Annabel Wykamp – Credit: Diana Smith Photography
Annabel Wykamp is the Orange based artist who painted the regionally-themed image Hillside Daisies for Central West Mums’ limited edition Mother’s Day gift candle.
Annabel is a rapidly emerging artist who has returned to her brushes after moving to Orange nine years ago with her husband Bobby, two house renovations, two children and establishing her podiatry business. She has now fully relented to her creative side and there seems to be no end to her beautiful ideas.
Annabel was originally a Forbes girl. After leaving to study and graduate in podiatry she left with Bobby (a Eugowra boy) to travel and work in London for several years before deciding to call Orange home.
The decision has been good to them. Annabel has established her business here in the region. Bobby has a great teaching role at a local high school, and together they are working on their third flip house while planning a forever home with a local builder.
“We could have chosen anywhere to live, really, but for us it was about lifestyle.” Plus, the grandparents can easily pop over to visit the grandchildren, Carter (5) and Isla (2), so it’s a win-win.
Funnily enough, Annabel says she hates the cold but the warmth of family and friends here has clearly won them over and with them both being so busy they probably don’t have time to think about that too much. But in truth, she loves all the seasons and her paintings reflect this with her own brand of freshness.
For the CWM Mother’s Day candle project, Annabel painted two different landscapes depicting the region in shades of teal, pink, yellow and white. Having worked without the confines of a brief the designs are quite different to each another but strong to her unique style. “They could be chosen for the scene or the colours,” she said. “It just depends on the viewer.”
Annabel says she’s always been crafty and did HSC art. For practical reasons now she sketches and works in acrylics – mostly on the kitchen table while her children are resting or after bedtime.
Many of her works are currently on exhibition in Toowoomba where she has 16 regionally inspired landscapes and still lifes she calls The ever-changing seasons.
Having a few weeks off last Christmas helped Annabel put it altogether as some of the paintings required a lot of time while others came together quickly. Then, after hanging them on her wall for a week she made the final selection. View here.
“The drive to Bathurst for work can be really pretty seeing spider webs covered in frost, and seeing the canola while driving to Forbes is special, too. I really love these things. Even the drought has its own beauty,” she says, sounding like someone always appreciating their surroundings.
“The collaboration on the project has been enjoyable, and I’ve witnessed over and over how the online group has been good for Central West Mums. The questions that come through, the help that’s given and the connections I’ve made in CWM have been amazing.”
The journey of Annabel’s painting is has only just begun too, because after this Mother’s Day project is completed Hillside Daisies will be sold through Art for Floods for much needed flood relief funding to spread yet more joy.
So, one way to enjoy Annabel’s work at home is to pop a CWM candle on your wish list for Mother’s Day, or grab an original…and pop it on the wall when time permits.
Find more on Annabel Wykamp’s art here @annabel.wykamp.art or @thetowoombagallery
