Effie Mandalos is the hardest working artist I’ve met. When she’s not rushing off to teach a class in her art school, she’s painting or picking up her kids from school. From the morning to the evening, her world revolves around art, and she’s very happy about it.

The opening of Rings Road Art Studio and Art School four years ago has seen Effie realise a dream. She’s been an acclaimed artist and an art teacher for years, but now she finally has a space to do both in her own way.

She wanted to open a technical teaching school, something that she felt early on was sadly lacking in art schools.

Her university days weren’t what she expected. “They taught me nothing, I learnt how to play pool,” she tells Neos Kosmos.

“Back when I was there in ’92, it was more like they were there to critique you, rather than teach you. It was pretty much learn from your peers.”

It was a stark contrast to her high school teachings. Under art teacher Poppi O’Conner – who actually now works at Ring Roads Art Studio – Effie was taught technical skills, perspective and composition, on a wide variety of mediums. She was hoping to continue that sort of learning, but sadly didn’t get it at university.

That experience changed Effie, and put her on a course to make sure students never lose their interest in art by mastering as many fundamentals as possible.

At Rings Road Art Studio, Effie teaches drawing, painting, print making and sculpture to all ages, but specialises in helping young students create an impressive body of work in their folios.

In fact, every single student that has come to Ring Roads has gone on to their chosen course.

“Some of them got into fine arts; I got a student into architecture, fashion design, animation, graphic design, visual arts,” she says proudly.
“They’ve all gotten in, and I believe its all about their folio. They show diversity and skill.”

She teaches in a very specific way, grounding everything in fundamental skills first, then helping the student develop their personal style.
Every student that comes in is advised to start with drawing, the bread and butter of an artist’s arsenal.

“Drawing is probably the most important part of art, you’ve got to start there,” she says.

“You learn the fundamentals, perspective, working out composition and space and tone.”

Nothing is left to chance. Beginners are taught to hold a pencil properly while using an easel and taught to wash their brushes after use.
Everyone that walks through the door at the studio is put in the same boat. All they need is a thirst for knowledge.

“I don’t teach hobbyists, I treat everybody like an artist,” Effie says.

Her career as an artist has seen Effie become a household name in the Australian art world. Most recently, she was nominated for the prestigious Glencore Percival Portrait Prize. Her work is now on display in Townsville alongside all the other nominees.

She was also called upon to exhibit her work alongside 11 other Greek Australian artists at the 2014 Antipodean Palette that launched last week.
Her work is mostly defined by her beautiful portraits, something she takes a lot of pride in. Her portrait of journalist John Silvester was entered into the famous Archibald Prize. The emphatic abstract portrait sits in her white walled studio, and she tells me it was a very difficult one to make.

Annoyed with how realistic it was turning out, Effie decided to mostly use her left hand to create more stark and accidental lines on the painting.

It’s a truly amazing portrait, easily recognizable with Silvester’s bald head taking up half the painting, while still taking the portrait outside of reality with big strong brush strokes.

Not painting exactly what’s in front of her is exactly why the art world is in awe of Effie.

“It’s not challenging, painting exactly what I see,” she reasons.

“I can’t reproduce that, why would I want to produce it so realistically. It doesn’t inspire me, I might as well take a photo.”

She interprets her view of the scene or object, and uses colour and contrast to re-interpret it on canvas.

Realist paintings that look the same from up close and far away don’t interest Effie as much as something that takes the audience on a bit of a ride.
“I really look at the push and pull of a painting, having diversity in the texture rather than the same flat work.”

She achieves this by using some scratching and rubbing techniques that expose her mistakes or previous thoughts on a canvas.

Like many artists, she struggles with finishing her work, always succumbing to the imperfections only she can see. It’s become so much of a trait in her work, that none of her paintings have ever been finished without two or three layers of something completely different underneath.

One of her self portraits sitting in her office was in fact a still life of crabs. She says she can still see her still life in some of the brushstrokes.

One of the portraits displayed at the Antipodean Palette is of her daughter Jade. The eight-year-old looks older, almost like her mother is foreshadowing her daughters development in a beautiful way.

“The portrait of Jade (her daughter), I was almost going to paint over that,” she reveals. My friends used to come and say we’re going to take that painting away from you.

“At one stage it just wasn’t working, I was scratching and rubbing it, but all that labour that you do pays off.”

And it certainly did. That portrait now sits pride of place alongside other still life paintings in the Steps Gallery.

At Ring Roads Art Studio, classes are available throughout the week on a number of topics. All ages and levels are welcome. Courses start from around $400 and go on for six weeks, with materials provided for most classes.

Effie Mandalos is currently exhibited in Melbourne at the Antipodean Pallette until June 1 at Steps Gallery on 62 Lygon St, Carlton.

Her Percival Portrait Prize nominated work is being displayed until July 13 at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Corner of Flinders Street and Denham Street, Townsville City in Queensland.

For more information, visit www.ringsroadartstudio.com.au