Colleen Guiney

About Colleen Guiney

I was born in Melbourne in 1967. It was in 2000 that I began painting, attending an informal weekly class at Studio 10 with Margaret Hummel-Bennett in Fitzroy. In 2006, wanting further feedback and diversification in my painting I attained a position at RMIT Diploma of Visual Arts part time and am still attending this course at present.

I work as a visual merchandiser, so I work at creating inspiring displays so that customers will spend their money on each new seasons look. This clashes with my personal ethos to re-use, which is captured in the artwork I create from recycled materials.

My current body of works is influenced by my concerns for the ongoing environmental damage we are creating through consumerism. I aim to recycle instead of making new purchases, utilising board I have previously painted on, creating textures with rubble I find in the garage, collaging from my mum's old recipes, used wrapping paper and cut-outs from my boyfriend's magazines and sticking other bits and pieces which at last I am finding a use for.

I am currently listening to 3MP radio station as I paint. The songs are calm and I can withdraw from whatever else is going on and get lost in the process of my painting.