This month’s humpback breaching cover art was created by Molly Goudie, an artist whose ability to capture nature, land and sea grabbed our attention. We sat down to find out more about her @molzart approach to creativity.
What’s your favourite beach on the Northern Beaches?
Freshwater Beach, it’s been my home for 4 years now and the sunrise swims have been a truly magic daily ritual.
Where’s your favourite place to eat, drink, hang out?
The Stowaway. I’ll have to recommend they get the Tawny Grogmouth on tap!
What’s the best thing about the Northern Beaches?
Community! Everyone rallies around everyone. Anyone who wants to give life a crack, have an idea, or show their creative talents, there is always someone around here that will back you and show their support.
If you could live anywhere else, where would that second-best place to live be?
A Northern Beaches where Covid-19 doesn’t exist.
What inspired your cover artwork?
This painting is inspired by the baby whale that swam right into Manly, metres from the shore, only to have the mumma whale charge in after it, flicking her tail around and knocking surfers off their boards. The whole scene was captured by a drone and blew up on all ‘reputable’ media outlets…like the Daily Mail.
What inspires your artwork in general?
All my work is more or less inspired by the natural world, especially the ocean. The meaning however is drawn from human connection and our interactions with one another within nature.
How would you describe your art?
My distinct land and seascapes are abstract and expressionistic in style. My intention is to connect the audience to the movement and dance of Mother Nature through these transcendent snapshots of our world. MolzArt is a play on the symphonies of movement that I create.
How did you discover you had a gift for art?
I realised I had a knack for painting when my year 8 art teacher bought a painting that I’d done of fashion icon, Twiggy.
Did you formally study art? Nope. Self-taught.
What’s your favourite thing about what you do?
Painting brings me joy, and to know that it brings others around me, my audience, joy too! You can’t beat that.
What else are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on a painting for a charity exhibition organised by DiversARTy Gallery to support Dreams 2 Live 4 – a charity who make dreams come true for patients living with metastatic cancer, relapsed lymphoma, relapsed leukemia and aggressive brain tumours. This opportunity for me to contribute to such a fantastic initiative came about through my involvement with DiversARTy, who currently have a few other MolzArt originals ready for show. The partnership between DiversArty and Dreams 2 Live 4 has been hugely inspiring and I’m very honoured to be included in the Feathers and Dreams Exhibition.
Do you have a guiding principle, belief, or life philosophy?
Intuition is the god of many voices. Trust it.
What advice would you give yourself when first starting out as an artist?
Ask more questions! Knowledge is there to be shared so inquire often and listen well (but feel free to throw it out the window to do your own thing)
Any general words of wisdom for our readers?
Be kind to the sea. To share the ocean with friends means we can be anywhere in the world and it always feels like home.
See more of Molly’s art at molzart.com and follow @molzartofficial on Instagram.
Her work is also on display at DiversARTy Gallery (www.diversarty.com.au).