Salon des Refusés
Artist Name: HEB PETERS
Artwork Title: DUALITY OF WOMAN
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 60 x 60cm
Artist Name: ORKAYDIA
Artwork Title: OVERCOMING
Medium: Acrylic on Wood
Size: 45 x 45cm
Artist Name: MINA AFRA
Artwork Title: THE OTWAY'S PULSE V DIPTICH
Medium: Oil on Wooden Panel-Framed in Tasmanian oak
Size: 40 x 60cm
Artist Name: LUCY KNOX
Artwork Title: SIREN SONG
Medium: Photograph, Silver Gelatin Print
Size: 30 x 60cm
Artist Name: PATRICK HROMAS
Artwork Title: LENNY VON DOHLEN
Medium: Pastel pencil, watercolour pencil and traces of pencil on Arches watercolour paper
Size: 30 x 42cm
Artist Name: KEVAN RIGBY
Artwork Title: 'JUG ON THE PIANO 2
Medium: oil
Size: 28 x 23cm
Artist Name: CARLA PETRIE
Artwork Title: DAINA RED WITH ENVY
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 30 x 30cm
Artist Name: STEPHEN BURDETT
Artwork Title: MENAGERIE
Medium: acrylic gel, aerosol
Size: 20 x 20cm
Artist Name: SHENG YI LEE
Artwork Title: SELF-PORTRAIT, 7 YEARS OLD
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Size: 21 x 30cm
Artist Name: AMANDA BRIERLEY
Artwork Title: SELF PORTRAIT IN GRIEF
Medium: Oil
Size: 40 x 30cm
Artist Name: KATRINA O'SHANNESSY
Artwork Title: THE DIGITAL DEBATE PIXELS VS PALLET
Medium: Acyrlic
Size: 51 x 41cm
SUE SMITH
THE BLACK COCKATOO MUSICIAN LED THE NEWLYWEDS INTO A MERRY DANCE AT THE COUNTRY WEDDING
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Artist Name: SUE SMITH
Artwork Title: THE BLACK COCKATOO MUSICIAN LED THE NEWLYWEDS INTO A MERRY DANCE AT THE COUNTRY WEDDING
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 51 x 51cm
Artist Name: DEMI MARINO
Artwork Title: COCOONED
Medium: acrylic and oil
Size: 49 x 40cm
Artist Name: CHRISTINE HALL
Artwork Title: STREET ART SYDNEY
Medium: Photography
Size: 53 x 43cm
Artist Name: LIBBY DERHAM
Artwork Title: IN LOVE AGAIN
Medium: watercolour on cotton paper
Size: 42 x 30cm
Artist Name: JULIAN CLAVIJO
Artwork Title: RISING
Medium: Spray paint and oil on wood blocks
Size: 32 x 32cm
Artist Name: MICHELLE SLATER
Artwork Title: 'TWIGHLIGHT'
Medium: Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Linen
Size: 30 x 30cm
Artist Name: JELLENA DEMARTINI
Artwork Title: WATTAMOLLA BEACH
Medium: gouache on paper
Size: 11 x 28cm
Artist Name: LUCY MILBANK
Artwork Title: CHAO AB ORDO
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 35 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Working primarily in oil paint, I explore my subconscious through intuitive processes. Channelling a playful sense of childlike wonder, I aim to create dark fantastical scenes that offer a narrative, but deny a resolution. I am inspired by mediaeval religion, witchcraft and demonology, expressionism and morbid curiosity.
Artist Statement:
Within the underpainting of “chao ab ordo,” I started by wiping away paint at random. From these abstract shapes, I saw figures and faces, to which I added detail and colour. A pure expression of my internal psyche, it invites the viewer to contemplate an unsettling, unsolvable narrative.
Artist Name: TIM FITZPATRICK
Artwork Title: GODFATHER HORSE HEAD DREAM
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 41 x 41cm
About the Artist:
I’m interested in the freedom of abstraction and the accuracy and precision of figurative painting.
Generally, my work aims to create surreal scenes or collages with a sense of the organic.
Artist Statement:
This piece was inspired by the scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather II, where a severed horse’s head is placed in someone’s bed to get their attention.
In this painting, the Godfather horse head is included beside my own, both of us with blank expressions under a solid yellow moon, wondering how we ended up where we are.
