Ruth Egon

The calling to create art started very early for me, in fact my earliest memories I remember creating, drawing, crafting in all forms, and I even formed my own artist community ‘Ruth’s Art Club’ at primary school. Every birthday and Christmas had a long list of crafting supplies, and I was lucky enough that my father encouraged my passions. The first artwork I saw that viscerally moved me was Van Gogh, Cafe Terrace at night (1888). 

Creating joy and uplifting people really motivates me to create artwork. I love natural beauty and the themes of botanics and living creatures are a common source of inspiration for me. The variety of life, colours, shapes and forms in the natural world is a never-ending source of wonder and curiosity. The experience of being within nature is both humbling and awe-inspiring.

Painting takes my mind off any worries, and I get totally immersed in the process. Having a completely different way to express myself also allows for a feeling of being completely free.  Having a passion and a creative pursuit also gives me a huge sense of achievement once I’ve completed a painting or done something outside my comfort zone. To be curious about life, and have a never-ending goal to be creative means I’ll never be bored, I have a lifelong passion which is a gift. Having creative challenges also builds resilience and problem-solving skills.

The most liberating and rewarding part for me is when the painting starts to pull together near the end. This is after the awkward middle stage where you might have a few ideas on the canvas. I work in many layers to create a vibrant colour palette, and use lots of contrasting colours, so this is challenging to find the right balance. Sometimes paintings will become a bit lost in the middle stage if there’s too many competing ideas or colours on the canvas. However, as I start to erase, edit and add to make a cohesive painting, there’s a lovely phase where you can see it all coming together. The most difficult bit is knowing when to stop!