Denise Smith’s love of animals has always been there and it was that love that led her down an artistic path.
As a self-taught artist, who has learned the techniques of oil, acrylic, watercolour and pastels, Ms Smith said it comes down to “years of practice”.
With her first exhibition since 2017 now on show at the Round Bird Artspace in Lilydale, the display entitled Stop the Exodus draws attention to the many endangered species both in Australia and overseas.
“I’m passionate about animals. I had this in mind for quite a while: endangered species, and I’ve been working towards that, but also it’s just naturally what I do,” she said.
“I usually concentrate on Australia, but I love the big cats as well. People probably know more about the African and international species that are endangered but we have so many here that are just going extinct almost overnight.”
As someone who regularly donates to wildlife charities and the orangutan project, Ms Smith said it felt right that 10 per cent of the sales from the exhibition should be donated to Wildlife Victoria.
Often inspired to paint after seeing photographs or spotting wildlife herself, Ms Smith said she always tries to make her artworks slightly different.
“Some I’ve painted from my own photos. Others, I’ve asked permission from people, mainly what I’ve seen on Instagram from really good photographers, and I just send them a message,” she said.
“Sometimes they won’t agree. But one chap, who lives up in the Daintree, he takes some fantastic photos and every time I ask him, he says, ‘go for it’.
“So I’ve done a few of his images. They turn out differently from the photograph. I always try and change something, like the background. I do try and make it realistic, but not photo realistic, I try to keep it painterly.”
Ms Smith said she uses brushstrokes and colour to achieve this painted realism.
The exhibition also displays Ms Smith’s transition through art form and medium, shifting from oil painting after 13 years, to using acrylics, she’s also tried her hand in watercolour, pastels and pen.
“I started to get a bit frustrated because I had to wait so long for the oils to dry before I continued on. So I had a dabble in acrylics, and then the frustration was that it would dry too quickly.
“So it was just the opposite. But anyway, I overcame that. I do work a lot in acrylics now and then I went to pastels.
“I’ve just recently taught myself watercolour as well. That’s more relaxing for me, probably because I sit down and do it, and I can, with any art, just get lost in it. Time just doesn’t mean anything.”
From the early days of completing newspaper colouring competitions as a young girl to now, Ms Smith said a love of something can inspire anything as long as there’s a persistence to learn.
Ms Smith will be participating in the Yarra Valley Open Studios and has a group exhibition coming up at Warburton Waterwheel in November.
Stop the Exodus is being exhibited until 1 October at the 170 Main Street Lilydale artspace.
