In this edition of our Community Highlight this month, we chatted with one of our students, Loribelle Spirovski, a very talented professional artist painter. Her work is truly amazing and inspiring. If you’re an art enthusiast you’ll likely enjoy reading her story and what it takes to live life as a painter.

Hi Loribelle, can you share a little bit of your background and what brought you to your passion for painting?

I was born in Manila to a Filipino mother and a Serbian father, and emigrated to Australia when I was 9. I've always been a creative kid, preferring to stay in my room, reading, making scrapbooks and little sculptures, rather than playing outside, so after graduating from high school, it was a natural move to attended art school, in the hopes of becoming an art teacher.

However, once I realised that high school teaching was not for me, and I fell into a depression about my direction in life, it took encouragement from my former partner to start painting for myself. And because of the nature of my degree, I didn't have much experience with painting, so it became a self-guided learning process that resulted in an eclectic and fluid approach to painting. Since going full-time in 2015, my practice has grown into something I feel proud to have sustained and thrived in.

Can you tell us more about your job/routine as an artist painter, what your painting style is, and what your typical weekday as a painter looks like?

Life as a visual artist means that my brain is never really switched off, always absorbing the world around me, like a tuning fork trying to catch inspiration in the wind. There are no fixed hours, but my day is usually divided between home duties/chores (I'm fortunate enough to have a studio at home), fitness (Pilates and gym), and studio time (4-7 hours a day), as well as a cool-down period in the evenings where I meditate, go for a walk in the park and read.

I never know what day it is, as every day is a workday. But I am grateful for every second I get to spend in my studio, which is a very grounding space for me. In the studio, I know who I am.

What do you most love about painting?

After all these years, it's still magic to me. With every painting, you wait for this specific moment; the moment when it comes to life before your very eyes, where its soul is able to look back at you, and this is where the hard part really is. Because you have to communicate with the painting, dance with it, see what is wants to become, and if you're ready for it, you become it, together.

Where do you mainly get your inspiration from?

Inspiration comes from some truth about myself that I am able to see in the external world. Because I work in a visual medium, I am led by what I'm visually drawn to, and this changes on a daily basis. The trick is in coalescing these elements into something cohesive—it doesn't always work—and creating something alive and still.

What past painting are you most proud of and why?

This is always such a difficult choice, so I'll pick two. They're very different, but were made in the same year, and represent a moment in my artistic development, where I learned to loosen up and be more experimental.

1) 'Vers la flamme', oil on canvas, 2016

2) 'Stage fright', oil on canvas, 2016

What qualities would you say are required for being a painter?

An openness to the world and to different experiences. A balance between the ego, and the ability to completely lose yourself. Hunger and tenacity. Self-discipline.

What advice would you give to someone who has a hidden painting talent but might get a lot of self-doubt when it comes to sharing it with the world?

A work of art is at its purest when it is made for its own sake, but it is only truly complete when it is seen by another. Share. Just as you share your laughter with the world, share what you can make, and take pride in an object crafted with skill and love.

What goal do you hope to achieve in 2023? Or do you have any exciting projects coming up?

My goal this year is to simply continue working. Over the past year and a bit, I've been recovering from an injury that made it very painful to work, so now that I'm slowly able to work regular hours again, I want to continue to listen to my body and respect its needs, because forcing something isn't going to make it come any faster.

When you’re not working, what are you up to / how do you like to spend your free time?

My husband and I are avid readers, so you'll often find us sitting together on the couch reading, while our cat lounges between us. I'm also very lucky to have beautiful friends, so I love to go for some good food and drink with them, or just stroll and chat. And once I'm fully recovered, I'd love to invest more time into my yoga practice.

Finally, where can we find your work?

You can find me on Instagram @loribellespirovski or on my website loribellespirovski.com.

SCOUT COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT - Meet Artist Loribelle Spirovski