Artist Name: DEB PARKER
Artwork Title: WHITE WARATAH DREAMING
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Seeing simple light interactions on familiar forms makes the viewer take a second to understand the subject the direction of light and the surrounds. My objective is not to describe explicitly but incongruously, by man-made marks & tools, only suggesting the shape and movement of natural things.
Artist Statement:
This work follows my Australian flower series inspired by my visit to the East Coast of Southern Australia. I had no idea these amazing flowers came in White. Enlarging Australian Flowers allows us to see all these tiny forms that make a beautiful flower as abstractions of light on form. Sealed with Matt Varnish.
Artist Name: RENATE WENZL
Artwork Title: EQUINOX IN KORWEINGUBOORA
Medium: Embroidery
Size: 39 x 31cm
About the Artist:
Since the covid times I put painting behind me and by pure chance I discovered embroidery. I think it is the closest I can get to my character and doing artwork. My OCD gets fully satisfied and I can express myself better than ever with painting
Artist Statement:
I love Korweinguboora where I live for twenty years. I actually incorporate it in every artwork I am creating. The stars, the moon and the sun play an important roll if you live in the countryside. And if the day and night are the same length is highly facinating.
Artist Name: JASMINE VERONIQUE
Artwork Title: THINKING OF A PLACE
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 61 x 51cm
About the Artist:
Jasmine Veronique, an emerging Sunshine Coast artist, captures the raw beauty of florals through a distinctive colour subtraction technique to create form within the composition. Recognised in several prestigious art awards and publications, Jasmine’s work explores the seamless blend of beauty and imperfection.
Artist Statement:
‘Thinking of a Place’ captures the resilient beauty of the yellow pincushion protea set against a dreamlike Australian landscape. This oil painting transcends the traditional portrayal of landscape and flora; a liminal space that is at once nowhere and everywhere - where nature is exactly where it needs to be.
Artist Name: PHILIP FRANKEL
Artwork Title: GET OUT OF THE WATER, YOU'RE SLOWING ME DOWN
Medium: oil on canvas (poem attached)
Size: 51 x 40cm
Artist Statement:
As a young man I sailed the Cairns to Green Island yacht race. The attached poem explains the experience I had during the race.
In those days I was not interested in art as during my first (and only) art class at high school, I was told I was wasting her time and mine. I allowed this comment to control me until I was in my 40's.
Sometime after the birth of my daughter I had an epiphany and have been "learning" about art ever since.
The narrative displayed here shows my recall of being in the water, feeling like shark bait on a line and having the "skipper" swearing at me because I was slowing him down.
Attached Poem
Beating upwind, hit a log
Trapese and inertia combine.
Traced an arc, bent the spar
Causing drag, I'm in the brine.
Artist Name: KATE CIVIL
Artwork Title:
Medium: oil
Size: 46 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Graduating with distinction from the University of NSW in fine arts and education. Since then regularly entering art shows and selling as well as exhibiting in both city and regional galleries. Being selected
in the Regional Art Award and running workshops at the Queensland Art Gallery and Mayes Cottage.
Passion being the creating of art works for an audience to appreciate and the goal to be recognised
on a large scale.
Artist Statement:
With colour blocks creating a summer seascape of the coast in the UK. Typical fishing boats lay strewn on the beach with the gulls calling overhead. People are partially obscured in the scene behind the boats and a person sits perched in the wheelchair by the land rover. High on the cliff buildings act as sentinels to the opening of the bay. A fishing net pops out at the bottom left of the work. In labour that has gone on the same for ages, with the modern mode of transport juxtaposing against the boats.
Done in oils on canvas the palette is muted blues and greens with the primary red and yellows as
contrast. Spatially the eye moves around the scene to encompass all elements in this idyll.
Artist Name: MOREEN WELLINHTON LYONS
Artwork Title: BUTTERFLY
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 59 x 40cm
About the Artist:
I enjoyed the bright spring time blossoms surrounding the flight of butterfly. On the wings is the imprint of journey from lavae to flight.
Artist Statement:
Celebration of Butterfly spritual physical Journey through spring time emerging from the confines of lavae into blossoms and flight truly a miracle of life. A reminder to believe in ourselves.
