Ellen MacMahon has been teaching children’s Art classes for around 18 years in the Castle Hill area, 16 of those at Castle Hill Art Society.
Drawing and painting have always been part of her life, and over the years she has exhibited and sold works at Art Shows in the Sydney area, in oil, watercolour, acrylic, graphite and pastel.
Although mainly self taught, she has attended a variety of classes and workshops with Australian and internationally recognised artists.
A trip to Italy in 2018 inspired her to focus on developing her watercolour skills.
She has fallen under the alluring spell of watercolour, with its mesmerising fluidity, luminosity and unpredictability, and believes that the glow, spontaneity and liveliness of watercolour is unique to the medium. She finds that it is the best way to portray the captivating light that she aims for in her work.
Her portrait “Averill” was awarded 1st prize in the watercolour section of the 2022 Orange Blossom Art Exhibition in the Hills Shire. She enjoys the challenge of painting portraits in watercolour, surprising viewers with the vibrancy she achieves.
Recently, she has joined the Australian Society of Maritime Artists, and with Sydney’s many waterways and boats being so inspiring, is looking forward to exploring this theme in her work.
“ I don’t think that watercolour can ever be mastered, but instead it provides a lifelong challenge to explore its many moods, capabilities and idiosyncrasies . It will be a road with many twists, turns, diversions and surprises”.
