If you listen to Kendall-based artist and art teacher Sally Horton long enough, you could be tempted to pick up a brush and just starting painting.
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Despite being internationally recognised - her works hang in the home of the Sultan of Brunei - and regularly showcasing her works in Sydney, Sally says the simple task of seeing her students achieve and succeed gives her much inspiration.
She believes everyone has an innate sense of art or painting. It just needs to be uncovered, discovered and nurtured, she says.
"People are too often ‘fearful’,”she says. "So many people think that they can't paint, so they stop. Or, they put off painting for some vague reason.
"But painting is a primordial thing. We humans are the only creature that create an image.
"My art students work in a safe, happy environment. When they look up at the works they have achieved you get to glimpse the child in them.
"That's what is so valuable and wonderful about teaching," she said.
Sally has exhibited her works most recently in Sydney but has enjoyed success in London, and New Zealand as well.
She describes her work as semi-abstract with some landscapes that are semi-representative.
"Some of my work is very abstract and probably doesn't represent anything but people tend to find what they want in them”, she said.
I was never one to be stuck in doing just one style. And while I didn't realise it, it was certainly a gift.
- Sally Horton
"Every now and then I will go into semi-realism work but a lot of my work is not representative.
"I was never one to be stuck in doing just one style. And while I didn't realise it, it was certainly a gift."
The artist says she honed her craft in London where she would take any commission on offer.
"I was raising two children in London and I was involved in botanical work, particularly on furniture and materials.
"Being exposed to that range of work really taught me to be able to paint well in any form.
"When you paint on commission - to specific orders - you have to use many different techniques.
"That helped my work evolve; it gave me an tools to tackle different mediums," she said.
After returning to Australia, Sally spent many years on the northern beaches where she maintained her teaching and working on large-scale commissions in Australia, NZ and Asia.
Fourteen years ago, along with partner Ian Daymond, the couple purchased a former dairy farm on a hill overlooking Kendall and up the Lorne Valley.
"We built this steel shed first which was destined to be my studio.
"After moving up here, we lived in the shed before building our main home.
"The light is fabulous in here, so I will start work early in the morning and finish up around 1pm. Often I will come back in the evenings to continue working," she said.
Although not greatly involved in the local art scene, Sally has some praise for those who continually strive to promote art.
"There is a great little art show at Hannam Vale which is certainly gathering speed each year," she said.
"And the Kew Pop-Up Gallery is just so very brave. I do hope that it is well supported.
"We also have the beautiful Glasshouse which is a fabulous building in Port MacQuarie.
"I think the local art scene continues to gather momentum.
"There are plenty of pockets of active art and art teachers in and around the area, and we should do much more to support them."
She wants to see local art gaining greater priority on the Mid-North Coast.
"People need to consider whether they can spend $300 or $500 on a print from a furniture store or they can spend the same amount at the Kew Pop-Up Gallery and have an original piece that is an investment," she added.
Sally says the future includes continuation of teaching and striving for balance between life and art.
