Sandy McLean - Bio
I was born in Longreach in 1957 and attended primary school at the Longreach State School. I started riding at age 5 as a member of the Longreach Pony Club which resulted in a life time of riding and a never ending love of horses.
I don’t have any recollections of any form of artistic activity while attending primary school. I do remember a constant urge to draw, my biggest hurdle was finding something to draw on. I drove my mother crazy “scribbling”.
At the age of 12 I was packed off to boarding school in Brisbane. And a whole new world opened up for me in the form of Art lessons, I just couldn’t get enough of them. It was then I realized that what I had been doing all these years wasn’t exactly “scribble”.
At school’s end for some reason it never accrued to me to pursuer an artistic course; instead I had my heart set on working on the land. I worked as a jillaroo and eventually married. My husband and I lived on a sheep property 2 hours from Longreach where we had our first 2 children. From there we moved to Augathella where our 3rd child was born. At last being surrounded by other artists and a very cultural community I started to paint again.
It was during this time that I produced a series of Calenders which depicted my drawings of outback homesteads. These turned out to be very popular and the proceeds from these helped out during the drought and crash of the wool market in the early 1990’s
For most of the 2000’s art took another back step to work on our property at Bollon in South West Qld. Then in 2008 I decided it was now or never so for the past 2 years I have become a full time artist.
This my first solo exhibition so I have tried to express myself though my art work. I find drawing relaxing but I find paint the real challenge.
I have used a combination of all mediums, from painting with acrylic, drawing with pencil and ink and some pastels and mixed medium. I have chosen the theme ” Looking Back” as I like to preserve the past, especially the “Bush” past so that future generations can see how things were done back in the day. My daughter couldn’t believe they went mustering in ties! This is the sort of thing that inspires me.
"Loading Wool at Maneroo"
"Desperation"
"First Time Nerves"