SALA Artist - Mardi Angus

Artist profile

Mardi has been living with ME/CFS since mid-2018. She was a full-time teacher of junior primary students up until that time but is now retired. Mardi has been volunteering with ME/CFS South Australia in a variety of roles and is currently the Chairperson. 

She lives in Southern Adelaide with her 19-year-old daughter and her two cats, Topaz and Opal. Although Mardi has always enjoyed crafts such as lead lighting, cross stitch, jewellery making and decoupage, art is something that is very new. Her daughter bought her a paint by number kit for Christmas last year and since then Mardi has experimented with acrylic and water colour paints. 

When Mardi has the capacity, her new-found passion for painting says it ‘brings her joy’ and ‘makes her soul happy’.

Gallery

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Artists Comments

Grandma’s Clock: This clock was made specifically for the artist’s grandmother (now deceased). 

Sunflowers and Butterflies: Sunflowers have always been the artist’s favourite flower. This piece is a paint-by-number and was completed using acrylic paints.

Around the World: These earrings are an abstract representation of planet earth. Jewellery making was an activity that the artist and her daughter started while in lockdown in 2020. 

My Happy Place: This triptych represents the peacefulness, calmness, mystery and fluidity of water using the artist’s favourite colours.

Cosmos in Bloom: This water colour painting was created with the thought of a brightly coloured garden in bloom during spring. Although the cosmos are not native Australian, they are a pretty flower and they are fun to paint. 

Description of the artwork

Grandma’s Clock: The clock is made from 12 pieces of white, opaque, rounded edge pieces of glass in the centre with 4 purple, opaque, diamond shaped pieces at 12, 3 6 and 9. Surrounding the entire clock are 32 pieces of opaque, grey glass that follow the curves and points of the centre pieces. The clock is 33cm at the highest and widest points. The clock face is a traditional face of white and gold with black roman numerals and hands. The clock has been assembled using the copper foil technique and the solder is finished with a black patina.

Sunflowers and Butterflies: This 40cmx50cm painting is predominately painted with shades of yellow, black and white, with highlights of oranges and greens. The background is painted in browns and black. There are 2 large, open sunflowers and one that is yet to bloom. There are also one large butterfly at the bottom right and one small butterfly in the centre at the top. 

Around the World: These small round earrings are studs for pierced ears. They are approximately 10mm in diameter and 2-3mm thick. They are made using green, blue and white polymer clay which have partially blended to created lines and swirls of the 3 different colours. They are finished with a gloss varnish. 

My Happy Place: These 3 paintings on 20cm x 20cm canvases are created using purple, lavender, silver and aqua acrylic paints. The acrylic pouring has created lines, swirls and cells of all of the colours and resemble waves and the movement of water. The paintings are finished with a high gloss varnish.

Cosmos in Bloom: This painting has 5 flowers in shades of yellow, orange and red with yellow centres. They have long green stems. The painting is bordered by a 10mm yellow mat and is in a thin white A4 size frame.

Copyright of all content (images and text) belongs to the artist credited. All work is used here with permission and shall not be used by any other organisation or individual for any purpose or in any way without express written permission of the artist.