From a young age I have always been artistic and enjoyed painting and creating. I became a florist in my early 20s.

Concentrating on my career and travel I ceased painting for decades.

I moved to Toowoomba when I was pregnant with my first daughter, 11 years ago. I concentrated on family, work and started a floral business. When my career moved in a different path and I sold the business, I felt like I was missing my creative outlet. I began to paint again. It took me a while to ‘find my groove’, the best way I could express what was happening internally. I tried a lot of different styles, subjects, mediums. And I still experiment every day.

I don’t call myself an artist, I feel artists can paint anything. I can’t, I can only paint what I have felt, as in with the figures I paint, or how I perceive something, as in with my landscapes.

I have always been very much into nature, and admiring it for all that it is, within my floristry style I was very organic – do what nature does. I hope to do that with my abstract landscape art. There are no rules with nature, it grows naturally, beauty is in the imperfections nature produces. And nature tells a story. I hope to portray that.

As humans we desire the power to connect, creating something that connects with someone is almost a validation of ‘I have felt that way too, you are not alone’.

With the women I paint very internally, from experiences. I believe it helps me heal. When someone tells me that they felt what I created, they experienced those same feelings, that strengthens me.

My art makes me experience and feel what I am going through, confirm it, acknowledge and not try to turn away from it. Being present for the struggle and not denying it, heals and strengthens a person. I am hoping while I heal myself I can actually heal someone else making the same connection, acknowledging it. And at the same time creating some fun art that will not only decorate the recipients home, but each time they look at it remind them of their strength.

Corrie Van Brooks - The worst part of being strong is no one asks you if you're ok