Genevieve Montgomerie

Montgomerie's style weaves effortlessly between social realism and a contemporary take on the techniques of the Old Masters. Painterly yet smooth, inviting yet intimately personal reflections... her works are a testament to the light, depth, moods, possibilities and energies of the cleansing 'Water of Life' she finds herself immersed in!

From the age of 7 it was evident that Genevieve Montgomerie's drawing demonstrated a child's talent for capturing what it was that she saw as opposed to what was in the mind's eye.

An unusual talent for a child of this age, her artwork drew great interest from her teacher and principal among others which in turn inspired Montgomerie to continue to observe carefully and sketch, render and layer – pencil, pastel and eventually paint on countless sheets of butcher's paper, notebooks and visual diaries.

In 1993 Montgomerie began 4 years at Melbourne University studying Visual Arts Education. Following graduation from Melbourne University, and prior to commencing as a secondary teacher at Sacred Heart College, Montgomerie travelled to Western Australia with her (now) husband. Discovering the incredible, intoxicating colour of the Indian Ocean and what magic it shed upon Perth's coastline, Montgomerie commenced sketching and painting Western Australia's coast. While Montgomerie did return to Melbourne to teach at the end of January, the great Indian Ocean had made a lasting impression – eventually drawing her back to the West at the end of 1997.

Montgomerie is probably best known for her intricate acrylic studies, capturing the quality of outdoor life shared by Australians indulging in the pleasures of coastal living. Her Western Australian works, in particular, are spontaneous and simple in subject yet recall for the observers a familiar perspective they cherish as particularly 'western beauty'. Having lived in Cottesloe, Swanbourne and Mosman Park for 16 years now, Montgomerie feels very much a part of the rich beach culture she reflects in crisp aqua waters and bold golden light of the 'Indiana' hemmed edge of Australia. Once described as 'technically traditional with a refreshing twist on the realist' Montgomerie's work is strong and vibrant with a determined expression of her national pride.

“A few years ago an Aboriginal spiritual healer friend said to me (about my creativity)...as though the voice of our creator was speaking through him... “stop wading in the water sister... come swim with me”... and from that point I have worried less about my weekly deadlines and people’s opinions of me.. and worried more about my need to watch and to capture, to dive in and reinvigorate - by breathing in all that is mesmerising about the waters that surround us and translating that with paint!

If at the end of this.... my friends words... “stop wading in the water... come swim with me”.... or in fact my works inspire you to stop and reflect on how good we have got it, surrounded by such beauty and endless opportunities to seize the day at the water’s edge... then your souls might be richer for it!”

-        Exert from Montgomerie’s Solo Exhibition,

“Water Of Life” at the Moores Building Fremantle.