Caroline Hughes-King

The evolution of my style, is, as they say, ‘a work in progress’.

I have no formal training in visual arts but have participated in numerous workshops from printmaking to scratchboard, watercolour and ceramics painting but by far the greatest influence has been Gillian Rankin (Brisbane) – a formally trained and once botanical artist/illustrator for the Queensland Herbarium.
Initially pursuing competency in botanical portraiture, I quickly became enamoured of working with pen and ink, black and white, trying to master the skill of depiction with tone and texture rather than with colour – all of which led me to pursue two other art forms being printmaking (Lino cut, Drypoint etching) and Japanese ink painting or Suibokuga.

I have always been inexorably drawn to Asian art forms and the ability of Japanese and Chinese artists who manage to ‘say more with less’. I admire the poetry and spirituality of procedure, the symbology and discipline required in the creation of most oriental art forms.

This affinity with all things Eastern may have developed as a result of exposure in my early life to Japanese art and culture as my parents lived, worked, met and married in Japan. My mother was artistic and through her years living in Japan developed a refined aesthetic style which I observed and absorbed over time and which I hope is evident in some of my designs.

Most of my artworks start as a scribble or doodle or a few lines of thought on any subject that I see in life and that has pleased me or provoked an emotional response of some sort. All these ideas get drawn, written, cut, pasted or whatever into my work-up books for immediate execution or to be left to mature like a good wine! My art is my therapy and nothing makes me happier than to spend the day ‘pottering’ in my studio.

My first passion was photography starting with the old bog standard scenery and landscapes but over time I found observing people in their own environment and daily life routines far more interesting and that is now what I enjoy most – people watching and how they relate and interact with the world around them.
Most of my ink creations are varying degrees of pointillism which requires patience, a sharp scalpel, a steady hand and a strong magnifying glass. Often unable to part with ‘one of my babies’ I have produced a range of greeting cards, postcards and Limited Edition reproduction prints featuring some of my artworks in the different disciplines I have been exploring.