After being homeschooled her whole life, Charlie Owens made her first foray into a formal educational institution to pursue her dream career in visual art. Photos: Charlie Owens.
Having been homeschooled her whole life, emerging Kiama visual artist Charlie Owens was at a bit of a loss when it came time to pursue a career. Art was no more than a hobby, or so she thought.
“When you’re homeschooled, to an extent you can choose your own curriculum, so you can hyper-focus on topics you enjoy. I enjoyed physiology and advanced mathematics, but I adored art,” Charlie says.
“Mum has been an interior designer, a wedding dress maker and a colour consultant, so I have always been exposed to creative pursuits. But somewhere along the line, I took that old-world view that art is not a serious job. So at the end of year 11 when I finished homeschool, I worked for a couple of years.”
As it turns out, it was a two-year detour from the inevitable.
Charlie eventually enrolled in the Diploma of Visual Arts at TAFE NSW Wollongong West – her first foray into a formal educational institution. Here she honed existing skills and branched into other techniques such as printmaking and lino cutting.
It was a surprisingly smooth transition.
“Having been used to self-directed learning, I adapted well to the style of education TAFE NSW offers, and I loved being in a classroom and having teachers and fellow students around me,” she says.
“This environment pushed me to learn, but I always felt comfortable because I was in an artistic community surrounded by other creative people.”
Charlie’s work exhibits a wide range of techniques including printmaking and lino cutting, which she picked up at TAFE NSW Wollongong.
It’s estimated the cultural and creative arts industry contributes more than $120 billion annually to Australia’s economy and, over the 10 years to 2033, Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts visual arts roles will grow by 1400 jobs.
Since graduating earlier this year, Charlie has been using her new practical skills to launch her career as a professional artist. She has exhibited her work at Illawarra galleries, taken commissions and started an online business, Tinkka, to sell her art.
She says her studies pushed her outside her comfort zone as a creative, and the opportunity to exhibit her work in local galleries has boosted her confidence.
“It’s reinforced that I have the skills I need to succeed in this industry,” she says. “The connections of my TAFE NSW teachers helped open doors for me and enabled me to develop valuable professional relationships in the Illawarra artistic community and explore ways to grow my career.”
TAFE NSW Media, Arts, Design, and Entertainment head teacher Mary-Jane Griggs said the organisation’s visual arts courses empowered students to pursue their career goals.
“It’s wonderful to see Charlie succeeding in the Illawarra arts scene thanks to the skills she’s developed by coming to TAFE NSW,” she says. ”She has a bright future and I look forward to seeing where her career takes her.”
In the throes of planning further works to exhibit while also taking commissions and selling her art online – including having her pieces screen-printed onto shirts for selling – Charlie is looking to explore other avenues to share her art with the world.
See Charlie Owens’ work displayed at Guest Gallery’s “Connect” event at Society City this Friday, 8 November from 7 pm.
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