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Meet a local drawing teacher and medical artist

Welcome to The Nugget, a 24k gold newsletter about Castlemaine's people and events

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The Nugget
January 03, 2025

★ MEET A LOCAL DRAWING TEACHER ★

Emily “always drawing” Fong

As I sat down to chat with Emily Fong in the Botanical Gardens, a woman strode toward us and said, "Are you here for the drawing?"

"Always!" Emily said to the woman, who continued on in search of her class.

This was uncanny, because I was about to interview Emily about the exciting drawing workshops she teaches.

Emily is new-ish to Castlemaine, and wow, we are so lucky she chose our town for her latest adventure.

Let me blow your mind with a quick bio:

Emily has

  • a Master of Science in Medical Art from the University of Dundee, Scotland,

  • a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from the Queensland University of Technology, and

  • held numerous creative residencies in Europe — most recently at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee and the Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Edinburgh and the Centre for Loss and Renewal in Italy.

Her work has premiered in places like The Hague and Splendour in Amsterdam aaaaand Castlemaine.

Amongst her other projects, like writing a book with an expert in parasites and drug discovery, Emily runs, Laboratory Art Binge drawing workshops out of the Sac'O'Suds Launderette.

Castlemaine almost didn't win the 'Where Will Emily Settle' contest.

A year before moving back to Oz, she did a road trip with her wife to scout out different towns in regional Victoria.

"We came through Castlemaine and thought, nah. It was a really hot, dry day and nobody was on the street. We thought, what? This is supposed to be pumping? What's going on?

They passed through a few days later on their way back and saw a different scene.

"There were more people out. Like, older people and really healthy people — and stylish. Not in a kitschy way or chi-chi way, but in a 'I'm doing my own thing, happy and healthy' way."

Kind of like the woman who had just approached us looking for her drawing group.

"I thought, hold on a minute, if that's the case, especially for the older generation, there's something going on here. That made us look a bit deeper."

This is one of Emily's super powers: Curiosity. The willingness to look deeper. The courage to follow her heart into the unknown.

Here's an example. She went to France to do the fourth year of her Architecture degree. While there, she was inspired to start painting.

"It was like my brain switched a mode and I couldn't think about anything else. I needed to go and just paint. I did that for a long time, just figuring out what it is to be an artist, how do I do that?"

This was the start of her pivot away from architecture, which she initially chose because she thought it was a more sensible path than art.

That pivot led her to museums in Scotland where she explored her interest in drawing the body.

"I started doing lots of studies of anatomical drawing and specimens. In Scotland, there is a plethora of surgeons museums and ways that you can study the body in a really intimate way, but not formally, so I was doing a lot of that."

She gravitated toward the head and neck.

Few people who would then start ringing universities looking for opportunities to collaborate with scientists working on the head and neck.

But that's what she did, opening doors to incredible projects, like, partnering with a doctor working on regenerating the salivary gland.

Emily ran workshops that brought patients and scientists together to do experiments, make art and talk about their experiences. (Doesn’t medicine need a lot more of THAT?)

The project, which eventually exhibited during the Edinburgh Science Festival, grew out of nothing but a willingness to explore, have conversations and exchange ideas.

"I really enjoy working in the dark. I really enjoy the outcomes of it because it's always surprising. And when you go in with an idea or a philosophy that's essentially a positive one, then the outcomes are more likely to also be positive,” Emily says.

“The idea is that you're going in with a sense of curiosity, of community building of conversation and openness."

That doesn’t mean her work is comfortable. Quite the opposite.

"It's an interesting thing. I actually am always uncomfortable. I love drawing, but it is risky. Every time you come to a blank page, it is risky," Emily says.

"But I think dispelling the idea that a drawing is for somebody else, even to see, because that's not necessarily always the case, or that it needs to be an outcome, it needs to be beautiful it needs to have a goal in mind... Rip that up instantly."

About 60% of the folks in Castlemaine who have signed up for her drawing workshops have been beginners, each coming with the gift of "beginners eyes."

"Drawing with beginners is so beautiful. I'm like, oh my god, you see the world like that? That's so incredible,” Emily says.

"The beginner is still in the experimental phase and that's the exciting bit. My wife, she's always saying 'you gotta take out that word experiment. It's making people feel really uncomfortable.' But I'm like, 'no, because that's the point!' Maybe people have a tricky relationship with the idea of an experiment, but I definitely do not, because I think it's testing, and it doesn't have to work."

Emily is running drawing workshops in January and February that will give folks the opportunity to “gorge on creativity” in a safe environment.

The Launderette Art Binge includes four Tuesday night drawing classes designed to help people improve their skills, meet new people and learn easy, creative habits.

The Castlemaine Art Binge takes you out on the street.

"It's for those who are really interested in being outside and drawing which is the most beautiful thing to do," Emily says.

"You just see things differently. That's the really interesting thing for folk who live in the town, to see the place that they live in differently. They've not ever noticed that building over there, or how old is that place actually and when was it established?”

In addition to connecting you to places, drawing outside teaches people to be brave and stop caring about those who stop and look, Emily says.

“At the end of the day most people are probably really interested in what you're doing and think you're brave. I think it's really brave when you step over the line and go, I'm going to try this thing. All power to you. I think it's just really, super cool."

What a lovely thought to take into all our 2025 adventures.

❀ 25 in 2025 ❀

Last year, my family and I wrote lists of 24 things we wanted to do in 2024. The ideas were both big an small, ranging from painting that wall to eating in that restaurant and hiking that local trail.

Two biggies I put on the list were:

  • enrolling in the Soul Funk class at Movement Zone, and

  • joining a book club with 8 complete strangers from Castlemania.

These activities shook me out of my comfort zone, introduced me to people I wouldn’t have otherwise met and even inspired my daughter to sign up for her first dance class.

Soul Funkers on stage at the Phee Broadway Theatre.

If you are after some ideas for 25 things you want to do in 2025, I’ve got thoughts. There are so many incredible courses starting in Jan and Feb. Maybe one of these will open worlds for you:

♡˖ EVENTS ˖♡

𖥔 TALK TO MOI PLOISE 𖥔

Hi! Kindly drop me a line at [email protected] to let me know:

  • your current fave hobby,

  • about your event, so I can include it

  • who I should interview next.