An artist’s purpose

Trudy Lowndes with her artwork called ''Cozumel''.

By Jessica Anstice

Trudy Lowndes is a Pakenham based artist who creates acrylic paintings and specialises in resin art.

The mum of two turned to art after her father suddenly passed away six years ago.

She says she needed something to pull her out of depression.

“I’ve always been creative and always painted, but most of the time it was for myself or family. So when I was presented with resin I knew it was for me,” Ms Lowndes said.

“My artwork represents my struggle to find my piece in the world.”

Shortly after her father passed away, her mother was diagnosed with brain cancer.

“Between my children and looking after my mum, I never felt like I had a purpose,” she explained.

“Art has opened up my world to so many experiences. It’s given me my purpose.”

Ms Lowndes says she sources inspiration for her artwork from everywhere.

“I’m drawn to brightness and natural light, so you’ll see a lot of colour in my work,” she said.

“Resin allows me to build up my artwork in layers so you can peer into it and discover new effects every time.”

Resin is a two part compound that hardens to a clear glossy finish.

The creator can add paints to the resin, or paint something and then pour resin over it to create the finish.

“Resin is a product that needs to be treated with care as it’s very temperamental. If it’s too hot it won’t work, it it’s too cold it won’t work,” Ms Lowndes said.

“I start by mapping out colours with inks and different paint then I tint the resin with colour.”

The 38-year-old talent opened up about how before her mother died, she told her she was “doing the right thing”.

“That artwork might not make your wallet rich, but it will make your heart rich,” her mother said.

Ms Lowndes says she continues her artwork in memory of her mother.

“I took one of my paintings and had it digitally made into fabric,” she said.

“Then I turned the fabric into a range of scarves and clothing and donated a percentage of the profits to brain cancer research.”

Her biggest artwork to-date was purchased by an interior design company that specialise in super yachts.

The two metre long artwork, ‘Pelagic’, is now displayed on a famous yacht called ‘La Mirage’.

“I was beyond humbled,” she said.

“It is now sailing the seas.”