Suzanne De Landgrafft Moore says ‘just pick up a pencil or put paint to paper’ if you want to be an artist

If you want to be an artist, the best way to start is to pick up a pencil or put paint to paper and don’t overthink it, says Albany painter Suzanne De Landgrafft Moore. But don’t paint rocks. Or rocks reflected under water. “It’s so hard to get them to look, well, rocky,” she says. “I struggle with rocks, and the ocean is hard too. “It’s all about the light and I try and try and try.” Moore, who paints under her maiden name of De Landgrafft, operates out of her studio in Robinson, where she creates all manner of art. She loves portraits, but also enjoys landscapes and started with botanical drawings of birds and plants some 40 years ago. Oils or pastels, it is all good for her mental health, reduces stress and keeps her smiling. “I’m happy if I’m being creative,” she said. She laughs a lot, and chats away full of enthusiasm for a passion which has consumed her since she was a young girl. “I always loved drawing, and it has always been part of my life,” she said. “My mother was very artistic and so, I suppose was my dad as he was always making us animals out of plasticine.” Talent runs in the family with her sister Jenny Broun also an artist and the president of the Beverley Station Arts Gallery and Platform Theatre. However, talent is not the be-all and end-all, according to Moore. “I’m not sure you have to be talented to be an accomplished artist — I believe it can be learnt,” she said. “If you’re starting out, it’s important to find a mentor and don’t give up. “Basically, it’s decorating; it’s colours and shapes and whatever appeals to you. “But I would say, learn your colour wheel and a bit of basic perspective.” She started monetising her skill by painting and printing on T-shirts when her children were young and then moved on to art fairs when she had gained a bit of confidence. “You have to be brave to go to those places because it can be soul-destroying,” she said. “It takes courage because most people walk past dismissively saying, ‘I see what you’re trying to do but why didn’t you just take a photo?’ “Having said that, there is no better feedback than when someone buys your painting because enjoy looking at it and they want it on their wall. “We artists need a lot of feedback, we are sensitive people who put our heart and soul into it.” The time she learnt the most artistically was when she was part of a group in Perth and regularly exhibited on the high school scene. “Schools like St Hilda’s, Shenton College and Hale had annual exhibitions,” she said. “I painted with a group of girls some of whom were properly trained and that helped me enormously.” She married and spent 20 years in Perth and then Kununurra, where she loved the birdlife and earned a few commissions. “I had a fabric and dressmaking shop, but we hardly lifted our heads from the sewing machines,” she said. “But the nature was fantastic, all those vibrant colours were just beautiful.” She now lives with partner Bob Fayers in Robinson, with her studio a few steps to the back of the house, through the kitchen and into the garden. It’s lined with her work with most of her current projects at the front of the room, where the light is best. It’s her happy place. It has always been more than a hobby, but art has also found its way into her working life, be it sewing in the Kimberley or managing a decorating store in Perth. Now she’s a volunteer, giving her time as the exhibition officer for the Albany Art Group’s Art Trail, which starts in September. The group meet at the Vancouver Arts Centre and Ms Moore is always delighted to see new faces. She’s happy to help too. Just not with rocks.