Bonnie Hislop

I am a Brisbane based office girl by day, visual artist by night whose choice of medium changes with the weather. Currently working mostly in colour pencil drawings I explore notions of societal and gender norms, femininity, beauty, imperfections and insecurity. Influences include real-life experience, fashion and social trends, representations of beauty in the media and literature, surrealism and 80\'s cult fantasy cinema. Each piece takes an average of 25- 30 hours to complete and many include a back story told from the perspective of the character in the picture. From a young age my mother discouraged my sister and I from using colouring-in books and encouraged us to \'draw outside the lines\' and create our own imaginary worlds without boundaries. I credit my impulsive approach, diverse creative interests and sense of freedom in my work to these early teachings.