Ever look at a piece of art and just get lost in its beauty and find yourself smiling through a whirlwind of thoughts? Because same. Often for us, when the art is bigger and brighter it often is better – let’s be honest. And one local artist that gives us serious love heart eyes is Tania Blanchard. You may recognise her impasto dots style art from The Block, or prestigious magazines like Queensland Homes or Home Beautiful. Read on to find out about her creative process and her local loves.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I’ve been on the Gold Coast in Burleigh for almost 18 years. A whole lifetime — in fact, my first son was only 9 months old when we moved here from Sydney. There have been a lot of milestones here.

Burleigh has definitely changed in those 18 years. It’s pretty cliche but my husband at the time got his dream job here and was mad about surfing so we just up and moved and I haven’t left since.

I have seen Burleigh change over the years from what seemed like a very quiet, low-key street to now a super cool place that everyone wants to live in. Amazing restaurants, great clothing stores and an atmosphere that is exciting and very welcoming.

Experiencing the change has been phenomenal. One thing that hasn’t changed in the laid-back feel that Queensland will always offer — you can still head straight off the beach and walk around bare feet — it’s great!

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
Apart from the obvious things like the amazing beaches, surf breaks, laid-back lifestyle and fabulous weather, there’s a really cool art scene here. I used to own an art gallery in Burleigh where I was in the thick of the local art community. I met some amazing and talented local artists and we are still friends today.

There’s a real stereotype about what Gold Coasters are, but once you go deeper than the surface the people are fantastic. So it’s the down-to-earth and gorgeous friendships that I have made over the years that make me love the Gold Coast. Most of these wonderful friendships were made when my kids were young so we have been friends for years. We support one another, and go on family holidays together. I feel very grateful for these genuine friendships that will last a lifetime.

We know better than to listen to what other people have to say because narrowmindedness doesn’t exist within my group of friends’ community. It’s like anywhere, people judge a book by its cover, but you need to read the book to fully understand the characters and the story.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Personally, none of my days are planned out, I just fly by the seat of my pants mostly. It’s different every day and it kind of revolves around my three kids. They are home from school around 3:30 pm and I am always still trying to paint in my studio as I work quite late until it’s dinner time. I would love to say I put my feet up and read the paper and relax sometimes but there’s a lot that goes into running a busy household and business.

Professionally, I’m a one-woman show. I could work on my business 24 hours and still not get everything done because there is always something on the go. I love to start my day with a chai tea (or two) and answer a few emails. Then I do like to go into my studio and paint while the kids are at school. I go into my little world here. It’s my space and I love it. I often listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I paint. But then I often play nothing and just transcend into silence. I do like being absorbed in my thoughts as I’m so busy crazy in the outside world that sometimes having silence is just bliss…just me and my palate knife surrounded by colourful canvasses.  And sometimes play music (really loud) and I have been known to dance and sing. I can be a bit daggy but I don’t care…no one is watching (hopefully)!

What’s been your journey to becoming an artist? 
I often joke that I have been around the sun a few times… and it means that I have had a few different careers, but it has always been associated with art. I’ve been very connected to art. Even as a young girl, I would spend hours drawing so it was no surprise that I went on to pursue a visual art degree. I had great relationships with my teachers and mentors and that has shaped who I am as an artist today. I started having art exhibitions in the pre-internet days and back then I felt like it was really hard for artists to make a living as I certainly wasn’t making any money as an artist.

I went on to do graphic design studies and was a graphic designer for 15 years. I sang in a band plus worked as a DJ while I was doing this job, there were plenty of creative outlets during this time. My life has always been about creativity, writing songs, playing music, designing and learning about art, but I wasn’t sure where it was all going to head…

Moving from Sydney to the Gold Coast and starting a family meant becoming a full-time Mum so art took a backseat for a while. I had this longing to get back to my roots as an artist and started to see other people sharing their art on IG and it made me just think — I need to go on and do it. About eight years ago it took off and I haven’t looked back since.

How would you describe your work?
My work is made up of highly textural impasto dots or markings made with varying sizes of pallet knives. My pieces often start with layers of dark colours at the bottom and the last layers are usually lighter therefore there’s a sense of depth to each painting. Because the final layers are usually made with a smaller palate knife therefore my paintings from a distance can have a ‘dot’ look about them. When people ask what I’m up to, I have this joke that I say ‘Oh, just dropping dots’ — meaning I’m going to go and paint with my pallet knife.

I’ve always been drawn to bright colours and also have a love for clashing colours and warm colours against cool colours. I find this adds another dimension to my work. I intend that the way I arrange the dots will draw people into the picture. My desire is for my work to make people feel something — colour theory and psychology behind the emotional state when viewing different colours are super interesting to me.

