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After attaining his degree in Fine Art, Mark completed his Masters degree studying German and American Abstract Expressionism (1919-1950s).

Moving to Fine Art painting in the late 90’s, having previously worked as a graphic designer and illustrator, Mark produced hundreds of abstract landscapes that sold in selected Australian galleries and were bought around the world. His love is ‘Abstract Expressionism’ which draws on his personal experiences and is aimed at emotional expression with particular emphasis on the spontaneous creative act. Mark's work is characterised by gestural brush-strokes or mark-making and the impression of spontaneity

He has been selected as a finalist for a number of awards, including the Tattersalls Art prize, the Cairns Regional Art Prize (People’s Choice winner) and Mark was the inaugural winner of the Edward Koch foundation prize to name a few. He has also been featured in Art industry magazines, décor and real estate magazines and TV shows.

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A Master Pastellist and finalist in the Archibald and Portia Geach Portrait Prizes, portrait artist Penelope Gilbert-Ng has been creating art for more than 40 years and is a sought after judge for art competitions.

Inspired by the impressionist era, Penelope’s oil and pastel portraits exhibit both fine craftsmanship and a sensitive eye through which she coveys the inner essence of her subjects – capturing them in a realistic, yet not photographic way.

Penelope’s great passion for painting and never-ending fascination for people is not only evident in her work, but also in her teaching, which she has been doing for almost 30 years.

Her works have been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows and her commissioned paintings are represented in corporate and private collections across the world.

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Ali Gillett founded her own business – Brave Arts – to take the mystery out of art-making.

Employed at Arts Tree, a private art school on Brisbane’s bay side, Ali guides groups of adult students through the rigours of learning to paint with acrylics. She also tutors at Professional Development Workshops with Oxlades, is an Artist in Residence at schools and aged care homes throughout Brisbane, and runs private tuition with recipients of NDIS/ NDIA funding.

Ali divides the rest of her time between a studio and mural practice as well as portrait commissions and installations and strives to create celebratory abundance and awe for her audience’s viewing pleasure in all that she does.

Ali holds a BA in Fine Art from RMIT, Melbourne, 2014, a current working-with-children card, and has completed the Introduction to Disability Awareness through NDCO and ADCET, 2019.

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De Gillett Cox is a practicing professional artist and fine arts tutor with 20 years’ experience in teaching painting, drawing and sculpture across a wide range of media. 

De holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Queensland College of Art (2012). De’s lessons are exciting, fun and are guaranteed to push you out of bad habits and onwards into artistic excellence. 

De works in a wide range of styles from the photo-realistic to the wild and impetuous and everywhere in between — portraiture, flight, figures, landscape and more. Her wilder work has been described as ‘recklessly sumptuous’ and she specialises in busting students out of their tight and over-controlled beginnings to create beautiful, painterly, exciting works without ever ignoring the importance of learning and practicing good drawing technique.

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Having lived New Zealand for 16 years, the multi-talented Julia Godfree now weaves her creative magic on the Gold Coast. Kiwi influences are seen in much of her sculptural work which is precise and intricate, with a strong symbolic presence. Imbued with a vibrant sense of spirituality, Julia’s work is constantly developing and evolving as her life experiences progress. Her 30 years in painting and sculpting has produced a rich and intricate tapestry of work that stimulates the senses – in both a visual and tactile sense. Some of her explorations in mixed media are so dense and textured they lift off the canvas. Like many artists, Julia is continually diversifying and finding new approaches to expressing herself, so there is a great variation in what she offers. Julia works with many mediums, ranging from resin, acrylic and oils through to clay and ceramics with a keen interest in stone. She is inspired by her love of nature and she often projects the vibrant colours that surround her. Her ability to master new techniques means her journey will continue to surprise and provoke those around her.

Julia is well exhibited throughout NZ and the Gold coast. She has also judged in many art awards. Julia offers regular Inks Workshops where students have the opportunity to learn techniques and create their own ink work.

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Peter Griffen is a full time Sydney based artist and has been painting for forty five years, during which time he has traveled extensively and has had numerous exhibitions in Australia and overseas. He enjoys painting outdoors but the bulk of his time is spent in the studio creating abstract images derived mainly from the landscape. Typical of his work is its playful dynamic quality and the strong use of colour.

His qualifications in education are clearly evident in his teaching style and his experience in tutoring workshops is quite extensive. He is currently involved in tutoring a series of workshops in association with the Art Gallery of NSW, has taught with the Art Gallery of SA and in such places as Italy, UK, USA, Portugal, Birdsville and the Flinders Ranges.

Peter has had five solo exhibitions in London, four in Paris, two in St Tropez, one each in Lyon, New York and New Zealand. He has had about sixty solo exhibitions throughout Australia, has been in numerous group shows and is represented in many private and public collections.

He has been selected as a finalist in several prizes including the Blake, Sulman, Dobell and Fleurieu prizes and apart from many other texts, has been published several times in the Australian Artist magazine, in particular, in issue number 109, “Making Sense of Abstract Images”. His work and personal comments appear in his book, “In and Out of Abstraction”.

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"People and the spaces they inhabit – whether in the form of historic cities, interiors or the nude are the subjects which interest me most. It is through direct observation of the way these interact with more elemental factors – light, shadow, space, atmosphere – that I believe it is possible to catch a glimpse of each subject’s true spirit."

Award-winning artist & Royal Academy graduate, David Henderson, spends half of his year painting in Australia and the other half, painting in Italy.

David believes Italy to be unique in its concentration of artistic treasures, architectural splendour and beauty of light and landscape – elements which are stunningly captured in his drawings, watercolours and oil paintings.

After studying architecture in Brisbane, David enrolled in a course in painting at London’s Royal Academy School, graduating in 1985. He has since held numerous solo exhibitions of his work in Brisbane, Melbourne and London and has been the recipient of several awards and commendations. For many years, David taught art part-time at various institutions, including lecturing and running courses in art history and design at QUT.

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David has had more than 60 solo exhibitions over the last 40 years, including paintings, sculpture and photographs in locations around the world.

David has travelled and painted widely in the United States and UK and is represented extensively in collections both in Australia and overseas. While his work is principally oils on canvas or linen, he has also produced many gouache works and sculpture as well as holding two exhibitions of his photographs. His style has been described as “contemporary impressionism”.

"My recent work deals with the urban environment in its many forms in cities around the world as well as an abiding affinity with the Australian landscape. It is a response to light. I like the movement of light across a surface — whether it’s a valley, a river, a street or the human form.

I particularly enjoy the shapes, the noise and the shadows of city landscapes – the drama of lower East Side in New York, the reflections in the canals of Venice, the romance of Paris streets, the quirky laneways of Melbourne, the crowded pedestrian footpaths of Brisbane city, or the tree-lined streets near my home and studio.