Throughout my life I have never stopped making art, but I have never done it full time. At one point I thought my dream of becoming a professional artist had died.

I still remember the moment of sheer joy when I made my first marks with a pencil as a toddler. My mother did not encourage me. As I ran out of paper, I quickly progressed to drawing on walls but got severely reprimanded. To get around the problem, I did clandestine drawings on walls under the beds!

I studied Medicine and was a General Practitioner for nearly 30 years but I never stopped drawing. In the late nineties I enrolled in a local art academy as a part time student. For the next two years I took so many courses that I was doing four a week! I particularly enjoyed painting en plein air and life drawing. It culminated in my first group exhibition in 2000. I also joined Markmakers, an innovative group of figure drawing enthusiasts. Then my interest in the therapeutic value of art led me to study Art Therapy at Edith Cowan University, completing my Masters in Art therapy in 2007.

In the meantime, my young family had relocated to Perth. I retired from medical practice and much of my art making also had to take a backseat. This was a difficult and turbulent period for all of us. The strain of displacement and being out of our comfort zones in a new country took its toll. I survived this dark period by the grace of God. I found solace in my art. I began to to teach art classes. I love helping others discover joy and healing in art too.

In 2012, I was commissioned to design a mural for Subiaco Church on their massive 25metre rear wall. The “Parable of the Tree” mural was not only my first public art project, it also led to the founding of Art Seeds in 2013, a community art and craft group supported by Subiaco Church. Art Seeds provides a fun, friendly, safe and nurturing space for people in the community to meet and create together every week. I have been facilitating this group for almost six years.

Up to this point I did not think I would ever make art as a full time career.

But God had other plans. My second chance came by way of a broken foot in September 2017. I had tripped and fallen, dashing my foot against a sharp object on the floor. I could not walk for weeks. Trapped in a chair for most of the day, I decided that the only way to stay sane was to make art since I could do little else. I enrolled for an online art course, and then found the Sktchy app where I could draw portraits of all manner of muses. I began sketching and painting daily. By the time I could walk again, I had filled several sketchbooks and done over 150 portraits in six months. I knew without a doubt that this was what I had wanted to do all my life. My dream was still alive! I resolved to give myself a second chance at pursuing my original dream – I would work as a full time artist in the new year 2018!

As soon as I launched my new career, an opportunity to move into a studio arose. By February I became one of the resident artists at Settlers Cottage Artist Studios. I now embrace my life as an artist with new vigour and intensity. I create daily and I also teach regularly, and I post my work on social media to share my joy with others. I give thanks to God every day for this amazing time when I can do what I love daily as my work. I am so grateful for this second chance!

I am sharing my story in the hope of encouraging others. It is never too late to start living your dream!