My work is three-dimensional — paintings so textural they cast shadows — like it’s almost a combination of sculpture and painting, but on a canvas. They always look different depending on what time of the day it is and the way they are lit so they have a distinct versatility about them. I’ve even had feedback from my collectors about how much the painting changes and that they see something new every time they look at it.

What has been the biggest opportunity and/or challenge so far for you?
It was my friend Simone founder of the gorgeous Kira & Kira interiors store that first spotted my artwork via Instagram over eight years ago. She loved what I was doing and said that she’d love to sell my art in her store.  I was so excited at this prospect and even more excited when my first artwork was sold only a couple of weeks later. The next artwork was sold only a couple of minutes after I delivered it to K&K and this was the start of something a bit crazy and where it all took off. Artworks would sell almost immediately after I delivered them and I almost couldn’t keep up with the demand. My artwork takes so long to create. So I do have Kira and Kira to thank for my first opportunity of getting my artwork out into the world. We remain the greatest of friends and continue to support one another still to this day.

My second opportunity was back in 2017 when my artwork was featured in Ronnie and Georgia’s award-winning room on The Block. This was huge for me. I think I got over one thousand followers in a day (and more as the show went on) plus my art was featured in the background when all the homes went up for auction. The sale of my prints from that episode went off so I got lots of exposure from a different kind of audience.

I also believe that the best opportunities are often created by you. When I owned an art gallery and held my solo exhibitions and supported other artists it was an incredible opportunity to be a part of the local art community. Through hosting events at the gallery I was able to meet all sorts of people from art lovers to art directors and curators and even rockstars like Amy Shark who came along to my solo exhibition and now owns one of my artworks which hangs in her entranceway here on the Gold Coast…it was a magical time in my life.

Running my gallery wasn’t without its challenges. Everything was self-funded, from the exhibition marketing to the drinks served — I worked hard and paid for it all myself while creating art and supporting others to create their works too.

Just the everyday challenges of running a business on your own there’s a lot of juggling as I have three teens at home, life is very busy but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I find it hard to switch off sometimes but it’s not a chore at all, I love that I can be an artist and do what I love every day — it’s so rewarding to be able to push myself towards my goals.

What’s on the cards for the rest of 2023?
There are plenty of new opportunities for me this year. With my art, I am always wanting to extend and push myself into new creative endeavours. I’d love to combine my art with sculpture and I’m currently working on a piece that from a distance looks completely different on the outside to what it is on the inside…a parody that often I am met with people judging people before they get to know someone.

This year I am working on my solo show to be held around the middle of the year. I’m not sure of the location just yet but it will be somewhere that is unusual and where you would find a ‘normal’ art exhibition. I like the idea of showing work and juxtaposing my art against an obscure location. It will be the complete experience — the location, the invitation, the viewing itself… I’m planning for it to be a huge interactive event.

What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever been given?
It might not necessarily be business advice but it’s important to know who you are and trust your intuition. Whether with artistic expression, collaborations or business decisions, you have to back yourself 100%. Follow your gut. Ultimately you are the one who knows what works and what doesn’t. Take a breath and listen to yourself, you will make the right decision. I’ve had to learn how to trust the process, stay in my lane and just push myself past the fear of something not working.

What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café/coffee spot: I love my chai. I don’t drink coffee so chai is my obsession and I am always on the hunt for a great one. Paddock in Burleigh does it well.
Restaurant: OOOOh This is a hard one as there are so many good restaurants in Burleigh now. Can I say three? I would have to Jimmy Wah’s. It’s been around for years but the food is always amazing as well as the service. And Restaurant Labart and also Light Years. These restaurants always serve exceptional food and service and have a great vibe so you feel like you’re getting the whole experience… I rarely go out these days so I like to know that I am going to have the best experience going to any of these places.
Bar or place for a drink: You really can’t beat the views and atmosphere of the Burleigh Pavillion. I know a lot of my male friends go to this next place but I’ve often been known to break the stereotype and meet up with my gal pals for a quick Friday afternoon bevy at The Crabpot. It’s very down-to-earth, friendly and has a local Burleigh vibe and I feel often like a spring chicken here which is nice for a change.
Beach: Nothing beats south Burleigh. All my three kids love to surf, especially my two older boys so you will often find them surfing Burleigh and how lucky are they to be living so close to one of the world’s best surf breaks. I have gone out with them but I just end up sitting on my surfboard watching them at least I’m out in the water.

How do you choose to spend your days off?
I’m lucky if I get a day off to spend doing entirely what I want to do. On those rare occasions, I just go to the beach, maybe for a run or go to pilates. I love to take Millie, my loyal pooch who is always by my side for walks. She also loves the beach and comes swimming out with me. Even if the waves are enormous she will always be right behind me trying to keep up.

The Gold is absolutely brimming with local creatives, some brand new and some having been a part of establishing our local cultural scene.

One such longstanding artist is Dan Mason, a painter who will this week paint a live portrait at his pop-up show The Journeyman.

We sat down for a chat with Dan about his unique ability to create incredible art with knives and what to expect from this weekend’s show.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I went to Miami High School in the late ‘80’s, surfing everyday before and after class. My working/ocean time ritual is pretty much still the same to this day.

What do you love most about living here?
Our clean slice of the Pacific Ocean

Tell us about how you came to be a full-time artist?
While at Uni in the mid 90’s, I worked as an old-school Photographic Retouch Artist (with brushes), designed, built and painted furniture in my garage and always yearned to work for myself honouring the gift of creative consciousness. I took the plunge ‘full-time’ at the start of ’03 after returning home from an overseas trip, where I became scarily ill. It was then that I decided that life’s too short to not do what you love – or at least give it a red-hot go.

What’s unique about your work?
I’d loosely suggest that I’ve spent between 200k-300k hours, with an emphasis on perpetual experimentation and painting in my studio. Remember, they’re only mistakes if you don’t learn from them. My painterly approach has metamorphosised into a delicate attack, with palette knives in hand & thick impasto oil movements.

Tell us about The Journeyman…
Firstly I’m painting a new portrait live in the gallery both days. Hopefully the cleaning bill after I leave isn’t too big! This two-day show is allowing me to connect with collectors who have acquired my artwork from Red Hill Gallery in Brisbane, over the past fifteen years, as well as some new faces. I guess I’m most known for my abstracted sensibilities and there’ll be most of the thick abstract oil paintings that I’ve created from the past twelve months on show AT 2005 PRICES! I’ve been developing my love of portraiture in recent times and will have a few 100x150cm pieces ready to go to good homes too. I’ve also created many very affordable smaller framed works for those who only have small walls to fill. They’re half their normal price for the weekend – that’s two-for-one.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to make their passion for art into a full-time career?
Be good at what you do and work harder than everybody else. Build relationships. Be very humble.

What’s in the works for the rest of 2019 for you?

I’m obsessed with developing my portraiture and painting people who contribute generously to our society. More of this is what I’m aiming for.

Tell us your favourites on the Coast…
Cafe for breaky: Neighbourhood Espresso, Currumbin Waters
Coffee spot: Dune Café at Palm Beach Parklands
Restaurant for dinner: Balboa Italian in Palm Beach
How does your weekend usually look: Hanging with my wife and two young sons at the park/beach. I love working in my backyard landscaping and gardening on Sundays too – it’s my outdoor ‘man-cave’. If I’m lucky, I get to watch one game of AFL on the box each weekend.

Our sweet, sweet So-Po. There’s something we just love about Southport, maybe it’s the fact that they’ve got bulk bars and restaurants so hunger never has to enter our vocabulary again. Or maybe it’s how you can get a coffee hit and hit of golf done in half a day and then soak up those Broadwater views for the rest of it – shall we go on?

All we know is that there are so many goodies in this CBD gem we couldn’t list them all or you’d be here all day and we know you’re all about less reading and more doing! (same). Here’s our round-up of local approved must-do’s!

The all-in-ones

The retailers in Southport get that you’re busy – it is the CBD after all – so time is of the essence and efficiency is the word over here. Brickworks Ferry Rd has everything from the Standard Market Co to get those dinner essentials or to make the perfect charcuterie boards, to Cardamom Pod, bring those ‘gram-worthy acai bowls and a brunch menu that will have you coming back for more.

Upping the ante with a little bit of everything, Queen Street Village is just off the Smith St Motorway, so you can pop in for the essentials from gourmet grocer Jones & Co IGA. No time to meal prep? Grab some Asian eats at Wu Kong with peckish plates to keep you going, or a classic pub feed from The Queen’s Arms for your parmy fix. When all that eating has got you zonked, get your caffeine hit at Sens Coffee and pop into DENDY to catch the latest flicks and a moment of peace and quiet.

Now, did we hear you say retail therapy? Enter: Australia Fair. With the big names in fashion all in one spot, along with our biggest vice Kmart, on the store list, say goodbye to your savings, but hello to a fresh new look. Once you’ve shopped till you dropped, it’s time to start your Tour-de-Food at Australia Fair Metro, think pho, dumplings and desserts by the dozen.

For Bakery Treats

No man is left behind at Made With Love who delivers on 100% vegan cakes, pies and pastries– because you know what they say, a doughnut a day keeps the doctor away…or something like that. And why should our vegans not be part of the action?!

