Meet Amber Gittins! A divine artist who paints from her heart and soul, her works brighten homes across the globe. Her love of colour and nature and the practice of painting is just so evident, it makes my heart sing to see her artworks and to have her here on my blog. Here she goes...
It's so wonderful to have you on my Art for the Heart blog. I adore what you do! Your love of colour and your passion for painting is so evident in each of your pieces. In case my readers haven't heard of you yet, can you share a little about yourself and your journey as an artist so far?
I have always been creative since I can remember, but it has only been the last few years that I have taken that giant leap of courage and I am now pursuing my art career full time and I couldn’t be happier. I'm a colour obsessed abstract artist and I'm at my happiest working from my home studio with my three dogs in country Mount Gambier, South Australia. Painting for me is about having fun, letting go and immersing myself in my own little happy place. I’m a quiet soul yet my artwork tends to be that alter ego coming out to play. With so much boldness and spontaneity on the canvas, it wants to interact with the viewer and be seen to lift the energy around it. Nature is my go to subject matter, I love being outdoors, taking in my surroundings and reconnecting with its beauty. Heading back into my studio I explore these thoughts and feelings further on the canvas. I work from my imagination and instinct to develop a unique abstract representation of nature in a joyful and lively way.
The floral theme in your works is so powerful and uplifting. How do you describe your aesthetic broadly speaking?
I do love to paint flowers and nature in general. It just seems to flow so easily for me - as I start painting, the scene comes to life. Flowers symbolise beauty and happiness and can be so different and intriguing, and don't get me started on all the different colour combinations that they have.
What is your creative process like? How do you start a piece of work? Where do you get your inspiration from? How do you know when a work is complete?
I paint from my imagination and from memories of different places I have ventured to. I spent 7 years travelling the world and backpacking around some of the most beautiful countries which have been etched in my memory. To begin I first choose my colour palette, this is usually determined by my mood at the time and then I just start. I let the brush strokes take over and start the initial flow. I tend to paint from left to right on the canvas and about a third of the way in I see the artwork start to form. Here is where I start to think about the overall visual flow and structure of the piece. I start to create a movement over the canvas almost as if the artwork is coming alive and making you feel as though you are outside in nature in that exact moment. I look for contrast and harmony within the piece, dark and light tones and colour formations. I know when I am finished when I look all over the painting and nothing is 'annoying' or 'feels wrong', then it's done.
Your charitable approach to your art career is admirable. Which are the charities that you support?
I do like to donate to different charities when I can, my biggest one I donate to annually is the Starlight Children's Foundation. They have a chef's dinner auction every year to raise money and I have been donating for a few years now. It is such an important and worthy charity, the children and the families are going through unimaginable tough times and really do need our support in any way we can give.
Thank you again for popping into my blog - it has been a pleasure! Where can my readers find out more about you?
Oh my pleasure, this has been fun. Readers can find me at my website or follow my journey on Instagram. Come over and say hi, I would love to see you there!
It was a delight to have you here Amber - thank you for sharing your background, journey and process with my gorgeous readers.
Ros
x
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