Molly Duncan, is 77 and taught herself to paint six years ago. She also lives with arthritis. Through her “unworkable hands” as she calls them, she uses ergonomic tools to work in oil and cold wax medium. Here is Molly’s story.

We travelled to Hobart for Christmas in 2022. We stayed with our family in an appleshed in Geeveston for a couple of weeks and absolutely loved the countryside, with rolling hills and cows in the meadow. I was born in a jungle country where you can’t see the wood for the trees. In September 2024, we left Cairns and arrived as new residents of Huonville, so happy to be reunited with our grandchildren.

I discovered the art of oil and cold wax painting on YouTube in 2019 whilst recovering from cardiac surgery in Cairns. At this stage I had been living with arthritis for 18 years. My clawed hands were not able to pick up a paint brush but discovered a silicone scraper fits ergonomically in my hands. By mixing oil paints and cold wax medium to a buttery consistency I learned to layer colours upon colours, making marks and creating textures on my painting with a satay stick. I liked what I saw and having no previous art experience beyond potato printing, I continued to practice at the kitchen table daily – hence the start of my abstract journey. However I realised that the elements and principles of art must also be learned to be a successful artist. To this day I’m still hooked on online classes to level up my skills.

As a 77-year-old trying to do as much art as possible whilst I’m still standing, I am not a great believer in sketch books and referring to them. I feel that these practices are for YouTubers. I ask myself why would I need a reference when what I put on paper reacts with the next movement with my hands. I feel that when I make a mark on my paper and move it around, lay some colours, I am actually having a quiet conversation with the painting. It tells me where it wants to go which may not look great, but I can layer another colour or try a different technique if it doesn’t work. I’m an intuitive painter so what is achieved in my painting is evoked from memories of my travels over the years, what I see, how I feel, and more recently, my fascination for the trees and botanicals of Tasmania. My collection for my forthcoming exhibition is titled Tasmania – The southern edge. It is a reflection of my year as an artist in Tasmania

Living with chronic arthritic pain has driven me to do art. My first love is golf, after cooking, and I have always wanted to volunteer to cook in a community kitchen but that was not to be. I would be seen as a liability in the kitchen. So having learned the art of painting with oil and cold wax medium I had to learn how not to overuse my wrist by using varying scrapers and tools. There is nothing heavy to deal with and best of all no spills. My main gripe is that I’m not able to replace tops on tubes of paint let alone pick them up, so I am a very messy painter. Luckily I have a 14-year-old granddaughter who gets paid for tidying up my tools. Making art is definitely a big part of my daily routine and as we have now moved into a larger home I have a dedicated studio where I can meditate and be grateful to YouTube.

I like sharing my knowledge, not changing the world but maybe change someone’s world.

In my upcoming demonstration (held after the exhibition, date tbc) I plan to enlighten arthritis sufferers and those wanting to learn abstract techniques. Oil and cold wax medium is a very achievable method of making art. The cold wax is mixed with the oil paint in a 50/50 ratio. The buttery colour mixture is then gently layered with a silicone scraper over the paper with no in­tention or plan. Letting go of perfection is the key. I have gained so much independence from this art therapy and trained my hands to let me be pain-free for just a few more minutes longer before I need to massage them again.

You can enjoy Molly’s upcoming exhibition at Sidespace Gallery at Salamanca Arts Centre from 22 January – 7 February, 2026. More info at www.mollyduncangallery.com.au.