My fascination is with the human form… with people and their stories. 

My work takes form utilising different mediums, particularly charcoal/pastels, inks, ceramic and acrylics, combined with the techniques of painting, drawing, ceramic-work, sculpture and print-making. I use whatever medium is appropriate to transform my ideas into reality, with a preference to using multi-medium, often with the combination of natural and man-made materials.

I am fascinated by the process of how we transform throughout life, the journey more so than the destination and how the stories of others can change us, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

My personal life journey has given me much insight. It has taken me from the depths of despair to the heights of happiness and peace and it is these constantly changing transitions between emotions that direct and inspire my work.

I love the beauty of the broken, the lost, the damaged, the forgotten, the sad, the disenfranchised, the imperfect… the perfection of imperfection.

My work is inspired by photographer Diane Arbus and painter Alice Neel, both of whom also embodied this narrative. Diane Arbus once said ‘The subject is more important than the picture’...a statement that I fully endorse.

Sharran Makin is a multidisciplinary award-winning artist. She is best known for her photography, print making and painting and loves working with many different mediums. Her work is often inspired from nature, the land and the Ocean, which has been an important part of her life.

She is an international award-winning artist. Her work has been exhibited in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Bathurst. Her art and photography has found its way into many homes and organizations and is also owned by a number of art collectors and is admired by many.

She turned to art, photography and nature to help with her healing journey after suffering from PTSD, to help deal with stress and improve her cognition and memory. She hopes that by sharing her art and photography with the world, that it might encourage others who are going through a difficult journey or illness to turn to art as a form of therapy to help with their recovery and also encourage health professionals to consider art as an option to assist with their patient’s recovery.

Deborah has a passion for the traditional method of oil paint on canvas, with an experimental edge. Her figurative works are often enhanced with collage and mixed media treatments and display the sensual pleasure that comes from making one’s mark. Deb’s practice extends to works on paper. dimensional pieces and an occasional poem. 

Deborah has a strong desire to contribute to the creative life of Maitland and many of her most recent paintings have echoes of the Australian figurative artists of the mid-twentieth century and European Modernism . Characterised by idiosyncratic use of colour and imagery that evokes dreams and distant memories, her works are aptly described as dreamscapes. 

I am a purely   self -taught t artist inspired by the very fragility of our frivolous and   fleeting joys. Capturing a memory or spark in time and translating that brief   moment with an extraordinary array of colour, texture and energy.
 My art comes from my happy place and I think it shows. My art is ever   evolving and comes from an understanding of nature's intention for everything   to eventually disintegrate. From the biggest tree to our own building, I   understood at a very young age that ultimately the entirety of our universe is   constantly changing.
 I am a purely self taught artist, with influences such as Donna Downey, Tracy   Verdugo, Starla Michelle, Nika Rouss, Renata Loree, all of whom are all      brilliant modern artists who express their joy of life in their gorgeous art.  

Kay was born and grew up on the land near Gulgong, Central Western NSW. Music has always been a major part of her life. When she moved to Sydney she worked in the music industry and sang professionally.

Kay moved to Maitland in 1996 where she began to explore her love of art and in 2006, friend and artist James Casey introduced her to canvas and oil and the use of the old master’s techniques – light and shadow ( the chiaroscuro technique). Kay loves painting and stuff we eat, touch and use everyday and those things become the subjects of her still life artworks.

Kay has won many prizes including the Maitland Art Prize and Newcastle Art Prize. Kay has also been a finalist in the Bowral, Hornsby and Mortimer Art Prizes and the prestigious EMSLA at Coffs Harbour. 

  'Earthiness   is at the core of Annie’s paintings. She combines colour and movement to   express changing experiences of landscapes and contemporary visions’

In my   endeavour to produce a diverse range of visual paintings formats and   subjects, I am continuously challenging myself to develop a combination of   numerous styles and textures. These are created by including techniques   incorporating acrylic, mixed media, collage, inks and watercolour. 

