MY WYNDHAM: Point Cook’s Claire Greenwood is a professional facepainting artist and mother to Nico (aged six) and Amira (aged eight).
What do you like most about Point Cook?
I love the fact that Point Cook feels like a smallish town community … it’s kind of cut off by the bay, the farmland and the motorway. It doesn’t sprawl like the rest of Melbourne – it’s like its own small town next to the city. There’s lots of lovely people doing cool things in the community, like the pop-up park. I’ve painted down there a few times. It’s been so good for the area.
Do you have a favourite place to have coffee or visit?
Alamanda College have a fantastic cafe run by students. They learn to make coffees and bake the food they sell; it helps to prepare them for future careers. I meet my friends there every day. We also go to the Werribee Open Range Zoo a lot and go to the parks around here. The Pirate Ship Park is close by and the Crocodile Park.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m a trained make-up artist. I started 18 years ago in New Zealand. I worked for about 10 years in make-up and did a bit of face-painting, and body art. I like doing make-up which is bright and colourful. We moved over here in 2011, following the earthquakes in Christchurch. Then I had the kids, and I started getting into face-painting again and started my business, Paint My Party. I love working with children. The good thing about being a face-painter is you work at happy events. You help people celebrate at birthdays, christenings and functions. I think one of the things I really like doing is working with children with disabilities. I went to Warringa Park School last week and painted the students’ faces for Harmony Day. It’s such a lovely day. Sometimes, if kids are on the (autism) spectrum or something like that, or they’re scared of getting their face-painted, they come up to me to get it done. They tend to sense something in me which makes them trust me,
What has been your most memorable face-painting job?
Last August, a boy named Nopera was turning 18, but sadly it was going to be his last birthday – he passed away in November. He had cerebral palsy and also a brain tumour. His family and friends organised an 18th birthday for him in Point Cook. I didn’t have any bookings that weekend so I donated my time and went and painted him and all his friends’ faces. I painted a Batman face for him – it was awesome.
