OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

How old are you? 

I was born in 1969.


How long have you been a professional artist?

 

2022 will see me entering into my nineteenth year as a professional artist.

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What level of training have you attained?

 

I am very honest about the fact that I have had no formal training except at the school of 'Life' and thousands of hours spent painting. Everything I have learned over the last eleven years when I began to walk a creative path, and during the last nine years since I began to paint again, has come from reading countless books on technique, from the dissection and scrutiny of other artist's work, and finally, by painting and experimenting on a daily basis. Practice is the key to improvement and refinement, and I, being a perfectionist, hone my skills with a devout dedication. Over the last decade I have painted over five hundred artworks; those paintings have been my training ground.

 

 

What media do you work with?

 

I am proficient with a number of different mediums - digital, acrylics, watercolours, coloured pencil, pen and ink.

 

 

Why do you paint fantasy?

 

I don't paint fantasy. I paint the spirit realms and alternate realities. I once used the word fantasy to label and categorise what I paint in order to make it acceptable to mainstream audiences, but now I choose not to cater to the mainstream. I paint what comes to me in visions and in dreams. Our perception and understanding of the world and the universe is limited. We cannot say that something is fantasy or imaginary, simply because it does not exist within our physical plane or beyond our scope of understanding. What I paint is what the majority do not see. I peer into the Void where they wait and bring them to life within the hearts and minds of others. This I believe to be a very important key to healthy emotional and psychological development. To take the intangible and make it real is to create, and to create is why we exist. For me personally, it is my reason for being.

 

 

What is your religion?

 

I do not ascribe to or follow any religion. I am not 'New Age' nor am I 'Pagan'. I am no 'Lightworker', nor 'Shaman' although I do sometimes embrace the label of Lightworker in order to annoy and provoke those who have little respect or understanding of what it means to embrace Light and share light with others. I have had those same others tell me what I am for a very long time, but I am simply me, and happy to remain undefined and therefore free to be whatever I choose to be from one moment to the next. I am spiritual and my faith is ever-evolving just as I am.

 

What is your marital status?

 

I am separated and happily single. I am devoutly committed to my creative endeavours, and they leave no time or interest spent in thoughts of romantic relationships. *grins* After almost 25 years in a relationship, I have been given a taste of freedom, and I am not willing to give it up for anyone.

 

 

Why an artist?

 

Because it is the only thing I ever really wanted to be. I paint because I must. As a child, when I was not dreaming of wandering distant shores, I was painting pictures in my mind, in my books and on my walls. All available pieces of paper were covered in drawings. Drawing and painting has always been second nature. The only other passion that I had as a child was reading, and if the book had beautiful illustrations then I was doubly blessed.

 

During my teen years, I allowed myself to believe that I had no potential, simply because my skill at that time was not equal to my desire, so my pens and papers were put away in the drawer. My dreams of becoming an artist were forgotten. I moved out into the '9 to 5' world and took on several different roles - secretary, accounts clerk, personal assistant, receptionist. I even studied hairdressing for several years.

 

I was not happy. In fact, I became very ill. The lack of creative outlet worsened my mental health and it was only when I was reintroduced to art and writing as a form of therapeutic release nearly seventeen years ago, that I began to understand one of the main causes for my illness. I had denied the creative essence of me. I had allowed my fear of failure to cage me. My Bipolar is cyclic, and both extremes - the (mild) hypomania and the depression - can and will manifest if I neglect myself, sleep less, or fail to make enough time to be out in nature, or paint. When I paint, I look within and learn more about myself, and with increased awareness and understanding of myself, the more at peace I am with who I am. By reawakening my dreams, and placing my feet upon this path of colour and words I have found healing and now walk to meet my destiny.

 

 

What are your future goals?

 

I have been painting professionally since mid 2003. During this time, my style has evolved and changed in many ways. With every new artwork I grow in confidence, and with the growing confidence I come to see that my potential is limitless. The future is unwritten ... a mystery ... for now, here in the present, my only goal is to continue on the path that I walk, to paint and create and see where that takes me. I will say, however, that I have many oracle decks in my future.

 

 

What or who inspires you?

 

Everything and nothing - life, nature, dreams, my family, my pets, my faith. My favourite artists are Thomas Canty, Stephanie Law, Linda Bergkvist, Larry Elmore, Clyde Caldwell, Keith Parkinson, and Michael Whelan. They sustained me through my teenage years, and inspired me to chase my dreams.

 

 

Do you have any pets?

 

I have my beloved familiar and littlest cat, Arashi. My biggest cat, my beautiful Tuatha, passed away several years ago. So it is now just Arashi, my Spazmo Kittybird, two goldfish, and me.

 

 

What are your hobbies?

 

I wish. I have little time for "hobbies". I collect crystals, take photos, listen to music, write and paint, and when I need to turn off and shut the world out and let the spirit world in, I sleep.

 

 

What turns you on?

 

I love looking at the moon, and sitting in the sun. I love walking around in bare feet, and jumping in puddles. I love nature, animals, and the smell of the ocean. I admire loyalty, and respect those who are wiser when their knowledge and wisdom comes from experience and practise as opposed to theory alone.

 

 

What turns you off?

 

I used to have a dislike for racism, intolerance and ignorance. However, I have since come to understand that these things exist so that we may learn. and they will continue to exist until we stop seeing those things that make us different and fuel a false belief that one person is better than another simply because their beliefs are more altruistic. I have no time for narcissists. I make no space for arrogance, for those who believe they 'know better' and believe themselves superior to others.

 

 

Do you have any regrets?

 

Yes I do. I have regrets. I would have liked to have been able to journey through this life and not have hurt others, but I have, and I have done so out of a desire to hurt others that was equal to my desire to hurt myself. I cannot change the past, and I would not change the past because everything I have experienced has been fundamental to my becoming the more confident, happy, and creative person I am in the present. But with the awareness and understanding of my own self and actions, I have also come to understand just how deeply I have hurt others. From that regret and awareness grows empathy and compassion, and in turn the me who lives in the present is one who chooses to be a little more compassionate and understanding. I strive to be kind.