, of the exhibition from opening hours to the trip to South Australia and renovation the address, and my website. One of the cash flow for the barn. I could think about web builders from work put together the the consequences of attention seeking and website for me in exchange for a painting. what others might make of it later.

The reverse side was plain white so I could post it without an envelope, giant ‘ G O O D T H I N G S postcard style, so it would be seen by even more people. It would be eye catching in H A P P E N T O T H O S E anyone’s in tray. It was already creating a W H O H U S T L E .’ stir around the office.

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A N A I S

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Another advantage of the invitation being large was that it had the impact of a mini poster. A few people at work had already At my desk the phone extension flashed. It was Sandy, my graphic designer team mate pinned them to their note boards, grabbing from the handful I had left on Sandy’s desk at work, who had kindly agreed to whip up in the graphics department. Word was out an invitation for my exhibition. within hours across the entire agency I was having an exhibition.

‘Okay Jac, if you come and see me now, I can work on your invites over the lunch I had been gathering together my first email break,” she said. list, adding everyone I knew, or thought might like my work, into a data base. As well as I decided to keep the design simple. I posting invitations I could email them with a already had transparencies ready for a deep red rose and a golden honey coloured message about the show. rose spiral. Two images and some discreet text with the details of the show location and hours underneath was enough. The idea was to let the paintings be the stars.

was positive I felt brave enough to increase the invitation list. I was breaking the news of being an artist as well as having the show.

The colourful invitation took the pressure off me with the two beautiful painting images doing the talking for me.

Now that my solo exhibition had been announced there was a feeling of coming out of the closet. Everyone suspected I was one, but now they knew for sure. Now there would be no more pretending. I was coming out as an artist.

Excerpt published by kind permission of Jacqueline Coates and Global Publishing.

Wake up to your creativity every day & make a living from it

I started off shyly with my well known acquaintances. This was a great way to break the ice. When I saw the reception

Order your copy of Jacqueline’s book Make Money From Art- A memoir at www.makemoneyfromartbook.com

Blushing Pink B Y

J A C Q U E L I N E

C O A T E S

Whether you are blushing an evening sky with a touch of rose, a child’s cheek with a delicate pale pink, or a flower with a dusky pink to lilac hue, here are the pinks to have at your fingertips!

Art Immersion in France! To find out about Blooms France Art immersion where you will learn how to blush and blend your paint to create stunning blooms paintings with Jacqueline Coates Visit: www.artscreativehub. com/art-workshops-events/france/ blooms-painting-workshop-france/

PAINT COATES

WITH JACQ UELIN E NO

METH O D YO UR

FAIL

PAIN TIN G

AN D

S ELL

WO RK.

Paint a beautiful masterpiece in days even if you’ve never painted before.

Experience true creative confidence Give me 6-8 hours a week & I’ll turn you into an income producing artist from home within 12 months with my Blooms Make Money From Art Program.

when you learn the Jacqueline Coates Blooms Painting Method™!

Jacqueline Coates Artist & Tutor

Try my simple 7 step Blooms Painting Method™ in my workshops to set you up for successful paintings you can sell. Anyone can do this and it’s great fun.

Create a masterpiece from scratch! You don’t need a fine arts degree to have permission to paint and sell your work.

C LICK

H ERE TO

FIN D

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SPECIAL GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Returning T O

T H E

W O N D E R O F

C H I L D H O O D B Y

J U L I A

C A M E R O N

The part of us that creates is childlike. It is filled with awe, alert to new experiences, and mesmerized by the sensory wonders of our environment: the otherworldly blanket of fresh white snow, the enticing smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, the crispness of a new pencil, the mesmerizing allure of a colorful paperweight.

For me, Victorian houses awaken a strong memory: the fascinating corners within my childhood home in Libertyville, Illinois. The house was built by a woodworker whose artistry appeared in secret compartments, elaborate carvings, and hidden panels. It was thrilling to tap a special spot on the wall and watch it spring open to reveal the stereo

behind it. Roaming through the house was its own adventure— there was an artful effect around every corner just waiting to be discovered.

Young children discover one thing at a time.

The tiniest detail sparks wonder. Because a young child doesn’t have the same awareness of time as an adult does, there isn’t a sense of “hurrying” to learn something. Adults

often put pressure on themselves to learn quickly or come to a solution immediately.

Just-retired adults are often leaving a structured life where they were an expert— and entering a non-structured life where they may feel, to some degree, at loose ends. The shock of retirement can be startling. Suddenly, endless bolts of empty time loom on the horizon. The possibilities are in finite— and this can be a very overwhelm-

ing proposition. Just-retired people almost unanimously describe the early days— even months— of retirement as an acute adjustment.

