Creative ID: 639

My arts or creative practice (including details about my specific focus within that art form/practice and my strengths):

I am a mature, predominantly landscape painter in my personal professional practice and it is my life-long private pursuit to find the ever illusive perfect vanishing point. I have a Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts, a post-graduate degree in professional art studies, and a design diploma in set and costume design from AFTRS (Australian Film TV & Radio school). I have worked extensively as a professional artist with over thirty-five years of exhibiting experience for both group and solo shows and as a production/costume designer and art director in the Australian film theatre and TV industry and as a design associate with the Australian Opera and other production and theatre houses.

I currently own, operate, and teach at a community arts hub that I established in December 2019, which seeks to encourage enthusiasm and participation in art, culture, and creativity in our community. Our creative services are geared towards our younger regional demographic drawing from local schools in the region. I also teach generally to adult students and have created a relaxing with art forum for those interested in finding a way to unwind and regroup using the powerful medium of painting and drawing. I am currently preparing the children’s term spring exhibition and holding a community artist group show where I will also be participating.

I will have work exhibited for a local artist trail and am creating new works for an Auckland art gallery. This coincides with my development of the Barefoot Artists (children who participate) 2-year teaching programme, which is entirely involved in the creative processes and art practice for children. I would like to take this further afield because I see the efficacy for our children in personal development, enthusiasm, independence, collective outcomes, civic responsibility, creativity, community consciousness, and a range of other beneficial values to help them grow into positive young adults who are adept at creative problem solving. I am committed to this because I believe that art is good … art is necessary … and art is for everyone.

My track record of experience and success - or the track record of experience and success of the creative or artist that I will partner with:

I have been a practising professional artist since 1987 when I completed my post-graduate degree in Visual Arts. I have work in private collections around the world and have been very lucky to have gained experience in public art practice, as well as much experience in theatre and film design. While working as a set and costume designer, I was privileged to work with international directors and creatives and learnt an enormous amount from the process. My job included designing to a brief, managing an often large department staff, and having control of large budgets.

I ceased this work in 2000 to marry whereupon I taught art in the schools my daughter attended, did art therapy in aged care facilities, and volunteered within my various communities while continuing my own art practice with exhibitions in regional and state NSW and QLD and VIC. I remarried in 2019 and that is what brought me to NZ where I pursue my love of big skies and vanishing points in a very new landscape while I continue to develop the gallery’s teaching programme and community arts events.

Describe the experience you have had working with children or young people, teaching or facilitating creative processes:

I have been teaching children first through private tuition while attending art school for my degree, then as a volunteer teaching Australian art history as a term project at the school my daughter attended in regional QLD. The children were taken through a rudimentary art history and went on a field trip and produced drawings and a painting of their own that we created an exhibition for. It was a wonderful experience for them. I also taught at the state school developing a mural project with the children as part of their term work. I have taught adults and the age range for my students is 2.5 years to currently 76 years. The general age range for the children’s after-school and holiday arts programmes is from 5 years to 13 years for children though I have a specialist youth class for more advanced kids where older teens can also participate.

The Barefoot Artist programme involves two years of structured projects. Each term we address themes and incorporate topics such as Matariki and traditional stories and content where possible and suitable. In year 1, I have been working on seasons as a theme which coincides with the school term. We have just completed our autumn and winter period and are now working on spring which will culminate in a Barefoot spring show. These shows are held every term on completion of the children's work. They are also involved in the community arts events such as the community scarf project that encourages community involvement in art and culture. For this event, in conjunction with their Matariki night sky pieces, they designed the Gods of the legend. From their designs we made maquettes and then we created large-scale figurines to decorate the scarf and help hold it up.

Last year the children completed a water tank mural that they still enjoy, particularly on their way to school or the bus for the kids that have moved onto high school, as a visual enhancement that they directly contributed to for our village. Next year they will work on elements across the four terms and be involved in the ongoing scarf phase 2 and the community mural project and a water project for term 1 that seeks to encourage them to an awareness about protecting our local rock pools and waterways. I try to evolve their projects in association with community interest groups so that they have a stake in their immediate environment.

Why I want to be part of the Creatives in Schools programme and how my involvement will link to my creative practice:

I am a keen educator and am from a family of educators. My specific field is within creative practice especially for children. As technology and isolation makes a strong impact in the children’s lives and will only continue to do so, it is essential that they have opportunities for independent creative pursuits. At the arts hub these then are tied into broader collective expressions where the participants can contribute to a larger creative expression that can find its way into the community. I like to believe that in being involved in creativity they have a process towards creative problem solving for their future lives and have the immeasurable and tangible relationship with art as a life enhancement as a practitioner or an appreciator.

A life with access to art, culture, and creativity is a very rich one, and one that if experienced in youth may provide a holistic experience going forwards. Art is a life enhancer and we are all that much richer for it. The children who attend the arts hub programmes experience the joy of creative self-expression and collaboration so they have an instilled appreciation for creative artistic pursuits. It is not my intention to turn each child into an artist, more to encourage estimable personal values with art as the therapeutic conduit. I am keen that as many children as possible have access to a positive creative experience so that this may in some way offset negative patterns and thinking that might occur in these challenging times.

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