Art refuses to stay still

TOORA seems to be one of those towns that attracts creative people.
The Toora Village Studio Gallery and the Toora Village Artist Collective are proof of that.
Collective member Pam Donnellan was attracted first to Mount Best in 2008 and now with her partner, Robert Haydon who is also an artist, lives in Toora.
“As the youngest child, my sister was a good artist and I wanted to be better than her,” she said.
“After that, when I was 36, my eldest daughter wasn’t doing too well in school and was diagnosed with dyslexia.”
It was then Pam figured out she too had dyslexia, which had also caused problems for her when she went through school.
“After that, when I was 38, I went and did a mature entry university course. I came third out of 200 students in a Diploma of Arts Graphic Design,” she said.
“Doing the graphic design course helped me a lot. It was a big boost for my whole life.”
After completing the three year course, Pam spent several years working as a graphic designer and illustrated several children’s book.
“Now, I just want to paint. Mostly I have done photo realism, but lately I have been searching for a new genre,” she said.
“I will be having an exhibition in January at the Toora Village Studio Gallery. The art I am creating for it will be something that hasn’t been done before.
“I am using paint, paper, clay, liquid Perspex and iridescent colours.”
Pam admitted it sometimes takes her a while to get a painting finished, but it is something she loves to do.
“Sometimes I surprise myself. I step back from a painting and think, ‘gosh, did I do that?’,” she said.
“I usually like my paintings to look like what they are supposed to look like. I am not really into just throwing paint on paper.
“I love Vincent van Gogh, because he also had dyslexia and you could see it in his paintings. I like all of the old artists, even Salvador Dali.
“I like to paint fantasy as well. I do lots of different things but I am still finding my style.”
Pam has won several awards for her paintings, and has also received a prestigious award for her directing skills.
There are 22 members of the Toora Village Artist Collective, which Pam said is a supportive and encouraging group.
“It is good to be surrounded by like minded people it seems certain areas inspire and attract creative types,” she said.

Painter at heart: Toora artist Pam Donnellan works on a piece of art in her studio, surrounded by inspiration and things that make her happy.

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Posted by Sarah Vella on Jun 24 2014. Filed under Arts & Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry