What is the best thing that I love about my work? The creative process, the great details I put in my works and when I hear people tell me they found a detail after 3rd time viewing my work, that thrills me. I love being immersed in my work for hours.
What is my idea of perfect happiness? Being at one with myself, being at peace, totally. I am not kidding, I am always happy 🙂 even when some days are a tad blue or weird, I still feel happy all the time. So perfect happiness is within ourselves only, accepting ourselves and enjoying what we do, believing we can do anything we want to do.
What is my greatest fear? Getting sick especially tum bugs but I give my fears over to the angels to transmute into positive thoughts 🙂 very little fear in me.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? Clumsiness! I keep tripping over or my hands stumble on things.
Which living persons in my profession do i most admire? Jessica Douglas! 🙂 She has worked so hard for many years and makes amazing art and is such a strong soul, even when she is going through most tough times.
What is my greatest extravagance? Luxury, good hotels and perfumes
On what occasion would I lie? Only to protect others or myself if its a dangerous situation, especially if someone does not or will not understand a situation even though the situation is for the good of all, some people just cannot be trusted with understanding.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? Stumbling mistakes with lines but that gets resolved quickly. Im a good problem solver in my artworks 
and they say it can be lonely at times but I never feel lonely around my arts and the world is big enough with lots to do, dogs to cuddle, the beach, great friends and cuppas with them, and there is facebook anytime and I have a great mentor who is around to offer support with my art.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work? All the time! Especially when I was invited by Arts Access Australia as one of the 8 artists to go on an Arts exchange in Berlin in 2017. That was the most amazing experience, one I will never forget. And when I have my solo exhibitions and see many people come and enjoy my works. Also when I created my baby moon artwork – you can see me working on it in progress in video at this link on youtube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwG-jORB-5Q
If I could, what would I change about myself? I would be just hearing impaired enough to have been able to hear words clearly as a baby and child then I would be able to hear clearly with my cochlear implant. But as I was born fully deaf, I was never able to hear anything and the implant wasnt made until I was much older, so I was 13 when I had it. It helps with sounds n all but not hear words clearly.
What is my greatest achievement in work? Doing a great set of paintings of houses in the locale areas in Adelaide for the council, making it to be selected as one of the 8 artists for the Arts Exchange in Berlin by Arts Access Australia in 2017!
Where would I most like to live? In Melbourne city in a penthouse, OR in an apartment in Florence, Italy.
What is my most treasured possession? My friends and family who support me, my art materials, computer, phone and my crystals. And the great experiences I have had in life especially my overseas travels.
What is my most marked characteristic? My quirky silly humour and crazy paintings
What is my most inspirational location, in my city? Melbourne itself! It’s full of bohemian shops and cafes and galleries. The National Victorian Gallery is one, and the other is a high tea place in the Yarra Valley Ranges, and the Great Ocean Road.
What is my favourite place to eat and drink, in my city? A hard question as I love many food places. The Convent Daylesford is one, amazing food, high tea and gorgeous views overlooking from cliffs/hills. Another great place I would give credit to is Beand Cafe (yes Beand with d on end) in Wonthaggi. Friendly service and top quality cooking! Not average at all. Another beautiful cafe to go to in Wonthaggi is the Wolf on Murray. They make the best lemon slices ever!
What books influenced my life and how? To Kill A Mockingbird – it made me see life outside of my quiet world and with eyes wide open particularly what Scout had to go through without a mother.
Jodi Picoult – her works go deep within real life issues and her creativity in her writing inspires me as a painter, it allows me to lift the veil off my eyes and look in deeper my thoughts and allow them to be put onto canvas rather than held back or suppressed in fear of what others think.
Enid Blyton books – for the stories that often had a moral in them, the beautiful illustrative artworks and her creative expressions in her writing. The art of her writing and the illustrations brought me out of my shell and brought the artistic side of me out.
Who are my favorite writers? Maya Angelou, Bryce Courtenay, Leigh Byrne, Harper Lee, Enid Blyton, Jodi Picoult, and a few more.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? Not sure as I am Deaf, but I think I would listen to the three tenors for the beautiful sound tones that I would feel through my body and in my ear with an earphone.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? Kermit the frog – as funny as he was a muppet, he was a great invention by the fabulous Jim Henson also another hero of mine who I love to this day. He worked hard and created a fantastic work of art in storytelling and puppeteering.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? My mum. She raised me well and made sure I had the best ever education and made sure my cleft palate was fixed very early in life. She gave up a lot of things to bring me and my brother up well.
Eagle (Deni) for her strength!
Jay Morris, also for her strength and all that she has been through and yet she pushed on in her life and to date, when she met me she made me a promise she would help me get my art kicking high and she was true to her word, many wouldn’t.
Brett Whitley – he is not alive but he still lives on through his legacy, his artworks. I love his works and the way he worked for himself.
