Homeowner Julie Midson rekindled her creative passion and uncovered a latent talent with a like-minded group of artists.
With a keen eye and an appreciation for beauty, Julie studied fine art and qualified as an art teacher in the late 1970s, however she didn’t pursue a creative career.
Decades later when she and her husband moved to Stockland’s Halcyon Greens (QLD) in 2019, Julie found a renewed love of figure drawing and still life painting.
“I’m not the sporty type so I thought I’d join the art group when we came to Halcyon,” Julie said.
“I rediscovered my enjoyment of art and it was great revisiting things I used to do such as charcoal drawings and oil on canvas.
“I always enjoyed figure drawing in college, although I don’t have any live models to work with these days so I have to rely on pictures from the internet,” Julie laughed.
Julie has now taken over the art group, which meets on Tuesday and Friday mornings in the art room. The group numbers around 12 people and spans a variety of artistic styles from acrylic painting and abstract pieces to portraiture with oils and watercolours.
The art group recently staged an art show to launch the new-look creative space (formerly known as the messy art room) updated with a hanging system and built-in shelving to display the collective artworks.
The evening included refreshments arranged by Halcyon where people could enjoy some drinks and nibblies after viewing the artworks and speaking to the different artists involved.
Julie says art is a very relaxing activity that is both centring and good for the mind.
“A lot of us have dabbled in some form of art in the past, and having a dedicated space has allowed people to explore again.”
“The art group is just a nice place for people to go with a really warm feel – there is a lot of conversation and we play music and have a good time.”
The creative space at Halcyon Greens is available for all homeowners to pursue their artistic endeavours and is often used for classes to learn new skills from their neighbours.
“You don’t have to have any experience because everyone can paint and draw to some degree – there is a lot of support within the art group and we all make suggestions to help each other,” Julie said.
“We’ve even had a lady who was doing paint by numbers, so we’re a very inclusive group – there is no ‘art snobbery’ or anything like that – it’s all about being creative and just really enjoying yourself.”
Read more about talented artists here
