HER grandfather was a legendary Australian artist, known as the father of Outback painting.
And at 16, Chloe Hart is following in Pro Hart’s footsteps, carving out a successful career as a painter.
The talented high school student, from the Sunshine Coast, has already made a tidy sum from the sale of 24 paintings. “There are a lot of artists that have inspired me over the years; my dad, my grandfather and some of the other greats whose paintings I’ve grown up around,” said Chloe, whose father is artist and gallery owner David Hart.
“My first painting I sold was a beach painting. Since then I have sold about 24 paintings. I love the creativity of it really. It’s a very good outlet. It’s good to be able to let out all my creativity through art.”
While she is proud to be continuing the family tradition, her style is abstract, bright and dynamic – different from the landscapes and colourful depiction of Australian life painted by Pro, Broken Hill’s favourite son, who died in 2006.
Investors are snapping up her paintings, predicting they’ll be worth a lot more than the current asking price of under $1000 in 10 years’ time.
But, as a Year 11 student, it’s not always easy for Chloe to find time to paint.
“A painting can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to complete,” she said. “It also depends a lot on my school work.
“I paint when I can, holidays are usually the easiest because I don’t have homework but I do like to go down after school sometimes when the workload’s not too bad.”
Unlike Pro Hart, who was discovered by an Adelaide gallery owner in 1962, aged 34, Chloe sold her first work at 11 years of age.
