I remember as a small child the gift of a point and shoot camera, the type that had a flash cube click on top. ​Pocket money was saved up for the purchase of film and then developing. Being able to capture moments in time was thrilling to me. 

My love of photography continued into adult life when I completed a  photography course which also had a component for dark room developing.  
Nowadays, we are so lucky to have a camera with us wherever we venture.  Our phone can capture those moments in time. We can capture any exciting or beautiful inspiration right then and there.  

I take many photos when we are out and about.  It may be the perfect rose bloom, an unusual colour combination, a bike leaning against an old fence, a cloudy sky, some shadows playing amongst trees or the reflection in a pond.  If you look with art in mind, it is amazing you will find something for inspiration, everywhere.

At the art classes I run, I am often asked, where do I find ideas for my artwork.  The answer is everywhere.  I take photos when I am out and about, I save photos from the web, I cut out photos from magazines that have a colour, texture or design that speaks to me. Found objects such as shells, twigs and leaves are a particular favourite. All of these combined offer me inspiration for creating a new piece of artwork. One piece or many pieces together may spark an idea for an artwork, sometimes it could be a single word that carries me away.

​Where do you find inspiration?  Leave a comment below.
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Artists that find inspiration in nature have a never ending opportunity to bring the outside in.  Nature has a certain way that it casts a magic spell over us. A walk in nature, you can hear the rustle of leaves, the lapping of the ocean or a sunrise or sunset filled with vibrant hues.

As the urban sprawl continues and medium to high density living increases, there is less and less opportunity to experience nature regularly.  Art is a way to bridge the gap between the great outdoors and the limited space indoors. 
Mother Nature offers endless inspiration from mountain peeks, rivers and beaches to the tiniest of petals on intricate flowers and everything in between. 

Art can be a conduit to the connection between nature and indoors, creating a certain ambiance melded with your own personal decorative elements.  

Imagine waking to a beautiful bouquet of flowers on your side table with water you never have to change, or a sunset that never sets on your wall.  You can have it all with art in your home.

 

Acrylic paint was my way back into art and I loved it that's for sure. I signed up for some on-line art classes during lock down and was exposed to the world of mixed media. This changed everything for me and my art.  Also, attending art classes where you could experiment and use different mediums opened my eyes and hands to different textures and styles.
So what is mixed media I hear you ask.  Mixed media is the combination of two or more art mediums into one piece of art. Some examples would be painting a watercolour picture and then adding pen or ink to the works or using acrylic paint and then adding oil pastels to the piece.  Of course, you can have multiple mediums in one piece to get your desired effect.  I tend to use soft oil pastels and or charcoal after I have completed the acrylic artwork.  I find adding another medium gives you some amazing affects you can't necessarily achieve using the one medium. 
Mixed media can be used on all genres of art whether you love abstract, realism, expressionism or impressionism.
Vincent van Gough before his early death had been experimenting with colour combinations and mixed media, although it hadn't been named at that stage.
Mixed media for me is a new and exciting way to find expression and texture in my artwork, particularly as my art is inspired by nature and nature is full of texture and colour.

I grew up in what was once a sleepy town on the outskirts of Perth. Our house was surrounded by bushland with a peppering of houses until the development of the land started.  Our primary school had a special "Australia Garden" with a man-made creek, rockpools and native flora and fauna. It was an ideal surrounding for kids who played in the bushland, built secret cubby houses and hideouts.  I think this is where my love of nature truly began.  The photo you see here is the bushland that still exists near my parents' house.  The land has been preserved to continue the growth of wattle, wildflowers, banksia, and eucalypt trees. 
I now live in a beautiful part of Victoria with our house backing on to public open space which has beautiful bushland, wetlands and bird life.  I don't know how I would leave this place, it is so beautiful and inspiring.

I am inspired by nature in my artwork, whether it be landscape, abstract or florals.  Nature is perfectly imperfect.  No two flowers are the same, an aging rose is as beautiful as a newly formed bud.  A walking track can take you to the most beautiful parts of a bush or the most treacherous.  A flower can bring back a memory and a smile to your face. You can change someone's day by sharing some nature with them, even if it is a small, handpicked posy from your garden.
You can even have nature in your home every single day of the year with a piece of artwork inspired by nature.