Read the full article…

port plus
A life of
creativity
FIRSTLY, tell us a little
bit about your life preartist.
My fondest childhood
memories were those
that included nature, art
or theatre. My mum,
immersed us in creativity
and discovery from as
early as I can remember.
Whether we were
knee-high in murky water
pulling bark from the
paper bark trees to paint
on, collecting shells and
driftwood at the beach or
sitting at the Opera
House watching ballet,
our creative hearts were
being constantly
stimulated.
I have also had the
privilege of teaching
dance to students for
more than 30 years. My
work as a ballet teacher,
examiner and adjudicator
has allowed me to travel
and work extensively
ARTISTIC extraordinaire Francessca
O’Donnell has lived a life as vivid as the aweinspiring pieces she breathes life to. Long
before becoming a household name as a
mosaic artist, she expressed herself through
dance and design. From graduating at the top
of her class, to working with Australia’s King of
Swim and spending years as a Ballet teacher
in Australia and around the world. Journalist
MEL PRETORIUS finds there’s much more to
the Out There Design and co-owner than meets
the eye.
both here and overseas.
What was a younger
Francessca up to after
she finished school?
After the HSC I was
lucky enough to be
accepted by Sydney
College of the Arts to
complete a four year
Bachelor of Arts in
Design. I graduated top
of my year and had two
Pure creatives: Francessca O'Donnell and Vick Compton
from Out There Design and Mosaic with unique designer
mirrors recently sold at an exhibition in Sydney.
Pic: LINDSAY MOLLER PHOTOGRAPHY
www.portnews.com.au
exciting years working
with Brian Rochford.
What started out as
design job quickly also
included organising the
fashion launches, fashion
shows and planning for
the fashion shoots.
How did your journey
lead you to what some
would now consider a
very rare and often
misunderstood art
form?
Many years ago when
visiting St Peters in
Rome, I was awed see
the beautiful mosaics
which were so
sophisticated that I had
mistaken them for
paintings. It didn’t take
long for me to start
‘playing’ with different
tesserae and finding out
as much as I could to try
to create my own
mosaics.
What was it about
mosaic’s that captured
your heart and mind?
Mosaics can be almost
hypnotic – both in the
Mocha with Mel
creating and the viewing.
The flow and pattern of
the design which is
fragmented by lines of
grout, the fascinating
range of tesserae that
can be used and the
ability to create an
artwork that can have
surface interest, textural
complexity and a
contrast of luminosity
and form is truly unique.
Fast forward and
you’ve achieved a great
deal for a relatively new
artist. In 2008, you
opened Out There
Designs and Mosaics
with partner Vicki
Compton, you’re work
has become renowned
across the Hastings
and most recently, you
won first prize in the
Royal Easter Show’s 2D
Mosaic category.
What’s been the
highlight of your career
so far?
I love having the
opportunity to create
artworks on a daily basis
and honoured to have
had constant
commissions over recent
years. My current
obsession is finishing
three koalas for the Hello
Koalas Sculpture Project.
Vick and I are
fully decorating two in
mosaic and the third one
is mainly painted with
mosaic highlights for
Incredible talent:
Award-winning local
artist Francessca
O'Donnell from Out
There Design and
Mosaic working on a
project as part of the
Hello Koalas initiative.
Pic: TIM O'DONNELL
Sails Resort. Considering
the size of these 3D
sculptures, it is all
consuming and lots of
fun at the moment.
How do you find the
inspiration for your
works? And what do
you believe is the key to
a good mosaic?
I find the colour,
pattern, and texture in
nature one of my biggest
inspirations. My art is
generally very colourful
and rich in pattern and
while I usually have
a good idea of what I
want to achieve, it always
takes on a life of it’s own
once I start. For me, a
good mosaic captivates
its viewer to explore and
look closer.
What’s Out There
Designs and Mosaic’s
vision for the future?
Can you see society’s
love for this ancient art
growing, and do you
hope to play a part in
making sure it does?
Life is very exciting at
the moment with so
much happening. We
have recently returned
from a very successful
exhibition in Sydney and
have a number of
new commissions to
Port Macquarie News
commence as soon as
we have completed our
Koala journey. We look
forward to creating new
and exciting artworks
and to expand our
portfolio of larger
commissions into major
cities. A new website and
online store is coming in a
few months and our
passion for mosaic is
shared regularly as we
have way too much fun
teaching the addictive art
of mosaic in our regular
mosaic workshops.
To find out more:
www.outtheredesign
andmosaic.com
Friday, June 6, 2014
13