Why I paint with a palette knife

A story about how one milestone birthday gift changed the way I paint

I was gifted my first palette knives for my 40th birthday—something thoughtful from my hubby and kids (okay, I gave them a hint but it was a new tool I wanted to give a go and experiment with). I’d been painting already, but this felt different. I remember picking up the knife for the first time and dragging it across the canvas, not entirely sure what I was doing—but loving the texture it created straight away.

At first, I used both brushes and knives together. But as I kept experimenting, I started to realise how beautiful the marks were when I let the knife do the work on its own. I could layer thick impasto paint and build this incredible texture that didn’t just sit on the surface—it shaped the whole feeling of the artwork.

I started out painting animals, then moved into landscapes. Eventually, I fell in love with painting the beach. For over 20 years, our family has holidayed in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, Queensland—my mother-in-law lives right on the beach! We’ve spent countless hours there with the kids, watching the way people interact with the shoreline—sunbathers, surfers, walkers, readers, lovers. It’s always fascinated me how we’re drawn to the beach, not just to see it but to live inside it for a while.

That idea—how people fit into the beach environment—has become one of the driving inspirations behind my figurative beachscape paintings. And for me, I think, the palette knife is the perfect tool to capture it. There’s a looseness to it but also intention. You can sit there and fuss painting with a knife but the paint dries quickly so it forces you to commit—to paint with boldness, to let go of perfection and embrace the joy of the paint mark.

It’s that same joy I share in my workshops. I say “if you can butter toast, I can show you how to paint with a palette knife”.

Want to give it a go? Browse upcoming workshops →