I grew up on the Sunshine Coast and have lived all my life in southern Queensland, both on the coast and in the west. I have painted most of my life but took it up consistently in 1998 under the tutelage of Sharon Ford.

When I started painting again, I began with pastel, a very forgiving medium. Pastel lends itself to the layering of colour, to give a three-dimensional feel to the work and the pure colour of pastel just sings. More recently I have added acrylic, collage and pen and wash to the media I use. Acrylics lend vibrancy to my work and collage adds interesting texture. The subject matter of my work still tends to explore the narrative. I love a painting that tells a story. My work often includes people. There is so much that the human body can communicate in the absence of the spoken word, how people are feeling, how they interact with other people and their surroundings.

Gaye Cook - Big Ben