Childers artist Tianni Hooper has her artwork proudly displayed on a large mural at the Paragon Theatre, a project she said was a dream come true.
It's one of the biggest commercial pieces Tianni said she had ever created and was an amazing opportunity to put her skills to the test.
Tianni said her love for drawing began when she travelled around Australia with her family.
Her artwork has been highlighted as part of Bundaberg Regional Council's Our People Our Stories project, which profile's local people and celebrates the community.
Born in Townsville, Tianni completed grade 6 before her parents decided to pack up their things for life on the road.
She was home-schooled while travelling across the country, meeting many people from all walks of life and taking in the sights.
It was what gave her inspiration for her art and education.
“You learn so much more about people through travelling, each day gave so much variety,” Tianni said.
“I have always loved drawing and through travelling I was self-taught.
“While we were travelling I would just draw lots of the things that I saw…it started out as a hobby.”
When Tianni was in Grade 10 her family decided to settle in Childers and she soon began finding other outlets to allow her creativity to grow.
“I kind of realised I could do something with my art during high school and when I graduated I got my first commercial project,” she said.
“Owner of The Paragon Theatre, Merissa, gave me the opportunity to paint a mural which was awesome.
“When we moved here The Paragon stood out to me the most because it's the biggest building here in Childers and the opportunity to paint the mural was a dream.”
The 19-year-old said she was always looking at new ways to showcase her art and said her biggest inspiration was people.
“I love drawing people; I don’t really know why. I think people connect to people more,” Tianni said.
“I love oil painting because you can layer it and I think because all the original masters used it.
“I started off using oil paint and drawing with charcoal pencil, then I got to high school and discovered all these other materials so I started playing around with everything else.”
Tianni said her travels and her love for art had taught her something special, to always be yourself.
“I think a lot of people struggle with that because they try to fit in,” she said.
“There is always a bigger world out there… don’t be scared, just be bold and be you.”
The first 10 stories created under the Our People Our Stories project have been released and are available to read here. Stories will be released on a regular basis over coming months.
