Narelle Mulrooney

I am a practicing artist living at Dulong on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.  My studio is called the Platypus Creek Art Studio.

In 2016 completed a Bachelor of Art (Honours) majoring in Fine Art and Visual Culture from Curtin University in Western Australia. I graduated with high distinction as well as gaining a place on the Curtin University’s Vice Chancellor’s list. I have a personal interest in the needs of people with special needs.  For that reason, Creative Art Therapy was a major focus of my degree.  Creative Art Therapy develops fine motor and problem-solving skills, enhances communication and expression and promotes self-esteem and the motivation to succeed in all students including those with special needs.  I believe that even the most severely disabled student can, through their senses, appreciate the joy of the arts.

My thesis discussed the giant Satinay trees found on Fraser Island. I examined the dendrochronology of these ancient trees through sculpture, drawing, painting, printing and film.

Today, my art practice is multi-disciplinary and usually in series and includes work with a strong design element highlighting the use of colour, light, shade, tone and value as well as abstract works based on my emotional response to nature and the environment.  I also experiment in sculptural works in clay, and occasionally I delve into portraiture in the style of Banksy.

I have a love of creating and often have a number of projects on the go at any one time such as woodwork, soap making and paper making.  My studio practice uses eco-friendly methodologies, I use non-toxic, recycled, reclaimed and sustainable materials where possible.

My influences are:

Thancoupie, an indigenous sculptor and ceramic artist,

Banksy, the illusive urban artist and social commentator, and

Maurits Escher, whose mathematical art is a triumph in repetition, geometry, perspective, reflection. symmetry, tessellation, light and shade.