"Hello, I'm fine artist, arts business owner, Yvonne Maclean.​ In my studio work of drawing, painting, printmaking and digital art design, I explore the complex beauty of people and their stories, curious about the effect 'favourite' objects, places, relationships, childhood perspectives and memories have on identity.’ Long held interests in fine arts and fashion design delivered me to my first creative cross roads when I was accepted into both studies, at two of Melbourne’s leading Universities. I couldn’t imagine the two areas of applications being accepted but they were, and after much deliberation, painting won out, with fashion and design remaining a long love affair in my arts practice that continues today. Forever pushing the marks I make in all of my Studio pursuits my fine arts practice has include a digital arts practice since the 1992, one that has taken my printmaking artistry with it and blossomed into surface pattern design. Early in life I recognised a love I had for texture and light upon the surfaces I lived with, and found I was enjoying their effects and found these appearing in to the art I made. Memories of laying in piercing sunlight, dozing on the striped, multi-coloured 50's carpet, captivated by the light flickering that I squintily saw as pink washes with eyes closed, and golden sparles with eyes open through the branches of the garden outside's Tulip Tree that I'd climb, toy teapot and books in hand. It's deeply satisfying making art for surfaces, and pushing the surfaces I make in my art, in much the same way that I love Fresco and coloured dies. Early works made in my under-grad Bachelor of Fine Arts, blended fashion, night scenes, furniture, place and a deep love of the figure, birthing an ongoing passion for my continuing life drawing practice and portrait work. I find today the early painted, printed and sculptural works born from my fascination of family slides, Super-8 films and childhood photographs has stood the test of time. Those early childhood portraits remain a continuing source of inspiration in my Studio practice. From this angle of time, I see their influence in the work I have done and still do with people in human services, working with children of all ages and their families. I'll continue working and making art as my way of harnessing the love I have of people, in particularly a treasured sense I cary about the sacredness of childhood and the wonderment of being a child. I've enjoyed a work life of teaching art, artist in residency work, work as a Community & Youth Development Officer, and clinical arts psychotherapy in Specialist Palliative care and with people enduring bereavement. Across the broad ways I’ve worked and still work with people, the awe I've experienced continues to deepen my fine arts practice. The care I feel towards people is visible in the figure drawing, portraiture, design and illustration work I produce and need to make. I’ve nurtured this keen interest I have in people, and become invested in painting the effects their stories, their families and their health continue to have on the inquiries I make into themes of the maternal/ paternal, nurturing effects of mothering, heritage, relationship, bond, belonging, loss, identity and legacy. I’m an artisan that continues to serve aesthetic / expressive human needs along side my social justice / health care interests. As long as I can feature and work with my inquiries and love of people, nature and our meaning making, I’ll remain actively making art. Yvonne Maclean