Tania Harley - Artist of the Month
“With a continual love of nature and the beauty that surrounds us I am constantly inspired”
I experienced a serious car accident in 2007 which left me damaged and unable to continue working. After a year or so I needed something to kick start myself so I re-trained in Interior Design. This 3 year diploma gave me an intimate knowledge of the Principle and Elements of Design& colour. . Once completed I held a dual diploma of Interior Design & Styling/Colour Consulting & Planning through Hunter Design School. Whilst this work was enjoyable it wasn't quite what I was looking for. After my mother in law’s house burnt down in 2018 and she lost everything I was determined to create some art to beautify her new home. This led me to complete a ten week drawing and painting class to ‘refresh’ my creativity. With this course, I fell into art. I joined The Society of Artists in November 2019 just before Covid hit.
Whilst waiting for my mother in laws new home to be built I painted over thirty paintings for a local woman’s refuge in New Lambton . Then I received various commissions for paintings and started to display my work at exhibitions and cafes in Newcastle and the Hunter.
With a continual love of nature and the beauty that surrounds us I am constantly inspired to sketch , photograph and take notes as source material for paintings. Working in acrylics, watercolours and ink and occasionally mixed media allows me to capture all that makes my subject what it is. Colour/Texture/shape -these are the intricate details that especially make botanical subjects unique. I enjoy recording this information with sometimes very detailed drawings—summarising what I perceive to be important for my painting. I also enjoy studying colour and movement by producing abstract paintings.
I have been drawing and painting for the past five years and during that time my art skills and knowledge have continued to grow. I have attended workshops with many leading Australian artists such as Jan Cristaudo & Debbie Mackinnon. I would say that my painting style can at times be intuitive however much of the time I like to prepare myself for painting my chosen subject by immersing myself into the environment I am trying to create by walking through bushland, wetlands etc. I won the Contemporary/Abstract section of the Newcastle Art Prize 2021 with my painting ‘Nature found’. I can only hope to increase my knowledge and skills in the years to come.
Whilst waiting for my mother in laws new home to be built I painted over thirty paintings for a local woman’s refuge in New Lambton . Then I received various commissions for paintings and started to display my work at exhibitions and cafes in Newcastle and the Hunter.
With a continual love of nature and the beauty that surrounds us I am constantly inspired to sketch , photograph and take notes as source material for paintings. Working in acrylics, watercolours and ink and occasionally mixed media allows me to capture all that makes my subject what it is. Colour/Texture/shape -these are the intricate details that especially make botanical subjects unique. I enjoy recording this information with sometimes very detailed drawings—summarising what I perceive to be important for my painting. I also enjoy studying colour and movement by producing abstract paintings.
I have been drawing and painting for the past five years and during that time my art skills and knowledge have continued to grow. I have attended workshops with many leading Australian artists such as Jan Cristaudo & Debbie Mackinnon. I would say that my painting style can at times be intuitive however much of the time I like to prepare myself for painting my chosen subject by immersing myself into the environment I am trying to create by walking through bushland, wetlands etc. I won the Contemporary/Abstract section of the Newcastle Art Prize 2021 with my painting ‘Nature found’. I can only hope to increase my knowledge and skills in the years to come.
‘Nature Found’ 2021 NAP Contemporary/Abstract Section Winner
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