Chloe Caday

TELL US A BIT ABOUT WHAT A DAY MAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU AS AN ARTIST. WHERE ARE YOU BASED AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU DO IN YOUR DAILY ROUTINE?

Since moving to She Oaks from my CBD apartment earlier this year, I have experienced some pretty dramatic changes in my lifestyle, which have forced me to adapt to our new environment. I normally start my day with a run down the dirt road or yoga to wake up my body and breathe in the fresh air. Then I’ll often spend the whole day outside painting – whether it’d be under the sun, rain or wind as I love how the weather informs the work. Being so far away from the shops, we normally cook everything at home so this would also take up most of my day. Sundays are our days off so we are usually in Egbert (our trusty Hiace) for a cruisey drive down to the coastline for a coffee and a pie – which is what I usually look forward to doing every week. I’ve really been enjoying taking things slowly at the moment and spending my time within the forest or by the sea with a couple of guide books to learn about the native flora. 

HOW DID YOU START YOUR DAILY PRACTICE AND WHY?

I grew up in a pretty creative household and we were really fortunate to have parents that supported our creative endeavours. When I was younger, I often spent my spare time painting or drawing in my bedroom but never really thought about pursuing it professionally. I think the turning point for me was when I gradually became more aware of global issues and the power art has to drive these changes in society and the environment – and this made me realise I wanted to be a part of that change. So I embarked on my three-year Bachelor of Fine Arts in RMIT to expand my practice in order to engage with a wider audience and to use art as a tool to learn, educate and express. I graduated in 2017 doing mostly sound-based and site-specific installations, however I’ve recently gotten back into painting, mainly for self therapy and it’s been really nice. 

HAVE YOU GOT A STUDIO/CREATIVE WORKPLACE?

At the moment, I work outdoors in the forest surrounding home. Our home is a small brick house, situated on a 14ha land and nestled right behind the Brisbane Ranges NP. The forest is beautiful, and is so full of inspiration. My partner has a strong interest in botany, so I am constantly learning more about the native flora that surrounds our home. It is our shared fascination for the native flora that has informed my most recent paintings of the bushland. Every day that I go out to paint is always a new spot in the forest, so I am always curious what there is to discover. 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT YOU EXPLORE IN YOUR WORK AND THE MEDIUMS THAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO WORK WITH?

Throughout my work, I often explore the constantly evolving idea of place and identity and how this affects the way we perceive our world. Most of my paintings are painted plein-air (outdoors) so I am able to take in as much information as I can by being present in the land. It is this intimate experience with the land that I often find myself reflecting on not only my own presence in place, but the strong, yet very fragile ecosystem of the environment.

My paintings are quite site-responsive, so I normally begin with a simple palette of oils and mix the paint as I go to keep up with the constantly changing light conditions of the environment, which in turn, captures the movement within the place.

IN AN INCREASINGLY DIGITIZED WORLD, HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CONSIDER WHEN MARKETING YOUR WORK?

I think it’s really important to stay connected with the world, in whatever form that may be. Physically or virtually, art has always had this ability to connect with people throughout time and place, and as we move to a more digital presence, we have found so many different ways to stay connected and be in touch with one another. To me, the privilege to be able to have this online presence has opened up invaluable opportunities as an artist, and this is something I am truly grateful for.

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY FUTURE PROJECTS?

At this time, I’ll be working on painting more of this beautiful forest and of the Philippines, which will occupy most of my time for the next few months. I have a couple of really exciting projects with a couple of organisations of whom dedicates their time regenerating land and forests in the Philippines and here in Australia, so I’m really excited to share this in the near future.