Cory Acorn, Self Portrait  March 2020

​​This is a painting of me, relaxed and happy on a birthday trip to the beautiful Lord Howe Island in NSW just days before the 2020 lockdown.  Still feeling it!

The Story of Cory


​Cory Acorn is originally from Canada but has called Australia home since 2011. Her formal education as an Electrical Engineer did not immediately lead her to the visual arts. Cory's long standing interests in textiles, needlework, floral design and more, were foundational in her ability to rapidly grow her drawing and painting skills.  Faced with the economic downturn and job losses late in her career, Cory chose to teach herself through books, self study, and eventually in 2020, fulltime online learning with the Milan Art Institute. Today, Cory Acorn's abstract impressionist style has universal appeal, and her artwork can be found in homes and with collectors across the globe.
Fred the Goanna

This painting came into being at the end of 2020, I had lost my regular full time job in May and months down the road I was still deeply engrossed in painting my way to freedom.  I hope you can see the joy and freedom of hanging out in the warm sunshine, watching the dragonflies buzz around, and thinking about how lucky you are despite the challenges around you.  One thing I know for certain is that I have so much to be grateful for.  Fred here looks like he is pretty grateful too.

Cory’s colourfully earthy and bold artwork evokes wonder in the usual and sometimes unusual, natural world around us.  On canvas or paper, her process includes the use of various tools and media to create abstract mark making and beautifully rendered figures. Oil paint is used to complete the process and add richness and depth to her work.
Koala Light

What a change a year can make.  The bushfires in 2020 were heartbreaking to everyone around the world in terms of the toll it had on wildlife and humans in Australia.  Then Covid showed up and we all focused on our own immediate world and the dangerous pandemic.  The quiet it brought though has allowed us to focus on what really matters and how far we have yet to go.
I wanted to paint a koala to honour their plight but I did not want to portray a sad and charred image.  We've all seen too many of those this year.

Koala's to me are Australia and I painted this little guy sitting amongst healthy branches, light streaming through onto him.  It is my dream and my prayer for all those ravaged by the bushfires to sit in the light and be safe and secure.

So here he is 'Koala Light'. May the light shine down and bring us all a bright new day.

​Cory Acorn works from her home studio in Nelson Bay, NSW with her muse, Ruby the bulldog, snoring somewhere nearby. With the pandemic of 2020, Cory has turned her paintings toward memories of travel in far off lands and exploring the local treasures in Port Stephens, NSW.  A portfolio of Air, Land and Sea is currently featured on her website, www.coryacorn.art.

Q: What is unique about your painting process?​
A:  My process begins with taking photographs from all angles and in every light possible,  of something that causes me to pause. You know the moment when you see something that makes you stop, inhale, and stare, even for a split second?  That moment when all goes quiet and nothing exists but that one thing you just saw?  I pay attention to those moments.  I absorb myself in them for as long as possible, without judgement or assessment. Then I take pictures, sketch on my phone, rush home and sketch on paper everything about that moment, the colour, the light, the mood. 
My paintings start with mark making and a studied focus on colour, line and value. Usually, one of those moments I mentioned above shows itself on the canvas. Just like that. I review my images and sketches to flush out the details and finally bring that moment to life in the final stage of my process using my favourite medium, oil paint.

Just Ask!

Would you like to know more about Cory and her artwork?  Need some advice on starting your own artistic journey?  Drops us a line and she'll get back to you personally. Start your message with " Just asking..."

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