By Kaz Thorpe, Arts Writer
You have probably heard about Mo Skett or even better seen her art works. Mo is a remarkable person, with a full life well-lived and an artist unafraid to experiment with unconventional mediums.
Mo has travelled and worked around the world as a British diplomat. This experience sharpened her gaze and enmeshed her connection with nature. She migrated to Australia in 1967 and eventually moved to Queensland in 1991 with her family. Now a resident of Allora, she misses the spaciousness of farm life whilst still embracing the heritage culture of this friendly town.
Mo was an artist even before she began to produce works, relating that “she has always been a keen observer of the environment around her.” Work commitments however prevented her from painting full time until 2000. Proudly Mo notes that she is mostly a self-taught artist and this has served her well as her works are highly original, approachable and rich with meaning. She has experimented with most facets of art, now focussing on mixed media, printmaking, paper making and book making. Mo reveals that her array of artistic experience easily allows her to portray her desired image in the medium that best suits the subject.
Her CV is vast! Mo has won awards, had solo and group exhibitions, produced articles for magazines, published books and even Australian Wildlife Wisdom cards. She is an active member of the local arts community, previously in Gympie and Wide Way and now in the Darling Downs. As a member of the Warwick Artist Group, Mo is a considered a living treasure by her printmaking pals.
At eighty, Mo continues to be inspired to produce her art with a new exhibition at the Warwick Art Gallery from 18 February to 10 April 2021. The name Mo chose for her exhibition is ‘The Eagle Spoke’. Mo says that whilst pondering about what to call her exhibition, she spotted an eagle sky circling above her and it communicated with her: thus The Eagle Spoke. From her connections with the world’s indigenous peoples, she has absorbed a deep passion for nature. This mixed media exhibition of old and new works focusses upon this theme and through it Mo seeks to bring awareness to the preservation of nature and all her creatures. Her works, including handmade artist books, some on handmade paper will be accessibly priced.
I asked Mo what she wanted visitors to take away from her exhibition? She replied that “it is the knowledge that anyone can create art”.
“With sufficient motivation, one can achieve anything – just try it”.
The exhibition opens at the Warwick Art Gallery on Saturday 20 February at 2pm. Spark your artistic motivation with a visit to Mo Skett’s exhibition.
*this is an old article that has been digitised so our readers have access to our full catalogue.
