#SheSociety had the opportunity to ask the amazing artist and model a few questions about her work and her goals for the future!
When did your interest in modelling and art start?
I started modelling when I entered the Girlfriend Model Search competition in 2012 and made it to the State finals, where my agency Chic picked me up. My aunty was a model and my family always mentioned it might be something I would be good at, but I really pushed myself into it by entering the competition. I didn’t really start working as a model until I left school in 2014 as I was more focused on achieving my goals with my studies.
My mum is an artist so as a kid we were always creating and making things, so art has always been apart of my life. I naturally chose art as a subject at school, and in 2012 we did a unit on photorealistic pastel drawings, where I discovered the medium that I was really good at. From then on I used pastel at every opportunity I could to create images that look like photos.
What do you do to get your work so detailed and lifelike?
I’m not really sure how to explain it as in my mind I just recreate the photo that I am working off. I like to do a lot of little scribbles to create texture which I think helps make the drawing look more realistic, especially in the close up images I like to do. I try to work in small sections to really ensure the detail is there, but I always make sure to take a few steps back often to see if I am creating the realistic effect I am wanting to.
Are there certain topics or themes that you focus on with your work?
I really like to create images that portray a special moment in time, a close up shot of an interaction or movement that evoke emotion and feeling. I like drawing attention to the little moments that someone may not notice but can mean so much to someone. I like drawing attention to the ‘ordinary’.
I also really enjoy very close up images of skin texture, lips, fingers etc. as I think it works really well with my drawing style and is something I can really play with and create a beautiful image of.
Is the majority of your time spent creating art or modelling? How do you manage your time between the two?
At the moment it would be modelling. As I am still trying to finish my degree in Event Management as well as work in modelling and the other casual jobs I have and keep up my social media presence (Instagram and YouTube), it doesn’t leave much time for my art unfortunately. I don’t really leave much time for my art, as it is often left as the least important of the many things that I am involved in. I would love for that not to be the case, and to be a full time artist with modelling on the side, however it’s always been the ‘smart thing’ to get a degree and get into the workforce. I pretty much just have my fingers in too many pies and I don’t know which one to pick! It’s a big internal struggle for me to decide what is best for me to do and focus on when I have so many things I enjoy doing and am good at.
What has been your proudest achievement so far?
My proudest achievement has definitely been having my art chosen for the GoMA Creative Generations Exhibition, as well as achieving Dux of Art in high school. They were both goals that I had set myself, and I had decided that I would be happy with one or the other. So to achieve both was so amazing, and something I am still most proud of.
What are your goals for the future?
I would love to put together an exhibition or series of work that is something I love, not just a commission piece. Being a full time artist would be amazing but unfortunately it’s a very hard career to have. Even if I can just create more time in my life to work away at my own conceptual work that would be amazing. I have a lot of ideas for things I want to do but it’s all about putting them into some actual work.
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