Many retirees haven’t realistically anticipated the trauma that may be caused by excessive free time. Suddenly left to their own devices, they may find themselves moody and depressed, which in turn leads them to judge themselves negatively. “I should be doing much better,” they tell themselves, struggling to find self-compassion. How much better it would be if, instead of harsh judgments of their failings, they could say to themselves gently, “Of course I’m in shock.

I’m in the midst of a huge adjustment.”

Richard, on his first day of retirement after a long stint as a recreation director, woke up feeling aimless after many years of daily agendas. When his wife asked him what he might do that day, he replied, “I think I’ll take a bike ride.” And when she asked where he might go, he realized he didn’t have an answer. “I don’t have anywhere to go,” he admitted.

It is human nature to crave a sense of purpose, and without one, it is natural that panic Victor ended a career as an engineer, and in might set in as you begin to feel adrift. This the early days of his retirement he repeat- is where Morning Pages, Artist Dates, and edly wandered into his home office, looking Walks become a lifeboat. These three basic through his books from work. His daughter tools create a structure for your day and for called to check in, asking how he was en- your week. Within this structure, new ideas joying his retirement. “I’m not sure what I’m and opportunities will arise. At the same supposed to do,” he told her. time, as you answer simple questions to build your Memoir, you will begin to discover It is important to be very gentle with yourself, new interests, desires, and direction. Alterespecially in the early days of a transition. natively, you may find yourself reawakening In fact, there is no such thing as being too long-lost dreams and passions. A thrilling gentle with yourself at this time. journey awaits.

An excerpt from: It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again

www.juliacameronlive.com @juliacameronlive

@juliacameronlive

FRENCH ART SCHOOL

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Paint on the Monet trail T U R N A G R O U P O F A M A T E U R S I N T O I M P R E S S I O N I S T S ?

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ainting en plein air is not all smocks and parasols. In Crozant, central France, in the well-named Vallee des Peintres, we are daubing at lightning speed as a gusty, rain-laden wind threatens to topple our little ensemble of easels. Our subject is the town’s ruined fortress, an evocative scene painted many times by the Impressionists who based themselves here on the picturesque banks of the River Creuse. Jacqueline (Jac) Coates, our fearless instructor, is shouting encouragement over the swirling wind as all thoughts of afternoon tea are abandoned.

I double-check the itinerary. This must be the day we learn to struggle, and possibly starve, for our art. I’m on one of Jac’s French Art School Tours, which operate as an outpost of her popular studio in South Australia’s Barossa Valley; she also leads classes in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Los Angeles.

Two years ago, Jac purchased a couple of little houses deep in the countryside 30 minutes from the River Creuse and every

summer conducts a series of residential schools and art tours. She’s well known for her big, lush and sensual canvases of flowers, but on this itinerary we’re also shadowing the Impressionists, painting the scenes they captured, immersing ourselves in French country life, conjuring our own bohemian artists’ enclave in a little village almost no one’s heard of.

We are seven women of a certain age, with varying levels of painting experience (zero for me) and we meet up in Paris where the Marianne Faithfull warm wind in our hair bit will have to wait until Crozant. The group has done Monet’s garden at Giverny and all the relevant museums; I arrive just in time for the day-long journey to the Creuse via the Loire, with a couple of chateau pit stops to get our creative juices flowing.

We take special inspiration from the so-called Ladies’ Chateau (Chateau de Chenonceau) with its Catherine de Medici connections, straddling the River Cher where the beautiful

parterre gardens are buttressed against flooding, and every burnished room is filled with astonishing arrangements supplied by the estate’s 10 gardeners and three full-time florists.

From here we meander south towards the tiny village of La Foret-du-Temple, the leaden skies of the Loire melting away as a soft, lateafternoon sun illuminates spent summer fields, golden bracken and herds of toffee-¬coloured Limousin cattle. All is bathed in the honeyed, almost smoky, light that Claude Monet loved so well.

It’s almost dark when at last we arrive at Jac’s little house L’Hirondelle (The Swallow).

Candles are lit, jazz plays quietly and chef Scott, who has flown in from Australia a week earlier, has the champagne on ice. Jac’s lovely French neighbour (and fixer) Anne has filled every room with flowers and is on hand to pop the bubbles. We love her already.

The house is charming, cleverly restored using more dash than cash, with paintings on every wall and an artist’s unerring eye for flea-market finds. Downstairs there’s a rustic

kitchen and large atelier (once the ballroom in this former auberge, or inn) where we will have our painting lessons, and upstairs are five large bedrooms. Some members of the group are staying down the hill in Jac’s other house, La Tonnellerie (The Cooperage), with its magical barn and wild orchard. My bedroom has an ancient sloping floor of wide boards, large armoire and very comfy bed dressed with best linen. We are sharing bathrooms but these are large and feminine, and stocked with lovely soaps and big towels. And, as we are modernday Monets, there is Wi-Fi. Champagne is followed by dinner — vichyssoise, salmon with sweet fennel and an outstanding coq au vin — before we gather around the fire with a bottle of Lillet rose wine (our tipple de jour) and Jac bustles about the atelier unpacking paints and canvases.

