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About Wendi
Wendi was born in a small country town near Taree in
northern NSW. Both her parents were teachers so the
first 15 years of her life were spent moving around from
one small town to another in NSW together with her 2
brothers. At one stage she and her brothers were the
only white children at an aboriginal school near
Wellington where both her parents taught. When she was
six, the family moved to Cooma at the foot of the Snowy
Mountains. It was here that she came to appreciate the
beauty of the Australian bush and its inhabitants. She
spent many long hours exploring the bush with her
friends. One of her favourite activities was hunting for
mushrooms which grew in the area. Even though it was
very cold there she spent most of her waking hours
outdoors. She loved to climb gum trees especially ghost
gums and has always felt a bond with nature.
As a teenager she moved with her parents to the southern
suburbs of Sydney She trained as a primary teacher and
taught at various schools but after a severe illness
took up painting.
She now resides in Engadine on the
edge of the bush,
with her husband, Ken, and her two
daughters, Samantha and Shelley.
She studied art for
several years under the guidance of various Australian
artists. She is inspired by the beautiful birds and
wildlife that visit her garden.
She says, “I feel a great sense of peace when I sit on
my favourite rock among the trees at the top of my yard,
with a cup of tea and observe the natural beauty around
me.”
For the past fifteen years she has run the Sutherland
Shire Children's Art School. She enjoys passing on her
love of art to her students.
Wendi has been guest artist on various occasions
including an exhibition held for her by The Saints
Gallery. In May 2001 she held a solo exhibition at the
Gallery Equinox that proved to be a great success. Later
in that same year she was the feature artist at Gymea
Arts and Crafts and also at Engadine West Arts and
Crafts Fair.
In February 2003
"Summer Skies"
was her second major
solo exhibition which was held at Beach Art, Thirroul.
This successful exhibition led to many commissions and
an invitation to exhibit at Rydges Hotel, Cronulla.
"Southern Aspects"
and
"Colours Of Life"
followed in 2004
and 2005.
Her solo exhibition
"Contrasts"
was held
in October, 2006 at Beach Art Thirroul.
Wendi's exhibition "Free as a Bird"
was held in October, 2007,
also
at Beach Art, Thirroul, and was full of life-affirming
art.
Her last solo exhibition was "What A Wonderful World" which was held
in November, 2008 at Beach Art,
Thirroul.
“Painting is a life force for me. I feel
incomplete when I am not painting. A bad day can turn
into a good one, once I pick up my brushes and begin to
paint. I feel a force that compels me to capture the
beauty of God’s creation on canvas. I am blessed to have
friends who encourage me to be the best person I can be.
My aim is to help people to escape the
stress of modern life through my paintings.”
In recent times Wendi has been experimenting with a more
contemporary style of painting using thick acrylic paint
and a palette knife. These paintings stand side by side
with her traditional ones.
Her other passion is animals and she is an active member
of World League for Protection of Animals. Her home is a
refuge for unwanted animals and she,
together with her husband,
spend much of their time campaigning for humane
treatment of them.
In 2003 she won the Compassion Award for her work with
animal rescue.
In September, 2009, Wendi
was presented with a Healthy Cities Illawarra Award
for her dedication in caring and campaigning for
homeless animals. Her daughter, Samantha, also won an
award for raising money and awareness for Breast Cancer
Research.
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