Meet our Featured Artists
2024 Graceville Art Festival Featured Artist – Robert Maas
Bob successfully exhibited and sold multiple pieces at the 2023 Art Festival and was selected as this year’s feature artist.
Bob works primarily in oils and pastels and loves the outback and the great outdoors. Bob has always been keen on artwork and showed talent from a young age. His grandfather was an artist, and an Uncle who lives in Spain is a professional artist. Bob’s talent in art is a great strength and outlet for his creativity. He is a prolific artist and has a strong drive to continue drawing and painting. Bob uses pastels with excellent results and has won awards with them. He has a great understanding of mixing colours and is particularly skilled at painting trees in his colourful landscapes. Bob loves outback scenes as he lived in Cobar NSW as a child. He enjoys painting on a large scale on unframed canvases.
Bob paints from life and photographs and exhibits every year in the MIFQ Art Exhibition in Brisbane. In 2015, Bob was chosen as Supporting Artist for the MIFQ Exhibition which was a great success. In 2016, Bob was again invited to exhibit along side 24 selected Artists to represent 25 years since the MIFQ Exhibition started. He also exhibits in the Atrium Gallery at Buderim Craft Cottage and over the last two years has sold paintings and cards at the Gallery and has his own exhibition there. He also has sold his work at art exhibitions in the local area and at Nambour Show. Graduated from Queensland College of Art with a certificate in Applied Art and Honours in Drawing, Painting and Illustration, in 1986 -Steps Disability Award 2004- Awesome Aussies- Artist of the Year Award - Third Prize Pastel- Nambour Show 2010 -Highly Commended Pastel - Nambour Art Show -Commended Pastel- Glasshouse Country Festival 2011 - Highly Commended Oil - Nambour Art show 2015: third place for pastel 2016.
2023 Graceville Art Festival Featured Artist - Billie Baxter
2024 Graceville Art Festival website - selected artwork for website banners & design
Billie is a Sunshine Coast local artist who has enjoyed creating from a young age. Prevented from painting in the past due to medical issues, Billie enjoyed the challenge of once again gaining back the ability to be able to paint. She enjoys being able to give back to the Community and loves spending time at the Nambour Community Centre. Billie is passionate about raising awareness about the plight of homeless women on the coast and also likes to donate a couple of her works each year to places like the Bat for Will Foundation, earlier this year a mural to Coolum State Primary etc.
Billie enjoys doing work that engages the mind, where things aren’t always as they seem. “Our journey is never a straight line, there are many curves, unders and overs. Just like the metallic used in some of my pieces, we strive to shine through”. “Painting is my therapy. Painting is my meditation. Painting is my happy place.”