Early morning, I creep downstairs to make tea and am struck by the absolute silence; a little car tootles by, then a farmer on an ancient¬ tractor. Scott bustles in with an armful of baguettes and sticky pastries and, as the others drift down to breakfast, Jac announces that we are off to collect wildflowers.

It’s our first real look at La Foret-du-Temple (population 150), a village lost to time and most certainly to tourism. There are no shops (the nearest baguette is 6km away in Aigurande) and a small monument proudly commemorates the day a Tour de France pelo-ton passed by.

An air of picturesque dilapidation hangs about the old stone barns and farmhouses where little gardens are filled with orange dahlias and fat, petrol-blue hydrangeas. Sweet peas grow wild in stable yards, chestnuts plop onto the road and, in the old apple orchards, small, sweet, windfalls speckle the long grass.

stock up on essential still-life accoutrements, such as lumpy heirloom pumpkins, jewel-like tomatoes, and shiny silver mackerel.

We stop to chat with a farmer tending his vegetable garden; his wife has dug an onion the size of a melon and picked parsley. We gather it’s going to be rabbit stew for lunch.

Everyone’s itching to get this rural idyll down on canvas and the following day in the pretty market at nearby La Chatre, where circus performers wander the town square, we

Back at the atelier, the group sets to painting apples, pumpkins and fish on a plate. Jac promises every student will return home with a suitcase full of completed paintings and she’s true to her word.

We make a beeline for the town’s little brocantes (junk shops), one smart and accustomed to Australian dealers, the other rather more Steptoe and Son, and emerge laden with ridiculously cheap mirrors, 19th-century champagne flutes, vintage linen and copper pots. Maggie from Canada buys an entire Limoges dinner set.

“We’ll work out the logistics later!” becomes a team catchcry.

On day three, we pack the vans and head to Fresselines to join the Monet trail by the River Creuse, parking in a field behind an incredibly

photogenic farmhouse where a very old, but sprightly, terrier decides to adopt our group, leading us down the precipitous path to the waterway. The rigours of painting en plein air hit home again. We are loaded like packhorses with easels, paints and sundry supplies and imagine Monet making the same journey to capture the changing light playing across the water. There are markers all along the forested river walk with excerpts from his letters and images of the paintings he made. Changeable weather led him to commence work on several series at once.

The confluence of the Creuse and Petit Creuse was a favourite viewpoint of his so this is where we set up the easels. Jac dashes off a quick demo (collective gasps of awe) before the group sets to. I’m photographing the day’s proceedings and the women are making a fantastic fist of this famous scene and soon draw a small audience of English expats and their many dogs. It’s a great, great day, as we get under the skin of paintings we know only from galleries and books.

But at La Foret-du-Temple the days race swiftly by. We are always running late but our driver, Gregory, is very patient as he understands we are bohemian artists (and a writer), and that there’s always another brocante to fossick through or little village to explore. At the museum at Gueret, which holds a good Impressionists collection and a magical little natural history room, we meet a handsome artist and Jac invites him to dinner.

Chef Scott goes mushrooming with Anne and gets creative, subjecting us to a starving artist’s dinner of thin chicken broth and lamb and bean stew cooked over coals outdoors.

We visit the utterly beautiful Gargilesse atop the Massif Central, with its gorgeous 13thcentury church and many small galleries.

If you’ve got a few thousand euros tucked away, this is a good spot to ferret out works by lesser-known Impressionists. We spend a morning at writer George Sand’s enchanting family home and garden in Nohant, shared for a time with her lover Chopin. Many of his greatest works were composed here and a new piano was carted from Paris each time he visited. In the mid-19th century, it was Sand who began attracting artists and intellectuals to the Creuse and today the Sand Trail remains very popular with French visitors.

Our last evening is spent dining at a pretty country inn boasting a Michelin star where we reflect forlornly on everything we will miss, including Scott’s fantastic cooking, Anne’s delightful company (and sensational tartiflette), the village cats, those wizened old farmers, and Jac’s joie de vivre and inspirational mentoring (she can elicit a painting out of the most inept artist and I should know). If we could just pin down time and make a still life of it, we could stay forever.

When I return to Paris and check in to my tres chic hotel in the first arrondissement, the hip young receptionist is frankly astonished to learn I’ve just arrived from the Creuse. “But there’s nobody there!” he exclaims.

Precisement.

“

“ This story first appeared in the Travel & Indulgence section of The Weekend Australian and is reproduced with permission.”

