ARTIST | CREATIVE WELLBEING FACILITATOR
Creativity has been part of Marie's life for as long as she can remember. As a child, she could happily spend hours colouring, making and exploring anything involving colour and texture.
But it wasn't until 2010 that she discovered a way of painting that felt completely her own.
Marie had always known she wanted to paint, just not realistic landscapes or portraits. She was drawn instead to colour, movement, freedom and expression. The work of Australian artist Ken Done had captured her imagination in the 1980s with its exuberant colour and wonderfully free spirit.
Marie wanted that same freedom in her own art, but in her own way.
No rules. No predetermined outcome. Just the freedom to see what appeared on the canvas.
Angelica
The turning point came at a weekend retreat, when Marie picked up a sea sponge and began creating abstract, impressionistic marks.
The exhilaration she felt was unlike anything else. She had discovered a way of creating that felt instinctive, freeing and entirely her own.
That moment would eventually become the seed of No Paintbrushes.
Her breakthrough works, Angelica and Central Windstorm, broke a decades-long painting drought and ignited her creative fire for painting.
Since then, she has embraced upcycled and natural tools. From plastic lids, cardboard rolls, to leaves, gumnuts, and feathers, as a playful, inspiring and eco-friendly way to make art.
Central Windstorm
Her journey to painting took more than twenty years to unfold, but like the gathering of a storm, it arrived when it was ready.
In many ways, this painting mirrors Marie's own painting awakening.
It speaks to the quiet persistence of an inner knowing, the one that whispers, wait, your time will come.
Central Windstorm is both a reflection of the land’s elemental rhythm and a personal testament to faith, intuition, and the beautiful patience of becoming.
Creative wEllbeing Facilitator
Over time, Marie's own experience of creative freedom grew into something she wanted to share with others.
Today, she brings No Paintbrushes and her wider collection of creative experiences to councils, libraries, community organisations, aged care, youth programs and private groups across Perth and regional Western Australia.
At the heart of every experience is the same simple philosophy:
No Rules. No Mistakes. No Pressure. No Perfectionism.
Marie holds a Diploma of Creative Arts and Health from the University of Tasmania, bringing together her years of practical creative experience with a deeper understanding of the relationship between creativity, wellbeing and connection. The experience strengthened something she had understood intuitively for years: creativity can uplift, connect and give people permission to see themselves differently.