Fleur was born and raised in New Zealand and is now based in Sydney, living with her family and working out of her home studio.
She studied Visual Art at Swinburne Senior Secondary College in Melbourne in 2001 but at the time chose to pursue a career in arts administration and to travel - rather than becoming a professional artist.
Then, in September 2017, Fleur turned her practice into a profession:
“Since having my son, I’d danced around the idea of turning my very casual art practice into a profession. It took shape one day at my local café with a strong coffee and art journal in hand - I started with an ABN and a domain name.
Two months and 25 paintings later, I had my first exhibition at my local library in Sydney and spent every spare moment I could, drawing, painting and visiting galleries.”
Image: ‘Passing Through The Hawkesbury River’ - 43cm X 43cm
(Acrylic and spray paint on board)
Fleur’s interest in art began when she was young, saying her earliest memory was the first art journal she had as a kid, and it was “filled with drawings of punks, which could have been a direct response from to going to Sunday school!”
Fleur has spent time developing her skills - in her studio, painting and drawing studies out in the landscape and attending workshops lead by professional artists.
Image: (L) ‘A View Through A Landscape’ - 33cm x 33cm & (R) ‘Sofala In Summer’ – 33cm x 33cm
(Acrylic and spray paint on board)
“I find inspiration in so many forms and from such diverse sources. From reading and writing, to visiting galleries and listening to creatives ‘geek out’ on their process, in just about any industry.”
Image: Fleur on location at Yellow River painting ‘en plein air’
“My main source of inspiration comes from painting in the landscape itself. It offers a wealth of colour, texture and form, changing with every visit and is a constant reference in my practice. One of my favourite things to do is to load up the van with art supplies and head out into the country with my art gals. We spend our days painting in the landscape and our nights talking all things art and having lots of laughs.”
In Fleur’s compositions you’ll find contrasting elements: blocks of stencilled colour, painterly brushstrokes and gestural spray-painted marks, of varying shape and form, texture and colour, where she hopes to convey a dynamic, abstracted landscape.
Image: a close up of Fleur working on a composition
(Photo credit: Matt Clark Photography)
Working with the mixed media of acrylic and spray paint, Fleur’s paintings explore the negative spaces objects between - permanent and temporary - found in the landscapes she visits. She invites us, the viewer, to navigate around her work and then complete our own narrative.
The combination of the acrylic and spray paint gives Fleur’s work a cool combination of a modern edge with a rebellious quality – which we love! This versatility means her work will find its home in so many different places.
We’re very excited to have Fleur on board as one of our new artists at Forman. You can see the collection of Fleur’s works here!
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