#BCreative Artist Q&A - Victoria Duggan

We had a chat with artist Victoria Duggan to talk about her Plein Air Albion exhibition, inspiration and what to expect from the exhibition.

Victoria Duggan is an accomplished painter based in Melbourne’s west. Growing up surrounded by some of Melbourne’s prominent artists, she developed a lifelong passion for art. Her diverse body of work spans contemporary pieces and impressionistic landscapes, with a focus on oils applied with palette knives or brushes, as well as experimentation with mixed media. In 2023, she founded the Albion Plein Air Artists Group, which paved the way for this debut solo exhibition, Plein Air Albion..

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Describe yourself in one sentence.

I have a passion for creativity and hands-on work; combining skills in painting, building, gardening, cooking, crafts and kid rearing.

What is your chosen medium(s) and why?

My chosen medium is oil on canvas board because I enjoy buttering on thick paint and creating a textural artwork. Canvas board is a great option, as it has more resistance than stretched canvas when using pallet knives.

What/who inspires you?

My local community inspires me - through my day-to-day interactions, observations of strangers connecting with their environment and my personal experiences of being involved in activities through local community groups. It fills my inspiration bucket, metaphorically speaking!

Tell us the back story of your exhibition.

Plein air Albion evolved from a desire to sit and paint by the local creek with fellow artists on Sunday mornings. My ambition to build a network of local painters then became a way of show casing the beautifully quaint landscape of Albion.

What do you want people to take away from your exhibition?

I hope that people learn a little bit about the history of Albion and can feel & hear the mindfulness that I have experienced whilst creating my paintings.

Who are your favourite artists?

I have so many, but here are just a few - Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Clifton Pugh, Howard Arkley, Pamela Irving, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Del Kathryn Barton & my good friend Lucy Fekete.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Tough question! Still painting and making things. I’d like to incorporate more of the craft I have been working, on into my art. I’d also like to be working with the local arts and crafts community so that I can share my experience & skills, as well as learn from the years of combined knowledge out there.

Instagram: instagram.com/VAP_ART