"It can be lonely at times, it’s a balance between the solitude that I find necessary to paint and having enough time with friends."
>> Read Beth's Bio <<
Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Beth Kennedy, I’m a Mum to two medium sized girls and I am a full-time artist living in Brisbane. I paint on canvas using aerosol, acrylic paints, inks and oil sticks.
How does creating art make you feel?
Creating brings me joy, there’s nothing like being in the "flow state” - I lose myself in my music and my colours. It’s totally absorbing and makes me happy.
Did you know you would always be an artist?
From the age of sixteen I knew that I wanted to be a painter and so I worked hard at high school, then TAFE and finally University to make my dream come true.
Why is art important in today's society?
Art allows people to stop and breathe a little slower while contemplating it, to elicit an emotional response. Our lives are fast paced, and moments of pause and reflection are very important. I love the tactile and tangible in this digital time, I want to hold a book & touch a painting, to feel the stitching in a tapestry and so on.
What influences your style or approach to creating art?
To get inspired I am constantly looking at other artist's work, beautiful images and colour combinations in magazines & reading books about a range of things. I keep my art practice experimental and playful; I like experimenting with different mediums and seeing what “happy accidents” occur, these are often my favourite parts of a painting.
How has your practice changed over time?
Initially I was a figurative artist - creating little works on paper that then became big figurative works on canvas and then I moved away from the figure all together and towards the abstracted botanical shapes that I love today.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
I have been a nanny, worked in a community centre cafe, worked at an all-you-can-eat restaurant (don’t recommend that one!), I’ve worked at a Cheesecake Shop (not good for the waistline!) and I’ve worked in retail.
Some would say the artistic life can be lonely. Do you agree, and if so, what do you do to counteract it?
It can be lonely at times, it’s a balance between the solitude that I find necessary to paint and having enough time with friends to socialise and catch up. I’m good at that balance now.
Name three artists that inspire you.
Geoffroy Pithon, Jai Vasicek, Spencer Shakespeare.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Nobody owes you anything in this art business - work hard, be kind and don’t take yourself too seriously!
Image Credits Tania Wicks Photography