But he redeems himself the following evening with a spectacular six-course degustation menu in honour of Monet. There is a tremendous evaporation of Lillet rose wine. And there are excursions to the lovely UNESCOlisted medieval town of Aubusson to visit the tapestry museum and en route the imposing, very Game of Thrones-worthy Chateau de _____________________________________ Villemonteix, where Monsieur Pierre Lajoix greets us in his pyjamas and Guerlain dressing Christine McCabe was a guest of French Art School Tours. gown to show us his tapestries.

To learn more visit: www.frenchartschool.blogspot.com

The Art hub

CELEBRATING

POSITIVITY AND

CREATIVITY FOR EVERYONE

Inspiration and art comes in so many forms within the cyber corner of the world that is My Modern Met. Maybe you’ll start with the story about an old bus being turned into a stunning minimalist home then learn about a Canadian artist who’s creating sculptures out of driftwood. Perhaps you’ll check out a list of the best free online art resources and that will lead you to a digital tour of, say, the British Museum, or read about the importance of flowers in art history. After that, you could find some practical advice on woodblock printing or organising an art studio space.

An art and culture hub where positivity wins and there is space for everyone, regardless of age, gender, geography or race, MyModernMet.com - alongside its equally vibrant Facebook page - is a corner of the art world that truly has something for everyone.

Whether you’re a part-time art appreciator or someone who lives

and breathes the creative life, there are high and low cultural stories and images and inspiration to enjoy and absorb with every click. And the subject matter it showcases includes any subject where uplifting beauty and creativity combines including design, photography, architecture, technology and environmental issues and more.

Truly, it’s food for the soul in an era where art is not just something the privileged can enjoy. Even better, you don’t have to be in a major city to enjoy the art it celebrates, just an internet connection!

As well as featuring emerging and established contemporary artists, Eugene and Alice tell the stories behind the work too. They love to celebrate lesser known creatives.

‘Nothing brings us greater joy than learning about how a person’s life has somehow changed after being featured on My Modern Met,’ he explains.

One photographer who found a bigger audience thanks to this exposure is Jason Lee. Over ten years ago, the wedding photographer by day began capturing imaginative, quirky and uplifting images of his daughters to Founded in 2008, when it was known as cheer up his unwell mother. My Modern My Modern Metropolis, by Eugene Kim Met started featuring his funny and and Alice Yoo, with the aim to ‘create one heartwarming photographs soon after big city that celebrates creativity’, the and helped bring his work to a global site now has an incredible three million audience. One in particular, of his little visitors a month. girls - one with birthday candles on her head while her big sister appears to light ‘Our mission is to create a positive them - went viral when it appeared on culture by showcasing the top creative My Modern Met and has been shared minds in the world,’ Eugene told Living over a million times.

Art when we spoke to him. ‘While we enjoy exposing people to visually ‘We love shining the spotlight on ordinary stunning images alongside captivating people who captivate our hearts with stories, we also provide a platform for their creativity and inspire us,’ says incredibly talented artists who are on Eugene. ‘Art should be appreciated by all the pulse of contemporary art. They because it feeds our soul and creates a continuously push the boundaries of how common bond within our society.’ we think and, often times, the message in their artworks are more powerful than Visit My Modern Met now. words could ever be.’

For a dose of artistic inspiration or escapism visit, w w w. my m o d e r n m e t .co m

@mymodernmet @mymodernmet

BOOK REVIEW

Enjoy this magical trip as Rachel Ashwell shares with you her intense passion for flowers and shows you how she incorporates this powerful love into her design ideas transforming even the most bland of spaces into something of profound beauty.

Rachel Ashwell, the queen of Shabby Chic, now shares with us the floral inspirations that inspire her world of design. Floral decoration and flowers have long been at the core of her love affair with design and in her first book Dedicated to Flowers, Ashwell takes us on a journey where she shares her unique love for all things floral.

From the fresh rose gardens of California to the opulent elegance of Parisian apartments, this book is an exquisite journey that guides you through a variety of different spaces that have all been inspired by floral design.

From the spectacular to the simple, no detail is missed and all aspects of floral accents are identified from ceilings to wallpaper to lighting and architectural detail. Inspiration, creativity and loveliness abounds every page.

In typical Ashwell style, My Floral Affair is a visual delight that stimulates the senses and provokes a desire to create prettiness within any space or environment. Fusions of colour, style and creativity abound In My Floral Affair, renowned photographer from an accent pillow to a ceiling rose Amy Neunsinger joins Ashwell and ... Ashwell shows us how flowers can together they showcase a range of floral infiltrate any environment in the smallest designs that are sure to delight and inspire. or grandest of ways and add light, colour and beauty to any space.

www.shabbychic.com www.shabbychic.com/blogs/rachel-ashwellshabby-chic-couture-official-blog-ampnews @rachelashwellshabbychic @rachelashwell @rachelashwell

YOUR PAINTING PROBLEMS ANSWERED If you have any painting questions or technical difficulties you’d like help with please send them in and we will answer them!

Please send your questions to; Editor@livingartmagazine.com

Jacqueline Coates shares her TOP 3 Tips to keep your Acrylic Paint from Drying Out

Jacqueline Coates offers some solutions for when it comes to Signing your Masterpiece

Jacqueline Coates answers your FAQ’s about transparent and opaque acrylic paints

Jacqueline Coates shares why your Background needs to stay in the Background

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When Patricia Ann Hillard signed up for an online e-course for painting lessons in acrylics little did she know that she would discover and connect with her grand passion in life; painting. Now she is struggling to keep up with the demand for her paintings with online sales.

We caught up with Patricia for this interview.

When did you start your art journey?

I was new to painting, and started my art journey in earnest in May 2017 with the How to Paint Blooms online e-course. (www.howtopaintblooms.com)

Had you done any art before that?

About 20 years ago I did a community based workshop in water colour. Life got in the way, including needing a full-time job.

Art had to take a backseat, but at least I had a glimmer of how much I liked art.

It wasn’t ever something I thought I could make a living out of, so time went by and it wasn’t until retirement that I turned my attention once again to picking up the brushes as a hobby to keep busy and learning something new.

How did you choose your art course?

When I saw an ad in a magazine for the Blooms online course I thought I’d love to be able to paint like the pictures in the ad so I signed up online. Learning from home was perfect for me.

The lessons arrived weekly and taught me how to handle acrylic paint, how to paint a series of beautiful blooms paintings and how to mix the colours and build the painting up.

How long was the course?

The course was a 52 WEEK ECOURSE. You could subscribe monthly. I did the whole thing.

What was it like learning to paint online?

The canvases were table top size and no easel or other major investment was required. The instructions were clear and within two or three lessons I was off and running and looking forward with great anticipation to each new e- lesson arriving weekly in the email inbox.

It was exciting and a major part of my week, to see what we would be painting, what new tip I would be learning to improve my painting and to finish or start a new one in the series.

As the paintings started to literally bloom and proliferate around my house, which is small, I converted the garage to a studio. Seeing my paintings as proof I could do this was very encouraging. I enjoyed hanging them and seeing them accumulate and brighten the walls.’

Did you let anyone know that you were becoming an artist?

I showed the paintings to family and close friends who were amazed I could produce paintings in such a short time. I was on an accelerated journey learning to paint flowers with acrylics and enjoying my hobby.

I found it really encouraging to share my work in the private Facebook page provided by the e-course for the students. I was scared to share the work at first because I worried about what others might think but I found that everyone was so supportive and encouraging of my work. It was an affirmation that I was moving in the right direction and it really helped me. I definitely felt positively supported and I still do from the Blooms community and that’s important for your confidence when you are starting out.

Positive reinforcement is valuable. I have also made online and in person friends I communicate with regularly about art.’

Have you sold any of your artwork?

I hadn’t attempted to sell my work. At that stage for the first year I saw it as a hobby.

However by late 2017 a family member invited me to paint a commission for them. A red rose, which is one of my favorite things to paint because I enjoy painting reds, and roses with their folds of velvety beauty. I enjoy being able to create that in a lasting way on canvas for others to enjoy.

The commission went well and I was paid a modest sum as it was family request so I sold it for $180. I found it slightly scary because the painting was going to people I

didn’t know as a gift. I doubted myself and my abilities. Then I discovered they absolutely love the painting so that boosted my confidence and made me feel that there might be other people who could appreciate what I was doing too.’ Then I painted a few Christmas presents for family which were very well received further boosting my confidence.’

Did you do anything else besides the online learning to become a selling artist?

In February 2018, I did a workshop for the Blooms Painting Workshop with Jacqueline Coates which is the live version of the tuition I had been receiving from the person who wrote the online course, so it was an opportunity to make sure I was on track with how I was painting. The affirmation I received from that was another step forward as my tutor was really enthusiastic, helpful, and delighted with my work so much she invited me to show my work with some of her more advanced students in a Perth Exhibition in April, 2018.

Participating in the workshop was also the first time I moved up to a large size canvas of 30 x 40 inches and I got over my fear of working larger scale.

What was it like being in your first art exhibition?

At the Perth exhibition I met other like-minded artists, had my work hung alongside more seasoned artists, and saw that I was creating good quality work that was being well received. I felt immensely proud. It was also great fun meeting other artists.

In Perth I also painted in another workshop with Jacqueline by special invitation. From this experience I realized how much I enjoy being around creative energy and creative people and that I have that too. I am included in that community of creative people.

Its uplifting, inspiring, fun, and full of possibility to be an artist. People from all different ages and stages having a go at what they love all with the same mindset that they love what painting offers

them, I realize is the norm. I am so glad I didn’t wait any longer to be a part of that.

What does it mean to you to sell your paintings?

