Andrea Bartetzko

For Andrea, the toughest thing about her art career is finding the time to devote to a pursuit that has become her passion for the past 11 years. She came to art when she was looking for an outlet that was just for her as she juggled motherhood and full time work and it has been her sanctuary ever since.

“I needed to find something that I could do for me,” Andrea said.

“I started with the art classes at TAFE where Ann (Carpenter) was the lecturer and it has been a bit of a slow burn for me over this past decade.”

Grampians Brushes, the Halls Gap event she attends with Ann and Kirsten each year, has been a big part of that slow burn and it is where her love affair with acrylics began, a medium that allows Andrea to be true to her artistic style.

The corner of her garage is Andrea’s workspace but the majority of her painting happens in class. “That’s the time I have to work – the two hours of my class at Ann’s at Glencoe,” Andrea said. She has created a number of new works for the Millicent exhibition, while she will also be showing work from earlier in her career.

“About half the pieces are relatively new and haven’t been seen out and about and the other half of the collection are bits and pieces from over the years,” Andrea, who is not new to showcasing her works, said.

Andrea was a member of the South East Art Society (SEAS) and had works at the Old Courthouse when it was the home of the SEAS, as well as exhibiting at Caroline Hills Winery and entering the Wattle Range Art Prize last year.

Andrea’s creative outlet used to be craft but she has thrived since becoming a painter. “I was much more of a craft person, following the pattern or the instructions,” Andrea said. “I now love the challenge of creating my own art, my own interpretation of things.”

Andrea comes from an artistic family – her mother is a botanical floral artist based in Melbourne – but while that is a discipline about fine detail and replicating, Andrea loves the freedom her more contemporary style allows. “My work is an impression.”

An avid gardener, another shared passion with her mother, Andrea does still draw her inspiration from the natural world, while this exhibition also sees her experimenting with portraiture.