Geelong artist Mary Tegelaers is Shearers Arms Art Gallery’s artist of the month with her exhibition currently on display to the public.
Mrs Tegelaers said the bird-themed exhibition, My Feathered Friends, has been received well by the public and was her first chance to follow a theme with her artwork.
“This was sort of spur of the moment and the ability to just go along with one thing is something I like to do,” she said.
“I’ve always loved birds. I’m not a bird in a cage person.
“I like their personality. I like the sense of freedom and I’ve always watched them and photographed them.”
Mrs Tegelaers said she loved to capture the bird’s personality and story in her artworks and she that she experimented with different art mediums.
“The particular ones that I paint will have a story behind them and I try to catch their personality,” she said.
“I tell people to touch it. I don’t frame my oils behind glass. You should be able to touch it and feel it.”
Mrs Tegelaers said she had been able to draw from a young age and chose to challenge herself with different art styles throughout her life.
“I’ve always been able to draw people and faces, and I’ve always doodled,” she said.
“I love textures so if there’s anything that’s textual, I will paint it.
“I’m probably drawn very much to things in nature, but it’s more about the mood of it or the light.”
My Feathered Friends is on display at Shearers Arms Art Gallery, Geelong West, from 11am to 3pm Tuesday to Friday and 1pm to 4pm on weekends until February 26.