Although I am retired and have an income, I wasn’t enjoying the sort of financial freedom I was hoping to have at this stage of my life. It’s been a real bonus to find that I can do something I really love doing and people are actually rushing to buy my work.

This gives me a business from home where I work for myself and go at my own pace. I do as little or as much as I like.

(The interview is interrupted briefly by a courier at Pat’s door to collect two sold peony paintings going to South Australia.)

Pat resumes; After that I felt ready to take my work online and sell it. I‘ve had a run of sales for 8 paintings in the last two months since launching. Now I have the desirable

dilemma of nearly being out of stock and needing to get back into my painting space to create more. Currently that space is the garage studio! I call it my studio and I love producing my work there. I get totally immersed. The day goes in a blink of an eye.

Are you becoming more ambitious as time goes on and you become more successful?

I don’t feel I have the drive of a younger person to have loads of exhibitions and promote like mad but I am enjoying seeing where it takes me. The pace is about right for me right now. I am 72 this year. I am also an involved grandmother.

I have two paintings in a local show in a fortnight. I am happy selling regularly online.

It’s been a lot of fun so far and I am getting paid for it.

On a personal level to be able to come as far as I have, this has given me so much purpose.

I knew I would need something with a bit of structure when I retired otherwise I would be in danger of freefall with nothing to aim for. The online course was just perfect for my situation at the time as it was structured and a regular activity over the course of a year that I not only felt I should do as I was paying for it but I have enjoyed every stage of it. Now I am doing my own images as an emerging artist.

What else have you been good at in the past?

I don’t feel I was amazing at anything on a personal level in life, although I was a valued and trusted employee and loved being a mother, but this is for me and I am passionate about painting.

So what’s next for you, Pat, creatively?

More of the same I think. I have found that opportunities present themselves without really having to go looking for it which is rather nice. Opportunities that I would never have dreamed of have opened up a whole new world for me which is absolutely wonderful.

Where can people find your work?

It’s on my Facebook page Pat Hillard Art. I upload my recent paintings there and people can contact me if they want to buy them. I recently painted some puppies for my grand daughters so that was fun. You can also see my work along with other talented graduates and emerging artists at: www.bloomsartgallery.com

Thank you Patricia!

What does it mean to you to have become an artist at this stage of your life?

It’s a wonderful thing to gain so much appreciation for what I am doing now with my art. A lot of people who have known me for a long time say to me; ‘Well, who knew?!’, because they see what’s happening and are amazed. I feel it was always there somewhere, and was something I might get to. Certainly not to the degree I am enjoying now though.

Pat Hillard learned to paint at: www.howtopaintblooms.com View Pat’s work at: www.bloomsartgallery.com

C R E A T E AMASTERPIECE ‘ F RO M S C R AT C H AT O N E O F M Y WO R K S H O P S ’ Itching to paint but worried about having no skills?

Try my no fail Jacqueline Coates Blooms Painting Method®, a system anyone can apply to get amazing results, even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body.

I’ve taught thousands of students how to paint and solve painting issues for 16 years with my ORIGINAL created from scratch teaching methods that unlock painting and colour, and how to handle your paint.

Lean on 30 years of painting experience and a compassionate approach. Paint for pleasure or paint for profit. I help you get your confidence and creativity going!

BLOOMS WORKSHOP DATES Learn all about acrylic paint.

Includes art materials and catering.

Transform your creative abilities.

BAROSSA VALLEY - Salon Rouge 2 Day Painting Workshop $1350pp inc Art Supplies and Catering March 2 - 3 2019, 9 - 5:30pm both days plus evening 5.30 - 8.30pm March 1st Paint a midsize canvas in acrylics.

SYDNEY - Willoughby 4 Day Paining Workshop $2350pp inc Art Supplies and Catering April 13 - 16 2019, 9 - 5.30pm all

days plus evening of 12th Paint two midsize canvases in acrylics HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND 4 Day Blooms Painting Workshop $2480AUD Booked out for February 2019. Let us know if you’d like to be on the waitlist for the next NZ workshop.

February 19 - 22 2019, plus evening February 18 Paint two midsize canvases in acrylics MELBOURNE - Glen Iris 4 Day Painting Workshop $2350pp January 14-17 2019, 9-5:30pm all days plus Introduction evening from 5.30pm - January 13 Paint two midsize canvases in acrylics.

- Canvas Size 30 x 40 inches - Get your Paint Brush License, learn to blend and more.

Book online at: www.howtopaintblooms.blogspot.com.au or phone 0412 587 438

PERTH - Midland Junction Arts Centre 4 Day Painting Workshop $2350pp March 9-12 2019, 9-5:30pm all days plus intro evening - March 8, 5-9pm - Paint two midsize canvases in acrylics.

