Celia Duff

I was born and raised in Dunedin and am proud to call this vibrant and artistic city home. I have loved art from an early age, but after a less than positive experience in high school, abandoned the idea of being an artist. For many years I worked in administrative roles and also survived a stint at law school.

The pull to be an artist never left and I always found myself coming back to the creative life. When my children were young in the late 1990s and early 2000s I was encouraged to pick up my pencils and paintbrushes again. It was at that time I discovered a love for portraiture and enjoyed attending a group tutored by Bill Graham and held in the previous Art Society premises.

After becoming an artist member of the Society in 2003, I let self-doubt get the better of me and to my great regret abandoned the art life again. For seven years I worked in my own creative business, designing and handcrafting wedding stationery. A few years ago, a visit to the Edinburgh Realty exhibition reawakened my love of fine art. Since that time, I have immersed myself in online classes, practising skills and exploring new techniques and mediums. I enjoy incorporating my passion for vintage into my art. Old family photo albums are one of my greatest sources of inspiration. The faces of the people captured in a moment in time are always intriguing to me.  I enjoy working in a variety of mediums and currently paint mostly in acrylic.  I also enjoy mixed media and incorporating collage into my vintage pieces.