"The Heart of the Flame Burns Blue" Painting

US-born Maureen Whitaker is an award-winning artist/graphic designer based on the Mornington Peninsula. She graduated with Highest Honours from Platt College of Art & Design in Colorado and was a freelance graphic designer for over 15 years before adding a paintbrush to her toolbox. Best known for her quirky mixed-media collage pieces, her work combines interesting layers of textures with vibrant colours in an array of mediums. “My style can best be described as ‘eclectic’. I love to experiment with textiles, papers, organic objects and recycled bits and pieces, and find interesting ways to incorporate and manipulate them in an array of mediums and subject matter to create complex, textured pieces. I enjoy pushing the creative envelope and finding original and unusual ways to translate the images in my head onto the canvas, giving them an ‘element of surprise’ that draws people in. I take much of my inspiration from the fabric of Australian life, from the natural land and beachscapes to industrial, urban cityscapes. People are often surprised by what’s there in my pieces when they look closely.” Maureen is a regular exhibitor at art shows and galleries in the Melbourne metro area and on the Mornington Peninsula. Her works are held in private collections in the USA, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain and Australia. Maureen is also the Resident Artist at Frankston Regional Artisans' Network (FRANk Cre8), Frankston, VIC