Artist Name: KATRINA
Artwork Title: HOLIDAYS BY THE SEA
Medium: Acyrlic
Size: 33 x 33cm
Artist Statement:
Living in regional qld going to the beach only ever happens very rarely. Family memories are made. The senses go in overdrive. That distict smell of the ocean & the sound and movement it creates when the waves crash. The feeling of sand between your toes. The unforgettable sight of the sky changing colour at sunset. Memories bought together in this piece. Where the clean lines of the horizon meet the ever changing movement of the sea. The colours of the land and flora, the opposite contrast the crystal blue waters.
Artist Name: MARIA RADUN
Artwork Title: WONDER
Medium: oil on wood panle
Size: 41 x 31cm
About the Artist:
As an artist, I find solace and inspiration in the beauty that surrounds me, translating observations from life into artworks that speak of balance and a sense of belonging.
Artist Statement:
"Wonder" captures the timeless beauty of a woman with silver hair sitting inside a stick hut, gazing down at some leaves and branches which she hold in her hands. Through her serene contemplation, the painting invites viewers to reflect on how the natural world provides healing and solace, and a home for an aching soul. With delicate brushstrokes and subtle colour play, the painting evokes a sense of celebration and owe towards life and speaks of wisdom and understanding that comes with age.
Artist Name: NAOMI GRANT
Artwork Title: STONE OF UNITY
Medium: Acrylic and Collage
Size: 51 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Naomi, a renowned Indigenous Australian Artist from the Wiradjuri lineage, boasts a 45-year career blending acrylics and collage. Over the last 24 years, she mastered layering coloured tissue paper, granting her pieces a unique three-dimensional texture. Her art, abstract yet suggestive, evokes multiple perceptions, emphasizing surface and layering's depth.
Artist Statement:
In NSW, Australia, stands the "Stone of Unity," steeped in Kabbalistic wisdom. Its name, "AHBEN," Hebrew for "stone," symbolizes unity—'Ab' (father) and 'Ben' (son). With a numerical value of 53, echoing its 53° convergence angle, it embodies profound teachings, framed by 13 emblems, resonating unity, and spiritual victory.
Artist Name: HILTON OWEN
Artwork Title: PORTRAIT STUDY (GREY)
Medium: oil and acrylic on linen
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
My painting 'Portrait Study (Grey)' combines realist and abstract elements to present a personalised version of the subject. I trust that if I follow my instincts by combining my aesthetic and conceptual interests, I can hopefully create artworks that others will experience as unique and compelling contemporary images.
Artist Statement:
My painting 'Portrait Study (Grey)' combines realist and abstract elements to present a personalised version of the subject. I trust that if I follow my instincts by combining my aesthetic and conceptual interests, I can hopefully create artworks that others will experience as unique and compelling contemporary images.
Artist Name: HEIDI KAUFMANN
Artwork Title: LAYERS OF FLAVOR - ONION AND GARLIC STILL LIFE
Medium: Oil
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I work primarily in oil on canvas, I normally start with an opaque layer and then add layers of glazes to create depth and luminosity in my work. My paintings are often landscapes, but I also love to delve into other areas such as Still Lifes. I am very much drawn to the beauty of the world and subjects around and always feel a strong emotional and spiritual connection to my paintings.
Artist Statement:
"Layers of Flavor": Onion and Garlic Study" delves into the profound simplicity and vital presence of everyday kitchen ingredients, elevating the humble onion and garlic to subjects of contemplation and aesthetic appreciation. I explored the intriguing textures, layers with underlaying colors, the variation in light sources and shadows to make this a stand out art piece in any kitchen.
Artist Name: KARA WELCH
Artwork Title: STILL LIFE IN SUNSETS
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 41 x 49cm
About the Artist:
Kara Welch is a local Brisbane artist. She is primarily inspired by the local landscape and by the play of colour and light in her paintings.
Artist Statement:
This intricate painting was inpired by the golden evening light reflecting off a multitulde of glass objects. The painting centres around the light from a candle refracting through the delicatly-sculpted container around it, with additional ambient light highlighting the other objects againts the balck background.
Artist Name: MARK DEAN
Artwork Title: ARCHITECTURE IN A PLEASENT MOOD 1
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Size: 40 x 40cm
Artist Statement:
motivated by the archived memories within buildings
Artist Name: LYNNE SUNG
Artwork Title: HEAT STRESS
Medium: archival tissue & paperclay
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I am interested in our relationship with places we inhabit. On one hand we want to enjoy beautiful natural spaces while at the same time exploiting these places for our own ends. This dilemma is constantly on my mind when I am making art.