Keeping the Euro-bakery vibes rolling is 5B2F Ciabatta, the Southport spin-off from the cult-fave Chirn Park bakehouse, slinging everything from flaky croissants and glossy danishes to ciabatta sandwiches stuffed with all the good things (hello truffle ham and cheese toastie). It’s a grab-and-go carb paradise where sourdough, dreamy pastries and show-stopping cakes are baked fresh daily – basically your daily bread, but make it boujee.

For A Coffee

Coffee addicts, Southport’s got you covered with experiences like SupermarCat Cat Café, which – you guessed it – comes with a side of kitty cuddles with your caffeine fix, it’s so good we won’t judge if you start purring along with your furry friends.

For the more traditional café vibe, Humble Café might be humble by name, but they’re big on variety from classic cold drips to matcha espresso.

Joining the caffeine crew, but with a twist, is Yellow & Butter. Tucked neatly inside Cloud 9 Car Wash, they’ve officially upgraded your car washing experience with a side of brunch. Our advice is to start with the cheesecake!

Cheek Café serves up wholesome bites, knockout coffee and top-tier banter, all wrapped in a peachy-pink, personality-packed space. While Broadwater Café is a local fave for its stellar brews and arguably the most scenic sip spot in Southport. Coffee with a side of waterfront wow.

If you prefer your coffee topped with cold foam, or paired with a sweet treat on the side (hello, Dubai Mochi Cookie) Milestone should be at the top of your hit list.

For A Drink

You already know we’re partial to a cold beverage to round out the day, but if you’re after a side of live music with that, then Vinnies Dive is the only place to get your fix and an ice-cold brew all in one.

Just across the tram line, nothing says Southport more than a cocktail (or 5) on Mr PP’s rooftop, perched above Nerang Street so you can people watch till your heart’s content. Keeping the rooftop vibes going strong, Aviary Rooftop at Southport Sharks have an epic cocktail menu that talks a big game, and luckily for us, it doesn’t just live up to expectations – it’s even better.

Also at Southport Sharks, Kaktus Bar is your go-to for a vibrant cocktail. Yep, this place delivers a thirst-quenching margarita as you’ve never tasted. One of those (or a few), paired with live music and a lineup of tacos, and you have yourself a fiesta!

Carafe Wine is an eco-conscious space offering top-notch wine from all the most renowned vino regions and zero-waste practices, plus a unique menu of sharing boards.

For Good Eats

Hello foodies, thought we forgot about you? We could never! Kicking us off is the Japanese eatery, KatsuCo which churns out iterations of its namesake dish – traditionally coated in crunchy panko crumb and slathered in curry sauce.

For those on-the-go looking for the ultimate grab-and-go, Shiro Gelato & Snack knows what’s up with a selection of Japanese market eats like housemade Onigiri to get you fueled up and ready to tackle the day and gelato to finish because there’s always room for a sweetie treatie.

River House brings waterfront dining to the table with relaxed Broadwater views and a modern menu that works just as well for long lunches as it does for sunset dinners.

A bit of a two-in-one is Fire Baby & Ember. Upstairs, Fire Baby serves up comfort by the slice; wood-fired pizzas crafted from premium ingredients. Downstairs, Ember is where you can get flame-licked steaks and charcoal-grilled seafood.

Since we’re on a food journey around the world, you’ll be happy to know that Southport is pretty much THE place to get your Korean BBQ fix – yep, we found and 6 smokin’ hot Korean BBQ spots on the GC and would you believe 5 of them call our humble CBD home. Yep, Southport officially has a license to grill.

Local Attractions

So, you’ve got your coffee fix and tum full- now you’re looking to get at one with nature? Obviously, your next stop has to be Broadwater Parklands. It doesn’t matter if you’re just there for a hot girl walk or trying to find a way to keep your tribe occupied, the shared pathway makes it the ultimate for everyone, whether you’re in your running era or just keen to take in the Broadwater views while you bike and play.

Fancy a bit more adventure, we hear you say? We got you. Tee off for a full day of fun at Southport Golf Club so you can let your inner Tiger Woods run wild on the green. If land has got you feeling like a fish out of water, then pop on over to the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre for a mermaid moment with things like group fitness classes – hello aqua aerobics – as well as Olympic-length swimming pools for the pros and splash pads for the little tackers.

If you’re keen to try something a little different, the Gold Coast Indoor Shooting Centre and The Shooting Centre both deliver a high-adrenaline experience with a strong focus on safety and guidance, making them approachable for first-timers and seasoned shooters alike.

If switching off and resetting is more your vibe, Vikasati Bathhouse is Southport’s answer to full-body bliss, offering hot and cold pools, saunas and spa-style experiences designed to melt stress away without ever leaving the city.

Words by Chelsea Ipsen