Let Passion Guide Your Art

'A Lifetime of Lions', a solo exhibition

After manning my exhibition for the last two weeks and chatting with guests, it became clear to me that my chosen subject matter of lions was a great hit. Whether the visitors were friends or strangers they were quite absorbed with the development of my drawing and painting skills and the variety of media I had used for the exhibition and the diversity of the subject matter.

So many enjoyed seeing my journey of art from a young age, through my teenage years to my most recent work and it was interesting to hear which was their favourite piece out of the ones displayed and why they responded more to one piece over others. 

I had an artist friend call in and spend some time viewing the display and she said “I bet people have loved this!” I replied that I was thrilled and overwhelmed by the reception to the work and subject matter and mentioned that I was unsure how ‘just lions’ would be received in an Australian country town. Her answer to me was “But you are known for that” and it is this comment that really resonated with me and hence prompted me to share my thoughts with you. 

See the exhibition 'A Lifetime of Lions'

Even though I now live in a foreign country, my love and passion for African wildlife has remained a strong and steady passion throughout my art career and I have pursued it relentlessly even when I received negative feedback. 

Pursue Your Favourite Subject in Art

It will not lead you astray!

I encourage my students to pursue their favourite subject, the one they are most passionate about, even if it’s a broader subject like dogs, the practice of eyes, noses, and fur will build their skills and their love for the subject will see them through the tough times as well as the good and after many drawings later they will become known for that subject as well as their style. 

By all means, experiment with the subject matter but I believe if you concentrate on the subjects you love it makes the work ‘flow’ more easily and the inspiration is always there.

Let me know your thoughts on this as well.