Local creative Jacqui Macumber & Inkah Art.

When the team at LINKS were engaged to list the property at 43 Tubular Avenue, Torquay, they were thrilled to discover the owner was local creative Jacqui Macumber of Inkah Art. The home was a dream to photograph and present to market for sale. Every room was superbly styled and Macumber's colourful artwork graced many walls. We chatted with the artist herself to discover a little more about her and her love for living in Torquay, on the Surf Coast, Victoria.

Hello Jacqui. It is a pleasure to meet you. Please introduce yourself to the LINKS community. My name is Jacqui Macumber and I'm former primary school teacher, turned self-taught artist and business owner of Inkah Art, and mother to a 3 year old daughter, Indy.

You have only resided in Torquay for a few years. What motivated you to make the sea change? I have lived in Torquay for around 2 and a half years. I have always loved the beach, and growing up I would visit the Surf Coast somewhat regularly with my family for day trips and weekends away from Melbourne. My parents retired and moved from Melbourne to Torquay several years ago, and once they moved, as many weekends and holidays were spent here as possible. I just loved being here and felt it was my 'happy place'. I said to my husband that as soon as we had children, I wanted to relocate here as it's the perfect place to raise as family. We moved here when Indy was 7 months old.

What do you love most about this wonderful region and why? Aside from the sheer beauty of the ocean, a view that I can never get enough of and will never get over, I just love the relaxed vibe. Torquay is such a chilled out place to live, and I love that. It's a very active place to live, with no shortage of people out exercising and enjoying life. The people are friendly, and it's got such a lovely feel about it. Now that I live down this way, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. It's got everything you need, and isn't even all that far from Melbourne - so you've got the best of both worlds; easy access to everything, combined with peaceful and relaxed living and stunning coastline.

Tell us all about Inkah Art. I officially started Inkah Art around about the same time as I moved to Torquay. I am a self-taught artist, but someone who has always been creative with an interest in design. As a former primary school teacher, I loved teaching in the art room, as well as the creative art/design subjects taken as part of my university degree. I have a passion for interior design, so while on maternity leave I began experimenting with creating artwork for my own home, and the positive feedback from family and friends encouraged me to share my work on social media. I have promoted and sold my work via the channels of Instagram, Facebook and my website ever since. I sell both original artwork, which are predominantly acrylic on canvas paintings, and also some ink and resin work, as well as print reproductions of my work - in either canvas or fine art giclée prints on cotton rag. Original paintings are mainly sold via commission, and stretched canvas or round canvas prints make up a significant part of my business. Inkah Art was the first to produce and sell round canvas on timber prints. I sell prints both framed and unframed pieces, and am flexible to work with clients to customise print colours, size and variations to suit their needs.

Does the Surf Coast inspire your artwork and how? Absolutely it does. Living in a coastal environment, my work is largely inspired and influenced by the beaches and the ocean, coral reefs and aerial views of sea and landscapes, and the colour and natural beauty of the local coastline. I frequently sit down at the beach drawing inspiration. It's calming, soothing and feeds your soul to breath the fresh ocean air, listen to and watch the waves roll in.

Where would we typically find you on a weekend spent in Torquay? Some of my favourite things to do are beach strolls with a coffee. We often head down to Bombora's kiosk, grab a coffee and walk along the beach with our daughter. I love going out for breakfast, with Pond being one of my favourite places to eat. Over summer we basically lived at the Bombora's roof top bar for afternoon sessions, and I'm partial to heading to somewhere like Olé for dinner followed by a cocktail or two (or three) at Senõrs!

Thanks Jacqui!

You can visit Inkah Art here:

facebook.com/inkahart

inkahart.bigcartel.com

instagram.com/inkahartgallery