Meet APRIL SPADINA | Charcoal Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with APRIL SPADINA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi APRIL, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
I have spent many years creating my own charcoal drawing technique and style, and sharing my skills with others in beautiful, intimate art workshops is something I absolutely love to do.  The workshops fill me with a huge sense of purpose and working with the lovely participants is the most amazing experience.  Charcoal has a real organic and primitive feel to it.  You use your fingers as your tools to create your art so it’s almost like being transported back to your childhood when you made a mess and had fun creating.  To watch people become completely absorbed in their creations, to forget where they are and then to see the joy on their faces with their beautiful finished artwork means so much to me.  I thrive on their excitement and happiness.

This year however, I have taken a step back from workshops as I found I was talking myself out of my enthusiasm.  I questioned my abilities and got all caught up in my head with self doubt.  With the help and support of beautiful people who lift me up and encourage me I have chipped away at barriers that have held me back and I’m ready to embrace sharing my creativity again.  I am excited about being a professional artist, not just with workshops, but also creating more of my own artwork, holding exhibitions and producing quality merchandise.  I’m excited about this new next chapter of my life and feel ready to embark on a focused and centred journey.

The end goal for me is to create a successful and enjoyable art business, to inspire and teach others, and to love being a creative professional.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I call myself a Charcoal Artist, even though I play with lots of different mediums, working with charcoal is what makes me feel like a true artist.

For about 15 years I have loved the smudgy, dusty qualities of willow charcoal and over time I have developed my own technique by trial and error. I first used charcoal about thirty years ago at art university and loved it, but for lots of reasons I didn’t continue with art and for many years I was in a creative void. When I did start dabbling again, it was paint brushes that I picked up and it wasn’t for another say, five years before I re-discovered charcoal and ignited a flame inside me that I had forgotten about. Since then I have had numerous exhibitions and sold many pieces. My subjects are animals, mainly giraffes and primates, but really anything that pulls at the heart strings and evokes an emotional response.

I developed and became comfortable with a technique that took away my fear of starting a piece of art and allowed me to relax and enjoy the process. I loved it so much I wanted to share the joy of creating art from burnt sticks with others, so I started holding workshops. They are incredibly popular and successful and I absolutely love them! However, after I would come down from my excited workshop high I would start to worry if I was able to do it again and then strangely I would get to a point where the thought of holding another workshop stressed me out so much I couldn’t commit. It happened every time and I would have to force myself to agree to doing it again, then get on the big workshop high, then the big low, and the cycle would continue.

Over the past year or so I have been working on this self-sabotaging problem and I have discovered that I am a perfectionist. Now this was news to me! I considered myself to be disorganised, chaotic and a bit of an air-head, so how could I be a perfectionist? Well, one thing that is very important to me is to deliver a high quality end product so that the receiver is very satisfied with the whole package. And I realised that I was doing this with my workshops too. I was building up such a huge expectation of what I had to deliver and it had to be absolutely perfect, so I was doubting my ability to pull it off.

One day I saw a post on social media by a highly regarded artist who I admired greatly. She had set up a work table in her humble kitchen and was excited to be welcoming her students to her home. All the comments were positive and shared her excitement and I realised that people just want to create! Most of the time it’s not about the fancy set-up and the matching aprons and easels. All that matters is that they are going to be inspired, stimulated and allow their creativity to flow. I realised in an instant that by striving for perfection I was depriving myself of doing something that I truly love, and depriving others of a chance to be creative.

So from that awakening I have become excited for my future as an artist and again share my love of charcoal. I am committing to allowing myself to lower my expectations and free myself of the pressure of perfection, and I feel more relaxed in knowing that I am doing the best I can. And that feels wonderful.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Maryborough in Queensland Australia has a rich history and is known for being a heritage city filled with beautiful buildings and parklands. From the 1850’s Maryborough was established as Queensland’s first immigration port and it became a thriving city full of industry and culture. Now it is known for it’s many museums, art galleries and festivals to celebrate the beauty of the town.

