I am Kerrie Grant, an Australian contemporary artist based in Albury, NSW, creating original paintings and fine art prints inspired by Australian wildlife, animals, nostalgic scenes and everyday moments

Working across oils, acrylics and mixed media, my art is colourful, expressive and often a little playful, with a strong focus on personality, character and connection.

Creativity's been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I was fascinated by my uncle's art growing up — he would draw me a picture every week, without fail — and I designed my first dress at seven. My Year 5 teacher was the one who told me to keep drawing and exploring art and that stuck with me longer than I probably realised at the time.

Life took me down a different path for a good while though — I spent 28 years working in health and became a mum in my early twenties, which honestly has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Raising my kids (and now watching my grandkids grow) gave me a whole new way of seeing the world — a lot more wonder, a lot more curiosity — and that's stayed with me.

Now that I'm an empty nester, I've found my way back to my creative roots properly and I'm loving it. Over the past few years I've been building my own style with inks, acrylics, oils and a mix of textural mediums.

My art comes from emotion and connection more than anything — it's a reflection of my life so far, balancing family, work and creativity and finding the joy in making something from the heart.