Upcoming Exhibitions:

Black Toast Cafe Annandale Sydney

Now showing until end of June 2017
Within Us Exhibition, Howlin Wolf Whisky Bar, Wollongong 

July-Aug 2017 TBA
Harbour House, Old Court House Gallery, Wollongong

15th - 17th Dec 2017

Solo Exhibitions:

2016    Within Us, CTC@Robertson Gallery, Robertson

2016    Harbour House, Old Court House Gallery, Wollongong  

2016    Harbour House II, Old Court House Gallery, Wollongong   

2016    Within Us, Sheffer Gallery, Darlington central Sydney 

2015    Day Dreamer, Art Arena Gallery, Wollongong   

2015    Day Dreamer, Old Court House Gallery, Wollongong 
2015    Floral Fantasy, Minnamurra Gallery & Cafe, Minnamurra
2015    Howlin Wolf Exhibition, Howlin Wolf Whisky Bar, Wollongong

2015    Delano Exhibition, Delano Cafe, Wollongong

2015    Violetta Strabic, Old Court House Gallery, Wollongong

2015    Martin Place Art Gallery, Thirroul

2015    Beautiful Things, Beanstalk Gallery, Thirroul

2014    Beautiful Things, Kaleidoscope Gallery SOMA Society, Chippendale Sydney

2013    Bolero, Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong

2012    Black & White Duo Exhibition, Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong

2011    Transition, Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong

2011    Transition, Beanstalk Gallery, Thirroul

Group Exhibitions:

2015    Nourish Exhibition, Illawarra Visual Artists Alliance, Old Court House Gallery, Wollongong

2015    Colour Passion, Art Arena, Wollongong

2015    International Womens Day Exhibition, Art Arena Gallery, Wollongong

2015    Kiama Show Art Exhibition, Kiama

2013    Kiama Show Pavilion Art Exhibition, Kiama

2013    Hidden Treasures, Art Arena Wollongong

2013    Landscape Exhibition: Expanse, Art Arena, Wollongong

2012    I’m In! Members Show, Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong

2012    Impromptu Members Show, Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong

2012    Fire & Light Members Show,  Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong

2011    First in Best Dressed: Sun, Sea & Sangria, Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong

2011    Fire & Light Members Show, Project Contemporary Artspace, Wollongong

2009    Christmas Show, Art in Port Gallery, Port Kembla

2008    Still Life Exhibition, De Havilland Art Gallery, Wollongong

2008    The Artful Christmas Show, De Havilland Art Gallery, Wollongong

2003    Next Gen, Long Gallery, University of Wollongong, Wollongong

1999    Graduation Exhibition, Wollongong High School of Performing Arts

1999    Art Class Exhibition, Wollongong High School of Performing Arts

1997    Still Life Exhibition, Corrimal Community Hall

1998    Still Life Exhibition, Corrimal Community Hall

Awards:

2015    Kiama Show, Watercolour, 2nd Prize

2015    Kiama Show, Ceramic Article, 1st Prize

2015    Kiama Show, Glaze, 1st & 2nd Prize

2015    Kiama Show, Wheel Thrown Pottery, 1st & 2nd Prize

2015    Kiama Show, Hand-Built Pottery, 3rd Prize

2015    Kiama Show, Black & White Sketch, Highly Commended

After my own epic track record of bad luck that I’ve emerged from, I’m inviting you into my beautiful artistic escape. Here’s how it went down:

So you’re going about your usual routine, and the doctor calls you to discuss that unusual pap test result. Of course, you’re worrying at this stage, but it doesn’t hit you until you hear the words ‘malignant’ and ‘cancer’. So while sitting in that hot heat, I remembered the two long days that followed as a real mental game of patience, as I contemplated scenarios of chemo and a hysterectomy. So, what’s all this got to do with art?

Well, listen up. I had a highly aggressive form of cancer called clear cell carcinoma, normally found in the lungs, this one was clinging in a rare spot, lodged in my cervical canal. To my surprise, the flurry started almost immediately. A forum of gynaecological oncologists at St George Hospital had debated my treatment options. Two days later I was operated on, first of many to come. The doctors couldn’t explain how or why I got it. It was just one of those ‘random things’. After all the tests, the risks, and the pain, I came out on top scathed but alive because I focused on what I wanted the most - my life. I knew painting was my expressive calling in life, so I made a commitment to focus on art, and it started to grow from there.

Remembering back to year three, my grand plan was to be a famous artist. That was the goal until years later, one of my disgruntled university art teachers said that the chances of making it were dire and even then we’d struggle. Discouraged by this advice and the fear of failure, I went about graduating with triple majors in other fields - distinction in creative arts, marketing and communication studies to help me, and chose an alternate career path. My subconscious had its own way of telling me to stop drifting away from my passion in the form of Karma. I learnt the darker side of job dissatisfaction, bullying, workplace injuries, sexual harassment, and finally cancer, that came knocking, to serve me my ultimate wake up call.

So the moral of the story is that you don’t have to fear change, or succumb to people’s opinions. It took cancer to make me reassess my priorities and I managed to make my passion for art into a full time career move. Embracing what you love is truly rewarding. I’ve made my artistic style to reflect my life experiences with an optimistic outlook. My art captures how appreciative I am of life, and my admiration of the beauty that surrounds us.

My advice for breaking through that fear of change, is to get involved in business courses, work in areas that interest you, volunteering your time and meeting inspiring people. They helped me get closer to my goals. I’m back to reliving my year three goal now, and creating magical artworks in my studio, living the life I want. It’s been a blessing in disguise.

As a result, these days I love illuminating the attractiveness of all things fascinating to me. I’m an expressive-surrealist when playing with my paint brush or tinkering with clay. The core concept of my creativity comes from my little obsession with day-dreaming and connections with line, movement and form.

Mixing elements from my past, my process diary, sketches and photos, and converging them together, the result is my eccentric imagination creating playfully quirky connections in my dreamy artworks.

I like to create the idea of gorgeously flowing still lifes and Gestalt seascapes. I paint ‘seas of bodies’ which look like a sea, but are also semi-hidden figurative nudes in a landscape reminiscent of a crazy ‘Where’s Wally?’ poster. My intention is to draw out the mind’s eye in an appreciative way, where it all looks like organized harmonic chaos.

My art bears a connection with the human need for escapism. In my interpretation, I explore my day dreaming imagination and the reoccurring desire for my soul to connect to the sea. We live in a society that have longings of a similar nature, and my aim is to capture that point of letting go, and allowing that ultimate desire for freedom to take hold.

I hope you lovingly cherish a piece of me to brighten up your living spaces. I hope my story bring lasting admiration from loved ones.

From the girl from ‘The Gong’ Wollongong Australia - Cheers!

Violetta :)