I have   been painting for over 40 years and for the past 20, I have been a member and   tutor for the ‘Society of Artists Newcastle Inc’ as well as teaching private   lessons. I am proud to have sold many paintings here in Australia and   overseas, having successfully displayed and sold in several exhibitions and   galleries. I am also a member of Hunter Women Artists.

I have lived in the Hunter since 1987 and am an artist who is inspired by the beauty of Australian landscapes and seascapes, as well as pet portraits. I work in oil, watercolour, acrylic and pastel. Art has always interested me, as a child I was always drawing, but as an adult could not find the time for this pleasure, since semi-retiring in 2008 and full-time retirement in 2014, I have at last made the time and WOW…I am so enjoying putting paint to canvas.

I have been fortunate to secure several awards at Exhibitions and have sold many paintings, and I enjoy doing commissions, mostly animal portraits.

One of my paintings has been chosen by a Theatre Company Off Broadway New York to promote their upcoming production. The painting will appear on all their publicity promotions as well as the programme 

I have lived a tumultuous life, and recently was diagnosed with the trifecta of mental illness. Bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and C-PTSD. Since this day, I have fought with everything I have to become well again. I have had a lot of support, but ultimately I did it on my own, and I am so extremely proud of myself, because I can honestly say, that not only am I surviving, but I am thriving. 

I am constantly challenged by my emotions, and being able to paint these emotions, gives me the opportunity to feel, without confronting or offending anyone. 

Bright colours, that contrast and complement each other, bring me great joy. I love to create bold works in acrylic and symbolism plays a big part in my work. I delve into the spiritual realm often, as I have spent many years thinking deeply on life after death and learning to process the grief that all people will feel at some time during their life. 

I want to be an artist who is remembered for her contribution to art therapy as a style in itself. I want the world to see me, for the sunshine that now lives in my soul. I pray that my work reaches you and gives healing where it is needed.

Aaron de Friskbom is an emerging artist in the Hunter Valley of NSW. His passion is watercolour and landscapes. He enjoys painting en plein air and takes every opportunity to combine family outings with painting.

Aaron’s most recent success was at The Maitland Region Society of Artists Annual Exhibition in August 2017, where he won First Prize for Works on Paper.

‘Although I have had a life-long appreciation of art it wasn’t until my mid-forties that I was encouraged by a fellow artist to ’pick up a pencil and give it a go’. Initially I started drawing everyday objects found around the home and in nature, it wasn’t long before I wanted to add a splash of colour.

Watercolours seemed to be the right place to start, though little did I know that I would become so engrossed in trying to perfect the various techniques, whilst developing my own style of painting, that I am yet to try another medium such as pastels or oils.’ 

Adrian was born in Newcastle, however he now lives in the Hunter Valley.

Working as a traditional artist, Adrian is exclusively an oil painter and draws on a wide range of subjects including landscapes, portrait, still life, birds and animals.

He is currently an active member of the Maitland Region Society of Artists.

Artistic inspiration comes from a myriad of sources. Some of my inspiration came while reading my grandmother’s collection of old English ladies magazines. Now I am lucky to live surrounded by lush cottage gardens which creates the perfect peaceful creative ambience.

I’m a pretty prolific exhibitor, and my works are often seen at major shows held throughout the region and I also love my work as a workshop tutor, travelling around the state sharing my skill and knowledge and inspiring others to greatness. I am also asked to judge many exhibitions.

As a child, I was always drawing and I spent a great deal of time staying with my grandparents who encouraged my creativity. During these visits, I would love working with pen and would spend hours copying and sketching from the fashion pages depicted in my grandmother’s English Women’s Own magazines.

The legendary artist Margaret Olley once told me ‘be true to yourself and paint what you like: be challenged and use your imagination.” This philosophy has always reflected in my style. 

Val’s Rules for Art

1.  Create with love

2. Use all the colours

3. Laugh a lot

4. Break the rules

5. Make mistakes

6. Start again

7. Teach others

8. Experiment

9. Stay real

10. Share art.

Creating since 1957 with pencils, pens, photography, paints, papers and ink