1 Day Paint Pet Portraits Workshop $420pp inc Art Supplies and Catering April 11 2019, 8.45 - 5.30pm Paint two canvases and learn with Jacqueline Coates and Joy Connell

BRISBANE - Metro Arts 2 Day Blooms Painting Workshop $1350pp inc Art Supplies and Catering April 9 - 10 2019, 9.5.30pm daily plus evening of 8th Paint a midsize canvas in acrylics

Paint Blooms USA Fabulous Home In Laurel Canyon Los Angeles March 23 - 24 2019, 9 - 6pm plus one evening March 22, 1 - 9pm Enjoy a bonus two day Blooms painting workshop plus a half day and evening intro when you purchase the PAINT BLOOMS USA For details please visit: www.paintbloomsusa.com

PAINT FROM HOME WITH ONLINE PROGRAMS w w w. p a i n t b l o o m s o n l i n e . b l o g s p o t . c o m . a u Visit my blog to learn about my online painting programs and offers. Choose from 3 fabulous online programs you can do from home. For enquiries email painting@jacquelinecoates.com

30 years painting experience & 16 years teaching my Jacqueline Coates Blooms Painting Method® VOTED South Australia’s MOST INNOVATIVE ARTIST 2017 APAC Awards

French Art School Two New Fabulous Tours For 2019!

Be Quick Before They Sell Out. PARIS & THE LIMOUSIN MAY 8th-20th, 2019 FRENCH RIVIERA & THE LIMOUSIN MAY 30th - June 11th, 2019 Simply visit the links below and it till take you to the tour overview, Numbers are at a max of 10 guests if two people twin share, but more usually 9 guests. So once those places book that’s it, no more spaces and the tour will be closed off!

Each tour is a special edition with no detail left to chance. Created exclusively by Jacqueline Coates herself.

For More Information Visit: PARIS & THE LIMOUSIN MAY 8-20, 2019 https://artscreativehub.com/artworkshops-events/french-artschool-tour/ What makes FRENCH RIVIERA & THE LIMOUSIN MAY 30-JUNE 11, 2019 https://artscreativehub.com/artworkshops-events/french-artschool-nice-french-riviera/

www.frenchartschool.blogspot.com

Bookings to Kimberley +61 412 587 438 or email Kimberley@mayers.com.au

INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTOR

B R I N G I N G T H E B E A U T Y O F N A T U R E S L I V I N G A R T I N T O Y O U R

Home!

by ERIN BENZAKEIN Floret Flowers

Fresh flowers for the house really are the ultimate luxury. All winter and early spring, I look forward to the abundant summer months when I can pick fistfuls of blooms and bring them in alongside fresh vegetables from the garden. If you have a little bit of time and sunny garden space, you too can be rewarded all summer long with bouquets to enjoy or give away.

Of all the plant groups, annuals are the simplest and quickest, and the most affordable that you can grow.

Annuals are plants that you sow in early spring; they bloom mainly in summer, set seed, and die when the weather cools in autumn. Annuals are the workhorses of the garden and provide the bulk of our summer flowers here on the farm.

And of all the annual flowering plants you can grow in your cutting garden (or even the back of your

veggie patch), none are more productive than cosmos. They truly are a cut-and-come-again flower: the more you harvest them, the more they bloom. A single planting will produce buckets and buckets of airy, delicate, daisy-like blossoms for many months. You can arrange them on their own or weave them into mixed bouquets. The possibilities are endless.

Cosmos are incredibly easy to grow, making them perfect for beginning gardeners. Seeds can be started indoors to get a jumpstart on the season or you can sprinkle them directly outside. Either way, cosmos will bloom in just under three months from the date you sow them.

To start indoors, sow seeds 4 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost, and then plant seedlings into the garden once all danger of frost has passed. Be careful not to sow seed

too early, because seedlings will quickly outgrow their pots before the weather has warmed enough to put them out into the garden.

still young. Cosmos also benefit from a technique called pinching, as this will encourage the already highly productive plants to branch even more vigorously. Here’s how Alternately, you can sprinkle seeds it’s done: When plants are young, in your garden once the danger between 8 to 12 inches tall, take of all frost has passed. In about a sharp pruners and snip the top 3 to week, you’ll see seedlings sprout up 4 inches off of the plant, just above from the soil. Keep the young plants a set of leaves. This signals the protected from slugs and snails as plant to send up multiple stems from they are getting established since below where the cut was made, new growth is quite tender. resulting in more abundant flower Plants get very bushy and prefer production as well as longer stem a little extra room to spread out, length. so space plants 12 to 18 inches I typically do two sowings, a month apart. Once in the ground, cosmos apart, and include some of my will grow rapidly, so be sure to favorites listed here. This gives me a stake them early, while they are

wide range of flower types and loads of blooms for cutting from summer into fall. ●

Double Click Mix A unique double-flowered cosmos, these fluffy blooms are easy to grow and look great in bouquets. This mix includes snow white, vibrant cranberry, rosy mauve, and a lovely soft blush. Individual colors are also available.

