Featured Artist: Caroline Healey

Caroline Healey is a Warrnambool-based artist who is known for her vibrant portrayals of the infamous Shipwreck Coast, a strip of shoreline stretching from Port Fairy to Cape Otway in Western Victoria.  

Though the subject matter is traditional, Caroline's paintings are anything but pedestrian.  Emotive and dynamic, Caroline's use of a palette knife infuses movement and texture into the paint, aptly expressing the thrilling drama and changing moods of the rugged coastline.  Her paintings are characterised by vivid, saturated colour, dramatic skyscapes and a mastery of light and form.

Caroline has enjoyed great success since leaving behind a career in public relations and striking out as a solo artist.  To name but a few of her accomplishments, Caroline has two sell-out solo exhibitions and multiple group shows under her belt, and has won first prize twice in the annual ‘Inspired by Burns’ art prize and ‘Best Local Scene’ at the City of Warrnambool Art Show.

You can catch Caroline's work in the flesh at the upcoming group show at the opening of the Milk Shed Studio in Weerite on November 25th -26th, which is a brand new art space created by another excellent artist, Harley Manifold.

Caroline is also holding an online Christmas sale on all her fine art prints November 17th -18th, so don't miss your chance to snag one - her large format prints look fabulous on a feature wall!

Before moving to Australia, you left a successful career in London in public relations working for a range of high-end jewellery and fashion brands to backpack around the world for a year. How has this decision shaped your creative journey?

It completely changed my life. If I hadn’t gone travelling, I wouldn’t have met my now-husband in a hostel in Colombia and moved to Australia (he’s from here).

The trip also led me to become an artist. I documented my trip by sketching and painting, and I sold a few of them along the way which boosted my confidence. When in Australia, I discovered markets which sell gifts, arts, and crafts. These don’t exist in the U.K. in the same way. These markets gave me my first opportunity to enter the public sphere with my art.

During the first three years of my time in Australia, I was a Teacher Aide which enabled me to have a market stall of my art and paint commissions as a hobby. When I had my son, I decided to try and make art a full-time job and happily for me it has been successful.  I think Warrnambool and the surrounding region has played an important part in my career as an artist, not only because of its inspirational beauty, but also because the local community has welcomed me in.

What draws you to the beauty of natural landscapes as a subject for your art? Are there any specific locations or types of landscapes you consistently gravitate towards?

Colour first and foremost draws me to the beauty of landscapes - the bright colours of Australia. But also the movement of the sea and the drama of clouds. I live in Warrnambool, one of the windiest places in the world! The environment is highly dynamic – waves, ocean colour, weather fronts, but also the river mouths and beaches here, they are always changing. The Hopkins River Mouth is a prime example. Sometimes it’s a charging turquoise estuary and other times a raw sienna and as still as a pond with the river mouth blocked with sand.

How do you approach capturing the mood and atmosphere of a landscape, and what mediums or techniques do you prefer to use? Your use of bold and dramatic colour is particularly evocative.

Thanks! Well, I run a lot through this landscape. I take a lot of photos and I always have my phone on 100% brightness. I often paint using reference photos on my phone which is partly how they turn out bright, but I really do see like that. I consciously notice colour everywhere, especially when brights are contrasting with duller colours. A couple of days ago I was being rained on whilst running. The sky was grey, but light and the sea was a lovely light milky aqua. The fresh, wet green of the dune vegetation’s little leaves pinged fantastically against the pale sea.

For the mediums and techniques bit of your question, I use acrylic paint on canvas. I often start by painting a canvas pink or red. Then I block in colours with a big flat brush. Sometimes I go straight to the blocking in part. Then I go over that with a flat palette knife to create clouds and texture in the sky. I find that if I make a bit of mess to start with it stops me being too precious and slow. Then I get to the detailed parts which I really love. When painting distant ocean waves, I often use the long knife-edge of a palette knife to create wave stripes and then foam and spray on nearer waves.

You’ve mentioned before that you love to connect with people by passing on your knowledge through teaching and holding workshops. What do you believe are the most important qualities or skills that aspiring artists can learn from you?

Really, I just want people to have a good time while creating. To realise that it’s not the final output that matters as much as feeling fulfilled and in a happy place while making something. Technically though, I try to teach the importance of tonal range in a painting and I like to show them how I use a palette knife. I haven’t done any workshops since Covid, but that might be about to change…

What role does personal interpretation play in your creative process when capturing the scene before you? Does emotional connection to the landscape play into how you express it on canvas?

I think so. I feel really happy in this landscape and I know it holds a lot of wonder and happiness for others too – both locals and the tourists, many of whom come yearly for decades and see this part of the coast as a home away from home. I aim to capture that wonder and awe in my paintings.