Those successful women and men who have built up their lives and love what they are doing, some include The Rudely Interrupted band, Andrew Hewitt and those I have watched go on to do well and you know who you are 🙂
Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime? Romulus, My Father. It’s a compelling movie and quite deep, it goes back to the roots of early settlement in Australia. And it’s well written and a beautiful story.
What role plays art in my life and work? I’m a prolific artist, I was told by my mentor that. I work day and night. My art keeps me on my toes and that is the best thing ever.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? Jay Morris, hands down! She is everything for me – a great fan, support, mentor and a great partner in crime!
Whom would I like to work with in 2018? Not sure yet….. maybe Alice Ewing and Asphyxia. They are friends of mine and artists. Asphyxia is a mixed media artist that has been doing her work for many years. Alice has just come onto the art scene with her new creations and she is already making great works. Anh Do is another artist I would love to work with one day. He is a talented portrait artist that works with emotion and his portraits are not the usual traditional works but quite emotive and that is one of the things that makes his works amazing and inspires conceptual thinking in some ways.
Which people in my profession would i love to meet in 2018? Katharine Grosse, Anh Do, Prudence Flint, Danny Gregory, Steve Reddy
What project, in 2018, am I looking forward to work on? Evolution of my Grown Up Self. It’s a new body of work taking me much deeper into my own head, psych and bringing it all out onto canvas. I’m nervous but very excited! It will be different to what I have done in the past 8 years
Where can you see me or my work in 2018? In Melbourne and Wonthaggi and Italy
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? When you love doing something so rewarding and high vibrational like art, of course the passion is never going to retire. Look at Margaret Olley… she painted up until the day she died. Passion also never retires when you feel completely happy and at one with yourself and what you are doing. Whatever you do may change but your passion inside you does not change.
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story? Angie Goto, Jann James, Alice Ewing
How can you contact me?
email gypsysnail@hotmail.com and my website http://www.chelledestefano.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gypsysnail
My Facebook group for my art only: https://www.facebook.com/groups/chelledestefanoartstudio
Here follows a message of Peter de Kuster, founder of The Heroine’s Journey
The Heroine’s Journey Membership
Become a Friend of The Heroine’s Journey
We’re sometimes not too sure how we get into good friendships. It seems to happen rather mysteriously: we talk of somewhat randomly ‘clicking’ with people. Trying to plan for it sounds like cheating. But in a busy world, the desire to socialise authentically, with interesting, like-minded people, deserves to be addressed directly.
That’s why we created The Heroine’s Journey Friends scheme. Membership gives you the right to invite creative professionals to publish their story for free on The Heroine’sJourney online. Each story made possible by you is anchored around the big idea that when we our quest let’s us travel from a person who interests us to another person who interest them and exchange stories we learn more about ourselves, meet people who can make a difference for you and have more impact in the world with telling our story. Every month, in your own city or somewhere in the world you can invite creative professionals you like to tell their story for the Heroine’s Journey website.
If you have passion for your work, you will find kindred spirits in this way of travelling. The stories you will see of creative professionals you have invited for The Heroine’s Journey are guaranteed to be stimulating and reassuring – as well as prompts to genuine connection and insight. Every creative professional you bring forward to have their story free published on The Heroine’s Journey online, you will be offering a great experience to everyone you meet.
We have two memberships programs I and II
The Heroine’s Journey Membership I Programme Includes
- The right to offer 30 creative professionals of your choice each year to tell their story with The Heroine’s Journey questionnaire as free publicity. The stories are published on the Heroine’s Journey online. Every professional published knows you are the one who made this available for them.
- The right to update your own story at The Heroine’s Journey – questionnaire and picture – two times each year to keep up with your new events, shows, books, performances, videos.
- 10% discount on all The Heroine’s Journey seminars world wide
Price is : Euro 299 for one year
The Heroine’s Journey Membership II Programme Includes
- The right to offer 50 creative professionals of your choice each year to tell their story with The Heroine’s Journey questionnaire as free publicity. The stories are published on the Heroine’s Journey online. Every professional published knows you are the one who made this available for them.
- The right to update your own story at The Heroine’s Journey – questionnaire and picture – four times each year to keep up with your new events, shows, books, performances, videos.
- The right to tell your story in more detail with the Heroine’s Journey questionnaire up to six pages online and add up to ten professional pictures of yourself and your work.
- 20% discount on all The Heroine’s Journey seminars world wide
- free entrance to the special The Heroine’s Journey in One Day conference which is held once every quarter in 2018 (the four locations in 2018 are Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona)
Price is : Euro 449 for one year
The programmes last for 365 days, after which you will be asked if you’d like to renew your subscription.
You want to become a Heroine’s Journey Friend? Mail Peter at peterdekuster@hotmail.nl to receive info how to make that happen.
The Heroine's Journey 