Set in the stunning Fraser Coast, Maryborough is at the entrance to the Great Sandy Straits, well known for World Heritage listed Fraser Island K’Garri. The incredibly beautiful island is the world’s largest sand island with pristine lakes, glorious white sandy beaches and dense rainforest. Each year humpback whales stop for a few months on their annual migration to play in Hervey Bay’s sheltered waters.

Hervey Bay is Maryborough’s neighbouring city and just a short drive away it is a great place for a visit. The gentle waters of the beaches are great for swimming, jet-skiing and boating and the restaurants and cafes are aplenty.  The region’s climate is very easy to get used to with a sub-tropical temperature that is mild and warm, so it’s perfect for an outdoors lifestyle to enjoy the beautiful natural landscape.

Maryborough offers many museums, cafes and art galleries. Wharf Street is the heart of the heritage Portside Precinct and is nestled alongside the beautiful river parklands. PL Travers, the author of Mary Poppins was born in Maryborough and we celebrate this fact with an annual festival, statues and even Mary Poppins themed traffic lights!  The historical bank in which she was born has been restored and converted to a museum of storytelling, called The Story Bank. It is a magical place to explore and interact in the many different rooms, each dedicated to the art of storytelling.  A fun challenge is to try to find the many little Bank Mice I painted on the walls of the building!

On the first Sunday of the month you can join in with the local chapter of Urban Sketchers and appreciate the gorgeous heritage surroundings from an artist’s perspective. Sketch the urban landscape before gathering at the City Hall for the revealing of the morning’s arty efforts.

When you’re finished visiting all of the lovely places and worked up an appetite, you can visit my favourite place to dine, Portside Restaurant and enjoy an exquisite meal overlooking the parklands and Mary River.  Portside is located in the beautiful Customs House Residence, part of the heritage precinct. The owners are part Mexican so the food has a delicious Western-Mexican fusion with local ingredients sourced where possible. A personal favourite is the stuffed zucchini flowers, and the all of the home made desserts!

When in Hervey Bay, dinner at Banksia Seafood and Grill is a must, especially if you’re a seafood lover.  Situated along the Esplanade, the Hamptons style restaurant is a foodie hotspot.  Banksia and Portside restaurants are big supporters of local producers including artists!  I have exhibited at each restaurant and they are welcoming and inviting.  I love that they encourage artists to display their works in their beautiful restaurants and share their art with a different audience.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Last year I started a local chapter of Urban Sketchers in my hometown of Maryborough. The community response has been overwhelmingly positive and each month we gather with members to sketch the urban landscape. There are no expectations, anyone can come along and join in, all ages and skill levels are welcome. Our members are SO supportive of each other and everyone remarks on how lovely everyone is.

I find the connections between all of the sketchers is a really special part of the group. We have small children who come along to draw, we have elderly, mum’s and dad’s, all abilities, all kinds of people come along and every single person is welcomed and encouraged to join in with the fun. Many people walk by and see us sketching and stop to ask what we are doing, because it has created an interest in our beautiful community.

Maryborough is full of gorgeous historical buildings and the architecture has definitely been a highlight to our monthly sketchers. It’s great to see the different styles and interpretations of art during our “Throw Down” where everyone throws down their art at the end of the session and we all get to see what each other has created.  It’s like a mini exhibition on the grass! This is the part that is most inspiring and a lot of “Ooohing and Ahhing” happens and everyone is encouraged to share their works, because no matter what, each person has created their own piece of art.

The members of this group are what makes everyone keep coming back each month and we have created a beautiful little community of like-minded individuals. I absolutely love each and every one of them and am supported by them all to continue bringing the group together. Shoutout to Urban Sketchers Maryborough Qld !

Website: www.aprilspadina.com.au

Instagram: @aprilspadina.art

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-spadina-4a080a77/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AprilSpadinaArt/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDQqHLRDGx8iXvcgolwhfKA

Other: I’m also a monthly contributor to Alive Magazine with my Featured Artist column https://alivemag.blog/category/local-artist/ And I contribute to the Fraser Coast Scene Magazine with a Featured Artist column as well. https://www.ourfrasercoast.com.au/news/article/186/the-story-teller

Image Credits
Alive Magazine – Joy Butler ABC Wide Bay – Brad Marsellos