Yaeli Ohana

Resume

A Visual Artist for over 20 years, Yaeli Ohana has exhibited in commercial galleries in Sydney, Melbourne and Internationally. She has held numerous solo exhibitions, and holds a Master of Fine Art in Painting (Minoring in Art History) with Distinction, from the Pratt Institute, New York City.

Known as a highly imaginative and enthusiastic professional Visual Arts Educator, Yaeli has taught Painting and Drawing for over 20 years. She has worked as an Academic at the College of Fine Arts (UNSW), University of Technology Sydney and Nepean Tafe.

For over 13 years she has been an Artist Educator at the Brett Whiteley Studio and Art Gallery of New South Wales.

I always strive to develop comprehensive programs consistent with my knowledge of Contemporary, Experimental and Traditional Art Practice.

email ysohana@gmail.com
instagram @yaeli_ohana_artist


Q & A with Yaeli Ohana (August 2016)

1. What do you know about the Workshop Arts Centre?
I feel thrilled to be invited as a Visiting Artist, as I used to come to the centre many years ago as a child. My mother recognised my enormous appetite for art making and brought me to classes here, where I discovered new ways to draw, paint and work with clay. So the centre has a nice history for me.

2. What can people expect when they attend your workshop?
Participants of my abstract painting workshop can expect to come away using new techniques and feeling more confident handling paint. They will be encouraged to trust their instincts and explore their own unique visual voice. I will assist them in whatever they need to reach these goals. They can expect to have fun in the process too, I hope!

3. What currently inspires your work?
The horizon between ocean and sky inspires my latest body of work. The horizon, an ethereal meeting point, is where possibility lies. It’s the place where I can dream, wish, hope and be thankful for all I have. Here I find peace, presence, solitude, connection, mystery, and vast expanse. I connect here with nature and inner human experience, and the minute grains of sand I relate to the cells in our body. This simple experience of connection makes such a difference.

4. Have you any mentors or teachers that have influenced your practice?
I have had many mentors along the way to becoming an artist. Immediately coming to mind is Laura Murray-Cree, former Editor of Art and Australia, Artist and Teacher Glenn Sujo, and photographer and friend Colin Beard. I have also learnt much about art and presenting work in my friendship with Wendy Whiteley. And meeting Brett Whiteley at a young age made me aware that being an artist could be a career choice.