Our fifth Feature Artist Shirley Scoble

Our Feature Artist for today is Shirley Scoble, the winner of the Ken MacFarlane Watercolour Award

Telling a story, whether written, drawn or painted was a gift my mother and I

joyously shared from my early childhood. Creating an alternate reality or drawing attention to the beauty of the present one has always been my passion. Surrounded from birth by artists, writers and free thinkers, creativity was deeply and permanently ingrained in me.

I learned very early the magic of transporting myself and others from the worst winter storm to a sunny summer garden. A haven where regal iris reign and heavy headed peonies nod in the afternoon sun. That special spot, where scarlet poppies dance in the summer breezes.

Capturing visions of sparkling lakes or rugged landscapes, the medium that best

expressed my bliss was watercolour. Discovering it in my late twenties I have seldom looked back. An occasional acrylic escapes my brush but my true love is

this amazing medium. It is equally as expressive as I am; one minute it is delicate and fragile , the next shocking in it's vibrancy or depth of hue. As wild as nature and not so easily tamed, it has a mind of it's own, which, once mastered provides innumerable opportunities for unique expression.

Blessedly mesmerizing it has kept me enthralled in good times and bad. An

escape and solace ever at hand.

One of the most incredible aspects of my art career has been the ability to share it through teaching. Guided by many excellent instructors I am so grateful to watch others discover abilities they did not know they possessed. Seeing my students grow and develop to levels of skill they could not have imagined is intensely rewarding.

Shirley