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Purity This cheerful daisy-like bloomer has perfect, pure white single flowers and produces an abundance of wildflower-like blooms.

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Rubenza A dramatic addition to any cutting garden, this uncommon cosmos displays a vibrant range of colors. The large single blooms open with

deep ruby petals and then fade into shades of muddy rose and terracotta as they age. ●

Seashells Mix This delightful mix is filled with large, showy blooms that have fluted, tubular petals that resemble seashells.

Flowers come in a sweet pastel mix of pink, rose, white, carmine, and other unique bicolors.

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Versailles Mix This early blooming, vigorous mix includes the loveliest blend of daisylike flowers in white, mauve pink, and burgundy. It’s one of the fastest to bloom from seed (flowering in about 2 months after planting) and one of the most prolific mixes on the market.

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Rosetta This new variety is a must-have for arranging and looks stunning arranged en masse. Blooms have a layer of half double petals that resemble fluffy petticoats. Rosetta is a mix of soft pink, blush and rose, with each petal appearing as if it was hand painted.

individually over a period of a week.

Harvest when the buds are colored but haven’t opened up yet; this will keep insects from pollinating them and help stretch the vase life by a few additional days.

Cosmos seed is inexpensive and usually pretty easy to find. If your local nursery or garden center doesn’t carry any, you can order packets online from Johnny’s To prolong their flowering time, keep Selected Seeds, Renee’s Garden, cosmos harvested regularly and or Floret. For a small investment of deadhead any spent flowers before time, money, and garden space you they set seed. The individual blooms will be able to fill your house with of cosmos don’t last a particularly these cheerful flowers all summer long time in the vase, about 4 to long. Happy growing!

6 days, but each stems is loaded with multiple blossoms that open

To Discover More About Floret Flowers Visit: www.floretflowers.com @floretflowers @floretflowers

Note: Some flowers may not be available in your region

EMERGING ARTISTS

INTRODUCING

Mel

SIMMONDS

Tell us a little about youself Haha, ok‌..glass half full always. Excited by the future and all of it’s opportunities. I like to put myself out of my comfort zone, regularly. I think it makes me a much more interesting human and gives me lots of material to work with. I have 2 daughters, 12 and 14, who I am hopefully raising to be independent, strong, females of the future (fingers crossed).

And what about Your Journey With Art? I grew up in the country, boarding school in the city and have lived all over the place. I always had a deep passion for the arts. My grandmother was a florist and

artist. I began a visual Arts degree at QUT but was only just 17 so of course I didn’t stick it out. I eventually semi settled and did a teaching degree, majoring in art, and moved to Cairns and then to western NSW. The teaching degree was a fabulous way to be able to work and live in the country while raising a family. I had about a 10-15 year gap there with little to none of my own artwork in my life.

It was about 5 years ago I reconnected with art when I met painting/business mentor and friend Jacqueline Coates. It was Jac that reminded me I had one go at this and I was ‘good enough’ to do this gig full time. I haven’t looked back. I opened a gallery/gift store in the small village of Warialda, then a larger version in Inverell. I am currently looking to relocate my business and girls to

Brisbane sometime between now and the end of 2018.

Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.

How did you turn your hobby as an artist into a career?

In order to do this full time, I had to make it work. Having a teaching degree, I wanted to prove to myself that I could earn enough to warrant not teaching full time. Jacqueline was wonderful for me in this area. It was tough to start with. It’s the unpredictability of it that is challenging.

Treating my art as a business was certainly a conscious decision I had to make. I knew I needed a place to go each day and work

regular hours. So that is why I opened my gallery/gift store. The gifts bring people in to look at the art and vice versa. It works. It also makes the art less intimidating for some.

What would you say to others thinking about picking up a paint brush again after a long hiatus?

DO IT. It has filled a gap in my heart and soul that is hard to explain. I believe it is in us ALL. You just need to want to do it and be willing to learn. I also think it is important to remember that every painting doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. I paint over a huge percentage of my paintings.

It’s all a process. You don’t even have to show anyone, but I suggest you do. Your friends and loved ones will be so proud of you and your bravery.

I’d also remind you that not everyone will like your art. That’s ok too. I don’t like all art. I can appreciate it but may not want to hang it on my wall. That’s life. It’s not personal.

What is next for you?

Brisbane! I want to do what I am doing now but on a larger scale. A huge goal of mine for this year was to enter more art comps and exhibitions. Maybe look for some Sydney and Melbourne representation. I realise that life is short. I have to give it a go!

It’s important for me to show my girls that they can do and be anything they want. To make good choices. God knows, we don’t get it right all the time but that’s OK. I think it’s an exciting time to be growing up as a girl/woman.

To see more of Mel’s work visit: moreegallery.com.au/melissa-simmonds