Paprly- Not just wrapping paper!

August 08, 2017

At Paprly I am not just about designing wrapping paper. I'm also really driven by making art, any type of art, always have been, always will be. It's a passion. It's the one thing that I can always rely on to be there to provide me with a quiet happy place to retreat to when life starts pulling and pushing me in too many directions! Sound familiar? Do you have an activity which is your place to escape to from the world? I'm sure you do!

I'm thinking I perhaps learnt some of this from observing my Opa. He was an electrician by trade but really he was an artist. He had a studio under his house where he would sculpt with clay and carve with wood. He would paint, draw, play music you name it, a natural creative. As a small child visitting my grandparents was always an adventure. In fact, I found his art space under the house quite the mystery and was only allowed down there when he was tinkering away on his latest masterpiece, usually accompanied but whistling or singing :) A few of his pieces would end up in local civic centres and public places around Gympie. He was quite the character around town with his long grey beard, pipe and long socks and sandles (so european!) He drove a white mini which he would quite confidently drive right up onto the footpath if there were no street parks, to collect us from the bus stop when we came to visit on the school holidays!! Oh Opa the embarrassment! He always spoke the truth and wasn't afraid of offending anyone, even little old me when I would show him a drawing he wouldn't hold back if he didn't like it. Oh no! He would say 'Oh that's terrible that part but this, yes this is good!' I learnt early on that even if you have a natural ability for something you are still going to have pretty bad days where your work is pretty crappy. Making art really is a process involving practice and turning up everyday, pushing yourself and making a commitment to that!

Therefore, it's really not surprising to see some art prints surfacing in my shop here. Having not been to art college, I have studied and worked in Art teaching and also Built Environment- Interior Design both creative fields where I have used my creativity for sure and learnt so, so much. However, here you will find creative work which is purely me. You might hate it?! or you might love it?! Whatever your oppinion is, you can be absolutely sure that it is an original representation of how I see the world and the beauty it has to offer. Beauty in the quiet, simple things which usually go unnoticed. These are the things I cherish the most.

P.S

This year I pushed my creative skills a little bit further and exhibited in a local art show, Red Hill Art. Here were the results-

The Cactus Garden Series

Cactus Garden 1 -1130 x870mm Acrylic on Canvas