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Hi, my name is Heather Bradbury

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I am a Photo-Realistic artist/teacher,

founder of the Paint & Create Community

and the Restore your Creative Soul program.

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I have been passionate about creativity for as long as I can remember.

 

I trained as a Graphic Designer in a time of no computers,

where everything had to be produced by hand. 

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This was when I began to develop a love for drawing things realistically.

 

My graphic work has been seen across major event promotions,

in magazines, advertising and films.

 

I have enjoyed working in remote communities both in Australia and internationally.

These experiences helped me develop a passion for connecting with communities and finding ways to communicate effectively through art and design that engages people in positive ways.

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I fell in love with teaching more and more as I raised four beautiful sons. We lived in a remote community where we enjoyed exploring creativity as a family in as many ways as we could!

 

I did, however, push too hard and burnt out, and I needed to find more gentle ways to explore my creative side (instead of many hours on a computer).

 

As the boys grew up I had more opportunities to explore my own creative dreams.

I focused on painting more seriously, and saw my work accepted into some Major Prizes including

The Glover Prize (Tasmania) and the Fleurieu Art Prize (Adelaide), where I received a number of high art prize recognitions, and numerous reviews in notable publications including  

the UK Mirror & Art Edit.

 

I now own my own gallery and enjoy teaching hundreds of students.

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I have found incredible joy in painting - it fills my soul to overflowing!

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However, painting photo-realistically has not always come easy to me. 

Over the past 10 years I have learnt through many trials and errors!

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When I began my painting journey I had no intention of showing anyone my work.

I soon discovered that it was just as much about the process as the end result. The process brought healing, which helped me through some really tough times of my life!

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The practice of painting photo-realistically pulled me out

of a very dark time in my life and helped me find

something that was predictable, stable and

rewarding enough to help me find some hope again. 

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During these hard times, I had to work through many challenges.

 

Can you relate to some of these?

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Do you need a relaxing creative outlet?

 

Have you been putting off painting because you think you don't have what it takes?

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Do you sometimes get frustrated because your painting doesn't look like what you wanted it to? 

 

Do you need to find a creative outlet that is not performance-driven?

 

Do you feel the desire to paint, but don't feel like you have enough skill?

 

Do you sometimes feel alone in your creative journey?

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Do you want to just ENJOY painting, and not worry about what others will think?

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Do you want to be proud of your work, and not hide it in a corner?

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Do you worry that you won't start painting because you have no idea where to begin?

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Do you wish you had a regular time in your week to create something that is just yours to enjoy?

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All of these thoughts were part of my own journey.

 

There were four main things I discovered that helped

answer many of these questions...