Artist Statement:
Reefs around the world are under stress from warming oceans and industrial pollution. As our reefs bleach we are faced with the real possibility that they will disappear forever. This artwork draws attention to this issue. It is made from delicate archival paper pointing to the vulnerability and fragility of these amazing living worlds.
Artist Name: PAM FLETCHER
Artwork Title: OAST HOUSE AND GARDEN
Medium: Digital Art
Size: 36 x 49cm
About the Artist:
I am a digital and acrylic paints artist based in Tanawha, Sunshine Coast and have for many years competed and exhibited my diverse works (architectural, portraiture human and canine and landscapes) in varied forms of digital art and traditional acrylics in the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Sydney and London.
Artist Statement:
An oast house or hop kiln set with a simple garden pond. For kilning/drying hops in the brewing process, examples from 1574 were adapted barns, but by the 17th century the distinctive circular 2-3 storey buildings, conical roofs and 1-8 circular kilns were developed for the increased demand for beer.
Artist Name: JACK ARDILL
Artwork Title: FRACTURE
Medium: Acrylic on stretched canvas
Size: 45 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Jack Ardill is a contemporary artist living on the South Coast of New South Wales.
His work is inspired by the mythology of the Australian bush, “her beauty and her terror”, a mythos deeply ingrained in our national psyche.
Abstract and gestural, informed by shapes and patterns etched in nature, he creates paintings imbued with a sense of mystery and allure.
Artist Statement:
AUSTRALIAN GOTHIC
Her Beauty and Her Terror
beneath an endless suffocating sky
lies a vast mysterious land
harsh and unforgiving
ancient
majestic
hostile
a land of beauty
a land of terror
Artist Name: LIZ JORDAN
Artwork Title: THE DAWN WILL COME
Medium: Acrylic/pastel/ink
Size: 45 x 35cm
About the Artist:
I was involved in retail illustration and advertising but now I have a small home studio and I enjoy using wood as a sub structure. To me there are many images which appear in woodwork and I enjoy using these as inspiration. Meaning in my paintings is always important.
Artist Statement:
Those few minutes before dawn when dark still enfolds you but then the light arrives.
Artist Name: GRANT MOYLE
Artwork Title: SCOOTER
Medium: Foam air drying clay plaster
Size: 26 x 52cm
About the Artist:
I used Leadlights to convince myself that the puppet is alive .my artwork has evolved since a child…i made things my whole life…Through some traumatic events a lot of it was lost.
Artist Statement:
It’s a puppet that is operated by a bone, that tilts the dog and you can actually look down it’s mouth to see it tonsils…a loving mascot or friend…
Artist Name: GAY EMMERSON
Artwork Title: AERIAL OVER PURNULULU
Medium: Oil
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
I graduated from Canberra School of Art in 1979. I loved the landscape of Canberra, old like so much of Australia, so that hills are worn down to appear as bellies or spines - a land with human characteristics.
In Canberra, the summer sun turns the hills golden and brown like the pelt of an animal.
The Kimberley, including Purnululu, is also ancient and scoured down by time. But the earth, with its colours .is what grabs attention here. As if we could see beneath the skin of the land itself
Artist Statement:
Flying above Purnululu, approaching the domes of the Bungle Bungles, the colours of the landscape are compelling in their intensity. Tracks and dry river beds are delineated by the darker land mass and plants grow along cleavage lines in the rocks. This place is ancient and unique, worn down over centuries of weathering and time
Artist Name: LEONIE MCINTOSH
Artwork Title: FRECKLE BOWLS
Medium: Oil
Size: 54 x 44cm
About the Artist:
I want to allow the viewer to reflect on their own personal connection to the subject. I love when you ask someone their favourite treat from childhood and the conversation leads to other people reminiscing about theirs, usually evoking a feeling of fondness, and occasionally disgust. With the bold colours, lettering and eye-catching marketing techniques used in packaging, I find a fountain of memories and inspiration. By employing little characters at times, it helps me to tell a story and create interest by making small objects the centre of attention.
