Hello, I'm Gimara
I'm a visual artist, storyteller, adult workshop facilitator and researcher.
My practice
My practice spans the globe betwixt England and Australia, having exhibited and taught art internationally. These days, my studio practice is based on a wee Queensland island. My art moves between observation and imagination.
Through a multi-disciplinary visual arts practice and storytelling, I investigate subjects and 'scapes that affect me. Well-being and balance are important to me as we are multifaceted creatures, so my creations reflect that. Ritual observance often begins before I even pick up a tool, though I sometimes intentionally don't embrace ritual.
My visual practice is rooted in drawing , and is the foundation of my other practices, including painting,and printmaking. Inherently, autobiographical my art contains traces of my existence: my relationships, my curiosity, my life between two continents, my heritage, my experiences and my scientific background. Drawing is seeing; the way I visualise the world has been influenced by my scientific career within a variety of organisations, including the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, FSA (Civil Service), Kings College London, University of Queensland, CSIRO.
Beyond the studio, I'm also the founder of an online Art Book Club that brings creatives across the globe together to reflect, connect, and exchange ideas through conversation and shared reading. As an arts consultant, I have contributed to national museum programmes, supporting inclusive, innovative approaches to audience engagement and institutional change.
Whether I'm leading workshops, consulting, or creating new works, I value connection, exploration, and play. Enjoy exploring my website.
Selected Grants, Awards & Professional Development
2024 | Monotype-Monoprint Workshop (AUS)
Funding: Regional Arts Development Fund
(Queensland), Rockhampton City Council, Capricornia
Printmakers Inc.
Outcome: Developed and delivered a sold-out
regional workshop series for beginners.
2021–2022 | Metal Artist Programme (UK)
Funding: Metal
(Artists' Network)
Outcome: Funding towards practice with
professional mentoring by K. Genever.
2021 | Storytelling for Artists (UK)
Funding: AxisArt
Outcome: Published work and specialized training
in narrative techniques for visual practice.
2019 | Digital Skills for Museums (Erasmus+) (EU)
Funding: Erasmus+ Programme (EU) & Mu.SA an
EU-wide Network of museums, universities, training
providers and cultural organizations
Outcome: Received digital literacy training
designed for museum professionals.
2018 | Arts Award Advisor Training (UK)
Funding: The
Royal Opera House Bridge & Hertfordshire Music Service
Outcome: Certified Advisor for 'Discover and
Explore' & 'Bronze and Silver' levels; http://www.artsaward.org.uk
2012 | Sculpture Techniques & Exhibition (UK)
Funding: The Sand House,
Art’s Council
England Lottery, Invest in Doncaster, Success in
Doncaster
Outcome: Technical training culminating in a
public exhibition in South Yorkshire.
2008–2010 | Professional Art Development (UK)
Funding: CIDA (Creativity and Innovation
Company)
Outcome: Intensive mentorship in drawing and
painting with P. Stanyer (MA, RCA; The Artworks)
and marketing with M. Cameron.
Endorsement: "Gimara has been an excellent
student. She responds well to teaching and is always
enthusiastic about learning, and the creative
processes. She is a committed proactive student who
can generate and work independently on her own ideas
developing and expanding her own creative practice
whilst following a brief. Gimara is very
versatile when it comes to using materials she has a
very open, deliberate, and methodical approach to her
work, which allows her to explore, and reflect upon
her ideas with inventiveness..." - PW Stanyer MA
(Royal College of Art) - 2010
Want to work with me?
Hire me
I base my rates on professional industry fee schedules such as the Artists Union England and NAVA (AUS), which you can view here:
Journey between the UK & Australia
My artistic journey began in earnest while working on research project at Kings College London (KCL, UK), where I took anatomical photos with a microscope and made visual notes. As my art practice developed, I was sponsored by the Creative Industries Development Agency (CIDA). This sponsorship included the opportunity to study a tailored visual arts programme at Artworks (UK): a structured drawing and painting curriculum of work dealing comprehensively with the creative, analytical and observational act of drawing and painting under the mentorship of Peter Stanyer MA (RCA).
I received instruction in sculpture at City Lit, London. I was also awarded an opportunity to train (and exhibit) in sand sculpture techniques funded by The Sand House, the Arts Council England Lottery, Invest in Doncaster, Success Doncaster. I view my work with fabrics as another sculptural form. I studied Draping and Patternmaking at University Arts London (UAL): Central St Martins (Granary Square, London, UK).
My interested in printmaking started at school. I received training in etching at the Royal Drawing School, Japanese woodcut printmaking at Morley College and wood engraving at Slade (UAL). I earned an undergraduate certificate in Creative Non-Fiction Writing from Cambridge University (UK).
Cultural leadership through peer reviews of artistic and cultural exhibtions
As a selected contributor to the Arts Council England's
Impact and Insight Programme, I have served as a
peer reviewer. My experience has been recognized by
invitation to assess exhibitions at institutions, such
as the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK).
Demonstrations, workshops & lectures
The exchange of knowledge is central to my practice. Since 2010, I have delivered over a hundred creative workshops tailored to adult learners, engaging participants across the UK and Australia. My approach combines technical skill-building through choice-based education to foster well-being and creative confidence.
My experience covers many sectors, including:
- Further Education Before my move to Australia, I was a Lecturer of Drawing and Painting at the Hitchin Campus at North Hertfordshire College (NHC via Hart's Protocol; since 2019). I developed and delivered two further education programmes that formed part of NHC's Adult Education Course programme: beginners and improvers. I introduced beginners to art techniques related to line, shape, form, negative space, chiaroscuro, mark making, colour theory and perspective. For details on the beginners and improvers workshops, please click on the links below:
- Museum & Cultural Engagement I designed bespoke workshops for Lowewood Museum, Broxbourne, UK (while under management of Epping Forest District Council). These were sold out:
- Dec 2019, Printmaking; March 2020, Drawing and Painting with Watercolour Pencils
- Local Government & Community: Through Derbyshire County Council's Adult Community Education programme, I led 'Drawing and Painting Techniques' programmes at the Ashbourne campus in 2010. These programmes ran in cycles over a period of eight weeks.
I continue to also lead bespoke workshops through DuncanRice Stuidos. Contact me through DuncanRice Studios if you would like more information on workshops or demonstrations.
Professional Affiliations
& Networks
Australia
- Capricornia Printmakers Inc. – Contributing member
of a regional printmaking collective based in
Rockhampton, Capricornia Region, Central Queensland
- Art Matters – Active member of a local artists collective based in the Gladstone Region, Central Queensland.
- Examples of my participation in my local Queensland arts community, include exhibition programmes, exhibition committee member, digital outreach and gallery activities.
United Kingdom
- a-n (The Artists Information Company) – Former member of the UK's primary professional body for artists, providing access to industry resources, legal advice, and policy advocacy:
- International Association of Art (IAA/AIAP) – Past member of UNESCO-affiliated global network, connecting practice across borders and cultures
- The Museum Association – Former member of UK's leading professional body for museum practitioners, reflecting expertise in curation and public engagement:
- Digswell Arts Trust – Print Group – Past member of a specialist collective dedicated to the advancement of printmaking techniques and artist development