Gail Connellan is the living example of the phrase “it’s never too late to chase your dreams.”

After a successful career in real estate and having raised a family of three in Minnamurra with her husband Malcolm, Gail wanted to return to what she was most passionate about in her adolescence: art.

“I wanted to get back to art because I had a passion for it but I just didn’t have time. You don’t have time to do anything when you’re working in real estate and raising a family,” Gail told The Bugle.

“I studied art at school, but I never pursued it any further because art just wasn’t considered something you could do full-time. It was being a secretary, nurse or a teacher. Those were the only things people thought women could do that brought in an income. They’re not bad jobs by any means, just as long as you’re passionate about it.”

Gail resigned from the corporate lifestyle in 2021, but her passion for painting was really reignited in 2019 following the devastating bushfires that ripped through Australia. “I was feeling really emotional about it all and I ended up doing a painting on it,” Gail said “I just felt I needed to do that.”

She painted a powerful image of a firefighter battling a blaze, but wanted to improve on her work so decided to take up classes with Kerry Bruce, a local artist and owner/director of Fern Street gallery in Gerringong.

The lessons have already started paying for themselves; Gail has already been commissioned to paint several artworks for clients, including a landscape of Minnamurra’s Rangoon Island.

“At the moment, I’m painting a lot of animals. I love doing landscapes, but animals are what I enjoy the most. I really like painting dark, black backgrounds and bringing animals forwards on the canvas. I’ve had some commissions for flowers and that sort of thing though, I’ll do anything!”

Gail says people are never too old to pursue their passions, and young people should take advantage of the opportunities they’re afforded to pursue creative endeavours.

“The advice I give to people is that you are never too old. Just go back to it if you really enjoy it. New generations can pursue those passions. Our generation couldn’t - it was something we always put on hold when our parents told us to get a ‘paying job’, and there were no jobs in art.”

The artist lifestyle also affords Gail more time with her family, having just become a grandmother. Kiama locals may be familiar with the story of Gail’s son, Brett Connellan, who survived a shark attack while surfing at Bombo Beach in 2016. After creating and self-funding a documentary - Attacking Life - with his friend Sam Tolhurst, Brett has been on a motivational speaking tour discussing how to be resilient through all of life’s challenges.

“He recently finished a tour of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney where he talks about his experience and how he got through it, relating it to day-to-day life with our own ‘personal shark attacks’ that can be whatever you’re going through. You just have to push through to the end as he did.”