I’m doing a series of paintings from drone perspectives at the moment. Both bird’s-eye view and angled. This is an exciting and entirely new way for me to explore and celebrate this incredible area. I liaise with local photographers for these reference photos.

We really admire your expressive, fluid style of painting, vibrant use of colour, and depiction of thrillingly dramatic, turbulent skyscapes. Which specific artists, art movements or historical periods do you count as key influences on your work?

I really value the work of Kurt Jackson who is a contemporary artist in Cornwall, U.K. He often starts his canvases outdoors, something I’m trying to do more of, and often paints coastline and works with several environmental charities to raise funds and awareness for them. His seascapes are breathtaking with hugely varied mark-making and he’s got an incredible gift of painting light. He also uses a lot of mixed media techniques which I find very interesting – sticking ocean plastic/old paint brushes/driftwood to his canvases. But most of all he magically captures the movement and essence of place.

I think my art is influenced by the Impressionists, especially in the way I paint vegetation in daubs, dots and palette knife stripes.

What do you enjoy most about working with clients to bring their unique visions to life on commission pieces? Can you share a memorable experience that illustrates the power of creativity in your art?

When someone comes to me with an idea, it’s usually because the place they want me to paint means a huge amount to them. It’s an honour to be asked to create a piece that will hopefully hold in it all that place means to them. Usually we agree on a photo or some different elements from a series of photos, I paint the painting and they usually they love it. It’s quite a simple process. Sometimes though, they want something changed and I haven’t quite seen their vision. That’s when things get really interesting as I’m challenged. There isn’t one time when this challenge hasn’t improved the painting and my skill level.

A very memorable experience occurred recently. I was asked to incorporate a father and his dog’s ashes into a painting. The painting was of The Crags, where most of their ashes had been scattered. I mixed their ashes into the paint I used for the clouds and rocks. When I received the request, it only took me a moment to consider and grant it. Stirring the ashes into the paint felt a bit unusual, but I also felt a great sense of honour and privilege to be tasked with this very important painting. I was humbled by the experience.

You’ve enjoyed a number of successes since devoting your career to art, with career highlights such as winning the inaugural Queenscliff Art Prize in 2022, sell-out solo and joint exhibitions, and being commissioned by the Warrnambool Bendigo Bank to paint a 3m x 2m mural. What has been your favourite career highlight to date?

My first solo show. I was still working as a Teacher Aide and had only lived in Australia for two years. I was just painting as a hobby in my spare time. Seeing my paintings filling a gallery space for the first time and then watching all 22 of them sell was incredible. It made me feel like anything was possible. The F Project Gallery in Warrnambool is incredibly nurturing and is run entirely by volunteers. I have now volunteered there for eight years. I think it’s important to give back.

In 2017 I was commissioned to paint an 18 foot long painting of The Twelve Apostles for the newly built South West Regional Cancer Centre’s main reception area. This was a project close to my heart. Many people have told me how uplifting the painting is and how much it’s meant to them over the years.

How do you achieve the ultimate creative flow for a painting session? Do you follow any specific rituals or routines that always get the creative juices flowing?

I always have a cup of coffee in the morning, haha. I sit and look at what I’m about to paint for a bit, and think about colours and tonal values. Then I quickly cover the whole canvas with paint. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. Once it’s covered there is a base to work from and I can’t dance around and tentatively stab the canvas anymore. I also really like painting with my favourite colours – aqua and light fresh greens…but they aren’t always an option with commissions!

It's also good to have a plan and goal. I try to set myself timeframes, but at the same time I try to keep calm and not stress myself out. If a painting isn’t working out I set it up somewhere in the house so I can keep looking at it while I go about life. And if I need a break, I take it and do something practical like bookkeeping or framing.

Finally, what goals or aspirations do you have for the future of your art practise? Do you have any upcoming projects or exhibitions you can share with us?

I’m excited to be part of a group show at Harley Manifold’s new Milk Shed Gallery. It’ll be the first exhibition there and with the likes of Kathryn Ryan, Graeme Altmann, Nick Dridan, Jimmi Buscombe, Jasmine Mansbridge plus around 20 others it’s going to be amazing. 25^th and 26^th November. 10 – 4pm at 560 Wiridgil Road, Weerite.

I plan to have an exhibition of bird’s-eye view coastal landscapes, hopefully in 2024. I have completed some, but have to dedicate some evenings to painting these. I call myself a full-time artist, but actually I only work three days a week as my son is pre-school age. Next year he’ll be at school, so I’ll have more time to paint!

Mini goal: I’d like to master time-lapse reels for Instagram. I have all the gear..