Therese Petre (‘Peachy’) graduated from Wollongong University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Creative Arts and from West Wollongong TAFE in 1997 with a Diploma of Fine Arts.
Therese enjoys creating work that combines her love of colour and her relationship with the landscape. Her fluid brushwork and layered paintings find correlations with her life stage and challenges faced in recent years. She weaves her art practice in and around her busy, ever-changing family life and her pottery business.
Therese’s current paintings are a contemporary expression of much-loved, nostalgic pastel hues and she will also be exhibiting her ceramic works at the ArtShow. Her stoneware bowls and smaller works seek beauty in imperfection of form and she uses both the pottery wheel and handbuilding techniques to add deliberate 'nudges' to her work. Less interested in things being “perfect”, she gives her work a 'made by a human' feel and loves that this is something machines and technology find difficult to create.
What are you working on at the moment?
Lately I've been working hard on creating new ceramic sculptural works and large landscape paintings, running my ceramics business, teaching pottery, producing a golden ceramic fish for a client, designing and releasing a line of t-shirts and prints with my friend Sophie, planning a commission, writing songs for my first album Flannelette, working on an illustration of a banksia for a local landscaping brand and working on illustrations for a social media campaign for MakeShift Creative. Oh and did I mention I'm moving house amongst all of this?!
Why do you choose this medium?
I don't actively choose to work with multiple materials and across more than one creative outlet, it's just the way my practice has worked out. It's no secret that I experiment – I guess I enjoy learning how to build, how to create. I grew up in a family that encouraged us to make, draw and use what we had to stay occupied, so I think this has something to do with it.
As well as painting, I love making pieces that are sculptural, yet practical, that can be used in the home and aren't simply for viewing alone. I don't want my pieces to just be 'saved for best', I want them to be strong enough to be enjoyed day to day.
What motivates you to create?
I am inspired by other artists, by the beauty of nature, by my emotions and by a desire to find balance. Sitting at a desk, even in a creative role, does not feel right to me.
More recently, I'm troubled by the necessity of owning and using technology. The increasing prevalence of software that creates art, music and literature is disturbing to me, however innovative. I’m motivated even more now to produce things that hold a human characteristic... bends, curves and imperfections. Obvious signs of brushwork, and working with one’s hands. With the art of pottery-making dating back 20,000 years, it's also one of the oldest continuous crafts. It's a privilege to be making a living from an age-old practice.
What makes you curious?
I don't know what makes me curious. I just know that I am curious. I guess more broadly speaking, knowledge creates curiosity. This can come from friends, books, podcasts, music, ABC radio, documentaries or simply my own thoughts. I believe that shared lived experience and my community of friends brings curiosity also. I love a chat and love hearing about what my friends have been watching or listening to... a cross-pollination of knowledge if you will, creating curiosity amongst all of us.
What do you enjoy about the Scarborough Art Show?
This is the first time I have been invited to show in this event and I'm really excited to be included. I love that the Scarborough Art Show is rooted in tradition, community and a sense of altruism. It always pulls a crowd and creates a lot of buzz for the surrounding arts community.
I also like that my art is being seen by a new and interested cohort of people, it’s important as it gives us artists another platform to connect to art lovers and other makers from around the region. The last few shows I have been in were at smaller galleries and this show will be different.
I look forward to inviting my friends and family to be there to enjoy it as well!
The Scarborough ArtShow is back on the weekend of October 6-8 at Scarborough Public School, 371-381 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Scarborough, NSW 2515. Find out more at www.scarboroughartshow.com and book opening night tickets here
