ABOUT HOLLY

When I get to a certain point of a painting that captures the story I want to portray, my heart starts to race, even more so if I can capture it with minimal marks. It is addictive.

I work from my home studio nestled in the forest of the Sunshine Coast. I have been carving out moments of time to practice my art in between being a mother of three kids, a dog, two cats and chickens, taming a lush garden, while balancing part-time work as an emergency nurse. This year I have made a conscious decision to dedicate more time to my artist pursuits.

I have always been a creative person. As a child I was always drawing and colouring. After the birth of my second child, a friend brought me a beautiful handmade ceramic dish. Suddenly, I was in the ceramic ‘rabbit hole’. Obsessed, I watched countless ‘how to’ videos, bought a potters wheel, clay and a few tools and off I went. I started a ceramic business, attended markets and created for stockists around SE Queensland.

I love ceramics and wanted to know how to paint to diversify my ceramic designs. I started attending classes at the wonderful Art School Co. and soon uncovered a profound passion for painting people, figures, and spaces.

People, and the things they love, intrigue me. Painting can capture the essence of a person free from the modern day mask of striving to appear perfect. I want to show the simple, tangible beauty that is all around us.

I use expressive marks and play with the tension of soft and loose, light and dark, abstract and realist. I want the viewers of my work to stop and reflect that beauty lies in imperfection and art exists in the contrast of styles.