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THE Douglas Shire's unique surroundings are an inspiration for far northern artist Tania Heben.The latest Radisson Treetops artist-inresidence, Ms Heben is "no stranger to this part of the world". She lived in Port Douglas for 15 years and now lives in Cairns.Tania has allowed her appreciation of the region's colours to take over her canvases with bold, expressive impact. "This whole area is full of inspiration from its intense light and colours to the opulent landscapes," she said."Everywhere you look there is something to paint. I just love the mountains."A self-taught artist, Ms Heben is now recognised as one of Australia's most exciting and vibrant artists. She said her most popular pieces are of the Port Douglas Sunday markets and the view from the (Island Point) hill. "They have become my trade mark," she said.Ms Heben believes painting is something she was born with. "As long as I can remember painting has been something to do," she said. "It is my passion."Ms Heben's paintings are included in the private collections of well known Australian and international identities. A collection of original oil paintings, prints and cards are available for purchase at Radisson Treetops.
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Everyone is talking about Tania Heben.She's arguably the Douglas Shire's most prominent artist with a career that is going from strength to strength with each passing year.Her distinctive style has captured many of the Douglas Shire's characteristic scenes, from the Port Douglas markets and fabulous Four Mile Beach to the famous view from Flagstaff Hill and the canefields that dot the shire's coastal plains.This year has been up there with the best of them for Tania, who has often found herself thinking life just doesn't get any better, "this has definitely been the best year of my life. I feel happy and I feel well," she said.Her optimism and enthusiastic zest is totally understandable considering her remarkable achievement.Tania has managed to do what the majority of artists fail to do in their lifetimes - she's 'made it'.She's managed to make a full-time living solely from her art for the past eight years which - as any artist who's 'made it' would tell you - is no mean feat.It's been a long hard road to the top of the hill and there have been times when Tania wondered why she didn't throw in the towel."But I've never known of an artist to retire," she said, describing her art as something she felt driven to do and would be lost without.At present her paintings are so much in demand that Tania is challenged to keep up with the work that people from all over Australia and overseas have commissioned her to do.But she's loving every minute of it and swears she'll never complain about being overworked after having worked so hard to get there.
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