From Air Hostess to Artist: Bindi’s Journey of Rediscovery

Bindi-Lee Byrne (Class of 1985) shares her incredible journey from a wonderful career in aviation to fulfilling her lifelong passion for art. Through her story, we explore the lessons, memories, and inspirations that have shaped her.
Tell us a bit about your path after leaving Santa Maria College to now.
After completing Year 12, I had the option to study either History or Arts, but being indecisive and wanting some financial independence at the time, I decided to defer, as so many do. I attended Business College instead, followed by employment at a law firm in a secretarial role.
After a couple of years and feeling restless, I applied to join the now-defunct Ansett Airlines as a flight attendant. This required my relocation to Melbourne and 11 fun-filled years flying domestically, interacting with some very interesting characters and some famous faces.
At the time of Ansett’s demise, I had not long resigned as I had my firstborn and another on the way. We had to relocate several times in the following years, including Singapore, Perth, and back to country Victoria, where we currently reside, for my husband’s work.
Can you share some of your favourite memories from your time at Santa Maria and how they shaped the person you are today?
I remember my two years attending Santa Maria with great fondness, where kindness and respect were tangible throughout the school community. Sister Sheila Sawle, our much-revered Principal’s famous motto, “If it is to be, it is up to me!”, would surely be remembered by all students of this era. These wise words still resonate with me at times when I need a push, and I’ve frequently repeated them over the years to my own kids.
I was blessed with all my teachers, each and everyone committed to getting the very best out of us. I loved the subjects of History and English, but my happiest classroom memories were in our little Art room with Mrs Hearne, where we spent many an hour working diligently on our portfolios while listening to 80s music cassettes. At the time, the newly planned Art Department was well underway.

Have you always been interested in Art? Did your time at Santa Maria inspire your love of art and your development as an artist?
I credit Mrs Hearne’s enthusiasm in class and subtle encouragement for my doing what I do now. Her exciting new ideas, new mediums and belief in our creativity were a revelation to me. I vaguely recall her suggesting I might consider a future in illustration, but regretfully, I didn’t give this much serious thought. I think, too, I imagined I didn’t ‘fit the mould’ as an artist, whatever I thought that was (there isn’t such a thing, as it turns out).
What inspired you to start exploring art seriously later in life?
Prior to starting a family, I had continued to dabble in art on and off, partaking in the occasional painting class and joining an art group in my mid-20s, where I first experienced the thrill of the little red ‘sold’ sticker. But with the subsequent upheaval of moving around with three young sons, there was neither the time nor space for all that. All materials stayed boxed up, and I didn’t pick up an art tool again for almost 20 years, concentrating instead on full-time parenting.
Finally, with my youngest heading off to secondary school, I had the ‘what am I going to do now?’ moment. I had been working casually in our local aged care facility a couple of days a week and doing some volunteering work, too, but my interest in art had never left me. Feeling that the time was now or never, I decided to immerse myself fully and commit to learning the skills properly. I signed up for a variety of local and online courses with artists whose work I admired, absorbing their knowledge like a sponge until I settled on mediums and a style that felt right for me. I sought out like-minded people for support, networked, and challenged myself to enter local art shows and participate in some small exhibitions.

Tell us about your style of art.
My style is still being developed and explored. At present, I am drawn to the intricate patterns and moods in nature, such as leaves, sand, water and rocks, and to the individual character of faces. I do not aim to achieve hyper-realism but rather a good likeness of any subject. I believe the purpose of art should be to evoke some sort of emotion in the viewer.
I prefer a monochrome palette for a human portrait, which allows me to focus on tones and the play of light on the subject without the distraction of perfecting skin hues. Commissions for pet portraiture, however, are usually done in colour as it is normally the client’s preference.
My preferred mediums are charcoal and graphite, but I also work with coloured pencils and pastels.
What do you enjoy most about creating your art pieces, and can you describe the process?
Beginning a new work takes me too long. I procrastinate for hours over the composition, scale and medium that I think will look best. But it is a good idea to plan carefully, as professional-grade materials are expensive, and you don’t want them going in the bin! The initial hours of the drawing process produce what I call the ‘ugly stage’ where it all looks rubbish (and where beginners give up), but with persistence, it usually comes together. Then comes the enjoyable stage, where I zone out to background music or podcasts while getting the layers down. The finishing touches, if I am really happy with my progress, are very satisfying. So many hours of work can go into each of my pieces, and I am always terrified of ‘stuffing it up’ just at the end. I can’t get them behind glass quick enough before they get damaged!
I still find every drawing challenging, and getting each to the very best that I am able to do can be mentally draining, but if the results are pleasing, I get a great sense of satisfaction. The thrill of a buyer or client parting with their hard-earned money to purchase something I have created on paper is a wonderful feeling and very humbling.

Do you have any other interests or hobbies?
Sitting at the desk or easel for prolonged hours doesn’t do my back any favours, so I do a lot of brisk walking along our local bush trails amongst the wildlife, which really benefits the body and soul. I also enjoy reading books, particularly non-fiction, and watching documentaries when I have time.
What has been one of your proudest moments or achievements?
I was thrilled to take out consecutive ‘Prize Winner’ Awards in 2023/24 at one of our region’s gallery exhibitions. That marked the moment I felt all the hard work was beginning to pay off.

Looking ahead, what are your plans for your art in the coming years?
These days, with social media, websites, etc, marketing and self-promotion play a huge part in developing art from a hobby to a profession. This has not been my strong point, nor have I found the technical side of building an art career simple, but I have been working on getting out of my comfort zone. A goal is to have a solo exhibition sometime this year or probably next.
Most importantly, I want to continue to learn, grow, practise, and strive for excellence.
Bindi-Lee’s story is a powerful reminder that passion and purpose can flourish at any stage of life.
If you would like to check out more of Bindi-Lee’s artwork, you can follow her on Instagram at @bindileebyrneart.
Congratulations, Bindi-Lee. Thank you for sharing your art and story with us.
- AlumniSpotlight, ArtisticProcess, BindiByrne, Classof1985, Featured, LifelongLearning, RediscoveringPassion, RegionalArt
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.

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