Natalee Kerr
For Fairhaven’s Nicky Perkin, a career as an artist was not always on the cards.
While dedicating most of her life to working in administration roles, art was left as “just a hobby”.
But following some encouragement from a teacher when she was a student in her late 40s, the now-62-year-old abstract painter is living her “dream”.
“I’ve painted and drawn my whole life, but it wasn’t until I was studying fine art at TAFE as a mature-age student when I considered pursuing it professionally,” she said.
“A tutor of mine said to me one day ‘have you thought about going to art school?’ I didn’t think I stood a chance, but I gave it a shot.”
Nicky then went on to complete her honours and master’s in visual arts at leading art school Sydney College of the Arts.
She has since been working as a professional artist for more than a decade, creating works from her Fairhaven property for the last six years.
Now local residents have the “rare” opportunity to enter her world when she opens her studio doors to the public this weekend as part of the Surf Coast Arts Trail.
Nicky is one of more than 160 artists displaying works across 54 local venues in the region-wide event.
“As an artist you’re often isolated in your studio for majority of the time, so it’s nice to be able to interact with the public and get their feedback,” she said.
“I think people really enjoy being able to see the different creative spaces and understand the process behind the art too.”
The London-born artist said she is inspired “all the time” by her local coastal surroundings.
“The scenery I live in and see daily has had a massive influence on my works,” she said.
The Surf Coast Arts Trail runs from 10am to 4pm this weekend, featuring a diverse range of art such as photography, multimedia, installation and performance.
More information is available at surfcoast.vic.gov.au/artstrail.
