ABOUT
The Artist:
AMBER HOLMES
Hi! Hello! Welcome!
My name is Amber and I am a young artist in my twenties currently residing in Melbourne VIC, Australia. I love to create striking abstract alcohol ink and mixed media artworks, and beautiful functional art pieces including resin shapes, plant pots and coasters.
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Art has always had a habit of finding me throughout my life in it's many forms. My journey began with charcoal/graphite drawing and acrylic painting teaching me technique and patience in my early years. Discovering photography throughout high school and into university years helped to refine my skills in composition and digital processing. The final destination - abstract fluid art - has revealed a creative outlet for when I am not working my day job as a Forensic Chemist (that's right, I have two jobs that I love!).
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Here is a little snippet of some of my exhibitions and awards over the years; 2013 - Young Australian Art Award in Photography; 2015 - RAW Merge Artist Showcase (Belconnen ACT); 2019 - Banyule Award for Works on Paper (Ivanhoe VIC); 2021 - Noble Park Community Art Show (VIC); 2022 - Mernda-Doreen Community Bank Pop-Up Exhibition (VIC); 2022 - Incognito Art Show (Sydney NSW); 2022 - An Exhibition (The Golden Fleece Hotel VIC);
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Aside from my indisputable loves: art and science, I have always held a deep love for the all things nature. I am never short on animal affections - currently two rescue cats, an excitable greyhound noodle dog and two tanks of fish keep me company (as well as my super-supportive other half).
I am always looking for ways to be more sustainable in my home and work lives. As Shake the Tree Art grows, I strive to find ways to minimise the impact of my art-making processes on the environment by decreasing waste and recycling as much as possible.
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If you have any tips or tricks for recycling and reducing waste please let me know through my contact form!
The Business:
SHAKE THE TREE ART
Shake the Tree Art began in 2012 as a Facebook venture by an overly enthusiastic Year 11 art student living by the sea in northern NSW, Australia - originally called Amber Holmes Photography and Art. At the time, I was moving from drawing and acrylic painting into photography. As such, the page originally featured mainly drawings and photography and later moved deeper into photography.
Between 2013 and 2015, I was regularly attending photoshoots with clients and had a number of my images used by various local companies for advertising. For 12 months I was employed by 1720models as primary photographer, however eventually university life in Canberra took over and I had to lay down the camera, paintbrushes and pencils for a couple of years.
After completing my Honours degree in science, my passion for painting was re-enlivened in early 2019 after receiving alcohol inks as a gift (remember that super supportive other half?) - and Shake the Tree Art was reborn.
Since this time, Shake the Tree Art has grown across Instagram and Facebook, and became an established Australian small business in early 2020. Shake the Tree Art now supplies commissioned alcohol ink artworks and functional art to collectors across Australia and internationally, and also services the local community through market stall appearances around the Melbourne area. In 2022, I launched my Alcohol Ink Art Classes which allow me to share this very important part of myself with others and watch them grow into fellow artists alongside me!
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The Vision:
GIVING BACK
Shake the Tree Art has developed from a wonderful hobby which more or less pays for itself, and giving me the opportunity to use this passion project as a vessel for giving back to the community, supporting campaigns and organisations in alignment with my own passions and values - and with as little impact on the environment as possible.
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Shake the Tree Art has donated to a number of charities including:
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WIRES - 2020 Bushfire Appeal
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Wildlife Victoria - 2020 Bushfire Appeal
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Forever Friends Animal Rescue
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Lifeline Australia
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SES - Phoenix Journal Sponsor 2021
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Australian Animal Protection Society
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GIVIT - Art for Floods 2022
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Charlie's Run for Kids 2022
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Studio A - Incognito Art Show 2022
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Rachie's Ratirement Home - Artist Collaborator (ongoing)
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Greyhound Adoption WA (ongoing)
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These donations and amazing fundraising efforts from Shake the Tree Art's network of supporters form a very important part of my vision for this business and one which I will continue to develop as an intrinsic part of it.
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This is absolutely impossible without everyone who has and will contribute to this journey and the realisation of this dream.
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Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this community, for supporting my art, and for allowing me to make a difference in any way that I can.
Want to know more?