Acton returned to painting in the 1980s. She shifted her focus away from fashion because "it's all about making money, and I'm becoming far more interested in painting". Acton found the art forms to be similar: "I don't think it makes any difference whether I'm painting or I'm a designer, it's about the art of what we do, of how the parts come together". She attended life drawing classes at Swinburne College, and studied painting with Clifton Pugh and Mervyn Moriarty. From 1989, Acton held exhibitions with Clifton Pugh and the Dunmoochin Artists.
