An exploration in light.
“I paint living flowers in sunlight. I have developed my own techniques to help the light bounce off the page and into your heart.
I love to visit gardens, I go to floral festivals, I photograph flowers in people’s gardens while I walk my dog Rosie (she’s very patient). I take thousands of photographs, looking for small details and new and different ideas.
The light is so important in my work. I find that different times of the day brings out different light, different colours and different effects. I really enjoy finding ways to recreate those effects in my work.”
Cecil.y’s artistic potential was recognised at an early age through the winning of an art prize with her first painting. Her parents encouraged her by sending her to an art tutor and later she was honoured to receive some training at East Sydney Technical College from the Arts Council in Casino, her childhood home, where she was well known as an artist.
Her artistic work began in clothing design. Having parents in the clothing business, she opened her own small clothing design factory at 18 and was successful in selling her designs to outlets between Brisbane and Sydney and some in substantial quantities to large wholesalers. Contingent with this she completed a BA in Behavioural Science. Subsequently her entrepreneurial skills led her to work in senior marketing positions in Sydney. In the 1980’s she moved from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast and opened her own clothing design shops under her label Cecily’s.
In 2004 she returned to art, experimenting with styles and subjects but always tending towards organic forms and particularly florals. Her current body of work reveals the development of her own style and techniques for creating these large floral works. They are unique in the way in which the work is structured with design and aesthetics being a paramount consideration. Cecily paints almost every day and sees her work continually evolving as she perfects her skill in creating these high impact works.
"I make art because flowers make my heart sing and I am entranced by the magical intricate beauty and harmonies that exist in the fine details within nature. My work is conceived to uplift the viewer, it is intensely focused and very time consuming. I work from living flowers and I try breathe life into the work."
Viewers are invited to sink into the work like a meditation and open their heart to the beauty and life energy within the bloom. These paintings offer peace, tranquillity and joy.
"My paintings are built from many layers of transparent oil paint, each one adding luminosity to the work. Strong contrasts, vibrant pure transparent colour, intense detail and nuances of tone and light are a strong feature of my work. Also present is a strong passion for good design as the basic structure on which the work is conceived.
These works are statement pieces, they command a space and create an atmosphere of tranquillity and harmony in the environment in which they exist.
