MosArtOz 

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.

Mainly self-taught, she has a passion for the freedom and seemingly random nature of creating abstract work. “My abstracts are moody, expressive and gestural; they are more concerned with colour, line, form, and texture than subject matter. They are not based on reality; instead they are reflections of the moods and emotions I’m feeling at the time, which could explain why my work is so eclectic. I don’t pre-plan my abstract works; instead, I allow them to happen organically. I love to experiment with an array of media and colour palettes, as well as textiles, papers, organic objects and recycled bits and pieces, and enjoy the challenge of finding interesting ways to incorporate and manipulate them to create complex, textured pieces with depth and a sense of mystery. I look for 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 inspiration from the fabric of Australian life, from the natural land and beachscapes to industrial, urban cityscapes.”
 

Maureen is a full-time resident artist at the Frankston Regional Artisans’ Network (FRANk Cre8) in Australia and co-manages Aquire Design & Art Studio in Seaford, Victoria. She 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, Japan, Ireland, Spain and Australia.