Culture Corner 16

Meet Local Artist Brigitte Peel

Local artist Brigitte Peel with her piece ‘Hands of Time’

Originally from New Zealand, Brigitte developed a passion for art when she was just six years old, but it wasn’t until she went to high school that she started to refine her talent.

Her future, however, would take her travelling around the world and she lived in London for five years before returning to Australia. It was starting a family that really allowed Brigitte to reconnect with her art and she used any spare time she had to develop her skills and take on commission requests. Drawn to realism, Brigitte loves working with images and transforming them into a piece of art that is an almost exact replica of that image, only very skilfully hand-drawn instead.

This type of art takes great talent to perfect, and Brigitte says that the precision involved in completing the end product is very rewarding. She loves nature and her pieces include a school of Clown Fish swimming and a Majestic Sea Turtle gliding through dark waters. She has also recently completed a piece called ‘Hands of Time’ which is a more abstract artform and she loves experimenting with different mediums.

Brigitte can create art in charcoal, acrylic paint, coloured pencils, pastels and watercolour. She is also a Project Artist for the Great Barrier Reef Festival.

Having just taken up an ‘Artist in Residence’ spot at the 3 Little Birds Espresso and Creative Hub, which has just launched an art space called Airlie Create and Connect, Brigitte is looking forward to welcoming students to her new art lessons soon.

SOLACE CALLING

My broken heart Shattered in a million pieces Dramatic starts Seldom lead to peaceful endings All along the gratitude Sustaining where the Fantasies have failed Beckoning the memories Forever basking in the stories You regaled

In some cafe Witnessing a stranger weeping I want to whisper They’re only words Used against the lonely people When you are Spinning like a dervish in the desert With the rhythms of the storm Underneath the palette of the colours I’m envisioning the pain has gone

Silence calming Darkness falling Never knowing What the truth will bring Fear fear ever rumbling Mirror mirror show me something

The song was pure Singing from a thousand angels The perfect cure All as if the souls were saviours Could it be oh would it be The message our humanity adored? Confluence of energy Aligning and receiving Washing us ashore

Softly, quiet See the light flares Fan the flames or Smooth the mire Silence calming Darkness falling Courage rising Solace Calling

My open heart Healing from a million pieces Dramatic starts Often lead to boring cliches

STRAIGHT FROM THE SET Meet Local Actor: JP

Playing a grandfather who is the owner of an ailing Californian vineyard in his most recent movie, ‘Love By The Glass’, which was shot by an American production company in Brisbane late last year, local actor Jean-Pierre Yerma (JP), has just returned to the Whitsundays for a well-earned break.

Motivated to start a career in the performing arts when a chance encounter with a filming crew saw him offered a job, JP has been working on everything from commercials to movies since 2006 while also studying and fine-tuning his talents. Originally from Melbourne, he moved to Sydney and then Noosa where he discovered a love of Queensland, enticing him to move to work on Hayman Island for several years. He now owns an apartment in Airlie Beach and loves spending time here when he is not on set.

For the past decade JP has been studying his craft, becoming a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in 2014 and learning from some of the best teachers in the country. Since then, his career has taken off and last year he played the father in a movie called ‘No Harm Done’, which was shot in Sydney. This movie tackles the complex topic of a father being told his son is gay and, coming from a footballing family where he is the coach, learning how to understand the revelation. “I often get cast as a father or a caring person, someone who’s struggled in life, experienced trauma and tragedy but not let that get the better of him,” said JP. “I love telling stories and spreading really good inspirational stuff - stories of hope.” Both movies will be released this year so keep an eye out for them.

By Karen Jacobsen

Readers’ poetry can be emailed to declan@mackayandwhitsundaylifenewspaper.com. Submissions should be in the body of the email, not as attachments.

READY TO RUN

Picking The Right Shoes For Your Child Helping Your Child Make Friends

Finding the right school shoe is the foundation to every child’s development throughout the year - here are some tips to pick the right shoe for you and your family: Choose age-appropriate fastenings: Look at whether they want Velcro or laces, it could be more practical to opt for Velcro if they are younger as this will save you more time in the morning. Bring socks: When buying a new pair of shoes make sure you try them on with the same socks your child would usually be wearing to school. Do the wiggle test: There needs to be enough room to wiggle your toes at the end, about 1cm is the perfect amount of growing room. If there is any more room, then the sole will flex in the wrong place and will not last as long. Watch out for width: Most people think it is just the length of the shoe that matters but it is important that the width is comfortable too. Be relaxed: Children pick up on attitudes around them, if you are stressed and frantic, they will be too. Try to be relaxed and calm, leave plenty of time to choose the right shoe, don’t rush. Ask a specialist: Always check with a fitting specialist as your child may say that they fit well on them, but they could have lots of extra room at the back without them realising. The friendly team at Shoe Biz are always ready to help, simply call into their Proserpine or Airlie Beach stores today. “Come in and see us, sit down in the relaxed atmosphere and get them fitted properly.” While some children seem to have a better social life than you do, there are other unique and special little people who feel shy and hesitant in social settings, characteristics that may make it harder for them to find friends. While it is important to support your child’s individual nature, it is also vital to help them get accustomed to a variety of social situations that are necessary when navigating everyday life. Here are some tips to help you help them: Validate their feelings: It is very common to feel anxious or nervous when entering a new social setting, such as a classroom, so instead of telling them there is nothing to worry about, try validating their feelings instead. Let them know it is ok to feel nervous, explain that everyone does and reassure them that they will be ok. The nervous feeling will start to leave when they relax and begin to understand their new setting. Practice basic conversations: If your child is especially shy then you can help them learn ‘social scripts’ which are everyday conversations they can practice with you. The more you practice gentle conversation with your child, keeping eye contact and showing them how to respond to different moods, then the better equipped they will be when navigating social situations by themselves.

Initiate playdates: This is where your child can practice building social skills in the safety and comfort of their own home. Before the play date show your child how to be a gracious host and get them to greet their guest nicely. Also, pre-plan some activities with your child that are of their choosing and let them take the lead in showing their friend how to play. During the playdate take a step back and let the time naturally unfold. Afterwards, review how the playdate went, giving specific labelled praise and positive feedback.

Don’t put your own expectations on your

children: If you have a more extroverted personality you might like to have a busy social life, but if your child is introverted they might prefer a slower social schedule. Discover what their social limits and degrees of comfort are and work towards giving them that. Some children might prefer reading or drawing by themselves, but they also need to spend a little time with others so they have an opportunity to make friends. For some children, however, just one or two good friends is enough for them.

Article written using information from the Child Mind Institute.

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