My background is mostly Scottish and English, with some Scandinavian. I was born in New Zealand in a tiny town called Paparoa, in Northland, in the north island of NZ. My mother is British-born and my father is of Scottish descent. My parents moved us to Auckland when I was five and that is where I grew up. I then moved to Sydney, Australia where I have lived most of my adult life. I currently reside in the famous Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

As far back as I can remember I was interested in and good at, art. It was an escape into another world for me, a form of meditation. I could create something from nothing and feel a sense of accomplishment. As well, I wanted to create beauty in my world, when sometimes in the ‘real world’, things were not so beautiful. During high school my art teacher, whom I am very grateful for, encouraged me to take my art more seriously and that I had the talent to go a long way.

I am driven to continue my work because I need to be creating, and whilst doing that, I can dive into other worlds, escaping the mundane or ‘not so nice’ things happening in the world. At the same time, I endeavour to bring something from a blank canvas –  from nothing to fruition – and create something that is hopefully, beautiful.

My art has evolved through the years. I think my earlier work was quite naive, both figuratively and metaphorically. I struggled a bit with the fact that I wanted to be a painter but also an illustrator. My work after the loss of my partner, especially, took on a deeper aspect, and so did some of the more whimsical and otherworldly artworks take on this aspect too. As well, different stages in one’s life and experiences have brought about more maturity in my work.

One of the challenges is that it can be a very solitary vocation and you have to be incredibly disciplined. The ups and downs of selling your work do not provide a ‘regular’ income, in comparison to a 9-5 type job. Staying on top of social media, and being able to self-promote – which I initially found went against my grain – has had me adjust and push myself out of my comfort zone, in order to be current and relevant to a broader audience.

I do get a sense of reward when I see my artwork hanging in people’s homes all over the world, and again, when I see my artwork in publications, magazines, and reference books; and when I inspire others to create and follow their path. Selling paintings, or artwork, or being commissioned to paint illustrations is always an affirmation and a blessing. Being commissioned to paint portraits for clients, or fashion illustrations for both individual clients and publications, is also rewarding.

Some highlights in my career include being accepted into the prestigious Parsons School of Art (The New School) in NYC.  Unfortunately, due to a family tragedy, my studies were cut short. Being commissioned by art collectors internationally and around the world, by magazines and publications over the years, to create paintings, portraits and illustrations were also highlights. Having my artwork selected by Saatchiart to be featured as one of the top ten portraits in a gallery in London, UK, and gaining a visa to the USA based on my artistic merits, –  the Visa for Individuals of Extraordinary Abilities and Talent- are most memorable.

My creative process is more about inspiration. If I’m not inspired, I don’t feel like painting or creating. Travelling, music, fashion, movies, other art and artists, museums, galleries, reading, food and nature, all inspire me. For me to create, I need to truly love the image I am working from, or have some sort of emotional connection to the image. At other times my art paintings and illustrations evolve exclusively from my imagination.

When choosing a subject, I have to ‘fall in love’ with the image, (I normally work from photographs), or have a connection of some sort. Sometimes it’s a piece of prose or a lyric in a song that can be a starting point. At times, what I start with becomes something entirely different, usually the painting directs me and takes me on a journey.

I’ve been told by viewers and collectors of my art that there is a little bit of me within the paintings or illustrations. I think my work has a definite signature, a flair; an authenticity and honesty to it. I’m mostly self-taught so I’ve developed my own way of doing things to get the end result. I haven’t been locked into a certain way of painting or illustrating, or any doctrine. Sometimes I have made what I thought was a huge mistake that has turned into a blessing and a much better outcome than I had imagined, taking me on a different journey.

Speculating on what makes a good piece of art is a very difficult concept to ponder. It’s such a personal perspective. Seeing not only the talent, and the execution, but also the authenticity, and honesty behind it, is an important factor. When a piece of art ‘speaks’ to you; when it takes you away from yourself and the world and evokes an emotion in the viewer, or inspires the viewer, it is significant.  It is equally powerful when art takes a screenshot of a period for the viewer to see how things were in that decade or century in history.

My personal perspective and experience on the current state of the visual arts in Australia and New Zealand is that I have sold very few paintings and illustrations to art collectors in AU & NZ. My markets are the USA, UK, and EU mostly, with some sold in Asia. I do have my art for sale through an AU online gallery and I have to put the prices lower as it seems that, from my experience, they don’t seem to value art as much as, for example, the US, UK, and EU. My artwork is sometimes quite niche and figurative, and sometimes nudes are not as palatable to some markets. If I were painting beach scenes, perhaps, I would sell more to Aussies! So my focus really hasn’t been on the AU market but on the art-collecting markets that support my artistic career.

Perhaps the situation can be improved by creating and allowing for increased respect for the art and culture communities; bringing more awareness to the general public, and placing more value on art and culture than just beach culture. In Australia, it’s very much about the beach and lifestyle which is fair enough, as most people live in coastal cities and have a beach nearby. But also, it is a very small market compared to say the USA or EU market.

My creative agenda for the rest of the year involves travelling and living out of a suitcase, as I was in much need of a break and some inspiration.  Seeing different cities, and countries, meeting different people along the way, and going to galleries, museums etc. brings me a new set of ideas, creativity and inspiration. But travelling brings limitations on what you can do. I’ve managed to do a few paintings while away so far. I’m hoping to gain more exposure by way of publications and building more of my communities on social media platforms like Instagram. As I develop new ideas, I would like to build some affiliations/collaborations with, for example, the newly revived vinyl record labels and fashion brands. www.fionamaclean.com