It was almost a decade ago that Casey Manson returned to her roots \u2013 being creative.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter our third child Willow was born, I began creating again – by the time she was in kindergarten I had somehow created a \u2018job\u2019 out of it,\u201d Casey said. \u201cEarly off with small original works painted for locals, then with more gusto as things progressed so I have probably been doing this full time for eight or nine years now.\u201d<\/p>\n
And safe to say it has been a successful return to her art, working under the banner of Grotti Lotti.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe name originally given as a nickname to our messy, divine first born has somehow become my alter ego and business identity,\u201d Casey said.<\/p>\n
The Hamilton local was in the spotlight last week when she was in store at Linen House Mount Gambier, where her stunning range of linen and homewares are prominent.<\/p>\n
It has been a collaboration that works perfectly for both parties.<\/p>\n
\u201cLinen House reached out to me via email – I actually thought it was a hoax to begin with,\u201d Casey said. \u201cI have always wanted to see my artwork on fabric, linen, homewares but didn\u2019t have the capacity to undertake it myself, so the collaboration with Linen House has actually been the perfect pairing. They have great values and a brilliant product – something I’m very mindful of when working in collaboration with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The beauty of it is that from her commercial collaborations to her own originals and prints, Casey has been able to maintain a South West Victorian regional homebase.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up here, moved around about a bit in my 20s and late teens and then came back home to raise children,\u201d Casey said. \u201cTo be honest I haven\u2019t found living regionally difficult as an emerging artist, if anything I’m inspired by where I live so it\u2019s probably given me the space I need to create.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being creative is something Casey can trace back to her childhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually spent a lot of time as a child outdoors, making magic potions and lost in imaginative play,\u201d she said. \u201cCreativity and the arts and music was nurtured and not seen as a \u2018mess\u2019. Gosh, my poor teenage bedroom, now with teenagers of my own I\u2019m not sure how mum did it – turning a blind eye to the million craft projects and dried up paint tubes scattered on my bedroom floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end though, that creative chaos from her childhood fostered a deep connection with all things artistic and the Grotti Lotti empire.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to sit with small watercolours when I need to relax or be still but acrylic and ink on canvas would be my go to though – I like to paint big, use a long brush and my hands,\u201d Casey said. \u201cThe studio floor is covered in paint and no surface is safe in there. I think while the weathers still good I\u2019ll get out and tackle some plein air. My pace will always change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning her passion into a career has been a learning curve, involving trial and error, but given her art education was also more self-taught than formal, Casey is used to problem solving and working her own way through the task at hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy art education is minimal,\u201d she said. \u201cI did a l lot of arts subject in secondary school and began a fine arts degree but only lasted a semester.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m probably more of a constant creator, self taught, attending a few workshops but with the innate want to figure things out for myself. I like to know how things work and will pretty much experiment until I get to where I want a something to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
So far, Casey seems to be making the right moves and while she admits she sometimes has to pinch herself that art has become her career, she wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n
\u201cConfidence still eludes me sometimes, but initially I think the confidence and belief (to become a full time artist) came from the interest that other people showed in my work, and the willingness to just give everything a good crack,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It was almost a decade ago that Casey Manson returned to her roots \u2013 being creative. \u201cAfter our third child Willow was born, I began creating again – by the time she was in kindergarten I had somehow created a \u2018job\u2019 out of it,\u201d Casey said. \u201cEarly off with small original works painted for locals, […]<\/p>\n