Lyndel Thomas

Biography
Liadaan has drawn and painted all her life and was encouraged by and took lessons from her beloved artist father Harry Thomas who was a past student of Archibald Colquhoun. [Meldrum School].
MEDIA AND ACTIVITIES
Her main media is oil, however she also enjoys pastels, gouache and drawing media. Her plein air work is a regular activity. She draws and paints from the model on a weekly basis. Sculpture is also part of her artistic life.
AWARDS
Finalist Len Fox painting Award 2011 and 2013
First overall prize winner Society of Melbourne Women Painters and Sculptors, 2003
Finalist James Farrell Portrait Prize
Many highly commended awards
FURTHER STUDIES
Because of her love of chiaroscuro she studied with various teachers from the tonal school in Melbourne. She also studied painting at Monash University for a short while and took several study trips to Europe and India as well as the U.S. Liadaan is a contemplative painter working in the tonal method. The light, atmosphere, mood and poetry of the subject is what she aims for. She favours late afternoon and crepuscular subjects in her landscape and contemplative poses in her figure paintings. Her paintings have been described as contemplative, lyrical and serene. She majored in sculpture with a credit at the Ballarat University, School of mines in 1999 and completed a clay sculpture workshop with Debra Fritts in New Mexico, U.S.
Liadaan exhibits in group exhibitions in Australia and many overseas exhibitions, especially in Italy. She currently has paintings at the RossoCinabro Gallery in Rome and will be exhibiting in the Artisann Gallery, Belfast, Ireland in May 20.

Artist Statement

Dividing my work between the disciplines of painting, drawing, sculpture and poetry, I am a contemplative artist. I am not necessarily looking for a lot of detail in a subject, however, sometimes I like to take a portrait or still life to a higher finish. I look for the light, mood, atmosphere and poetry favouring late afternoon, moody and crepuscular subjects. Due to the moving light, my landscapes are mostly understated. My focus is always the interplay between the lights and the darks. Figures are usually painted in contemplative poses. I work plein air and in the studio and attend weekly life drawing and painting groups. Still life is also a well-loved subject.

My fusion and ceramic sculptures are often personifications of nature and animal dreamings with an emphasis on the feminine. They are often based on my dreams and always on my connection with nature so they are an aspect of myself and my daily life.

I like to write haiku which is often accompanied by small tonal paintings.

Country Australia

Website www.liadaan.com