Artist Statement:
'Freckle bowls' is a fun play on a family favourite, making it larger than life. I love the colour pops of the freckles, and there's always things we can do with the bits that have fallen off to keep it interesting. I could imagine this as a sculpture in a gallery as some type of interactive art, I find that concept so joyful and inspiring.
Artist Name: SHANON BRADBURN
Artwork Title: LINGERING LIGHT
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Shanon Bradburn is a Sydney-based artist, focussing on the areas of Sculpture and Portraiture, practising professionally from 2006.
Throughout her work the most important element is by far is documenting everyday moments, whether it's an object or an event. From children picking flowers, to the way the sun sets after a long day, it's in noticing these moments of purity that we begin to appreciate life and the ordinary truly becomes extraordinary.
Artist Statement:
Lingering light explores the glowing reflections a sunset brings to the shore line, differing dramatically from minute to minute.
The interplay of light and contrast fascinates me and using oils to push and pull the image is almost heavenly to me.
Artist Name: NEIL ARTHUR MILEY
Artwork Title: PETIT PALAIS #1
Medium: Oil on Wood Panel
Size: 20 x 20cm
About the Artist:
Neil Miley
For many years I was restricted to working in pastels but returned to oil paint in 2008. The scope of my work has been part of a progress of self-discovery in my evolving interest.
My interest in European art of the 19th Century has seen me travel extensively and in part explains my subject matter. Melding the past and the present has been a focus of my work since 2010 and continues to provide me with inspiration to develop new pathways to compositions.
Artist Statement:
This work is one of a series of thirty 20 x 20 paintings. All the works are concerned with the importance of past and present. Each of the backgrounds is a place that I have traveled to in search of history. The female figures in the paintings are a counterpoint to history, projecting future and present into the image. The works attempt to balance the background and foreground to reflect the equal importance of past and present. Of the thirty paintings, six have been exhibited in Spain and two will shortly be on exhibition in New York.
Artist Name: LEANNE HORROCKS
Artwork Title: COCO'S BEACH 1
Medium: Oils on canvas
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Leanne Horrocks Visual artist and retired teacher.
I am inspired by scenic travels to cities, seascapes and places of creative importance:histories, artists, poets and writers.I feel drawn to a timeless collective urge to visually capture the ephemeral; a treasured memory,the beauty of the light in connection with the location. It's a desire to record a felt eternal spark between humanity and environment.
Artist Statement:
Gabrielle Chanel first sighted the ocean at Deauville Beach in 1913.Local mariners in blue striped t shirts, hauling in their catch inspired her to design leisure wear for swimming.So began the House of Chanel, which would streamline women's couture and influence fashion to this day.This beach is still a crustacean carpet.Well fed birds swoop and soar across its blue on blue waters.
Artist Name: JULIE GILROY
Artwork Title: SNAPSHOTS
Medium: Archival colour pencil on premium wood board, framed in oak
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I see the world in the outline and shapes that make a first impression on me. My abstract art creates an immediate visual response, only after that impact do you take time to look closer at the depth and detail, discovering an intricate image.
I find the medium of colour pencil clean and decisive, the repetitive nature of sharpening and drawing is methodically comforting. My technique honed over the years to elevate the the sharp lines and saturation achievable with colour pencil. Working on wood board is central to the experience.
Artist Statement:
Snapshots arranges fragments of my work, simulating a journal. Zooming into fine detail, digging deeper into my process. Exploring the balance between the opposing emotions invites a deeper sense of knowing oneself. Repeating various sections from a different perspective provided validation and meaning to previous works, like unpicking my mind.
Artist Name: JANELLE HATHERLY
Artwork Title: MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL
Medium: Oil over old painting
Size: 46 x 46cm
About the Artist:
Janelle Hatherly took up painting more than a decade ago after a professional life in science education and interpretation in museums and botanic gardens. She is a member of the Royal Society of NSW and the Portrait Society of America's Ambassador for Australia and New Zealand. Her artistic achievements include painting the 12 principals of Sancta Sophia College at University of Sydney and being selected as a finalist in more than ten Australia-wide exhibitions.
Artist Statement:
This artwork is named after John Berendt's bestselling novel. As Minerva said in the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah GA: To understand the living, you have to commune with the dead'.
I have been communing with poet, painter, botanist, scientist and my dear friend and colleague Edwin Wilson OAM since his passing on 27th July 2022. I spent time sketching Edwin when he had died and spoke at his funeral. As kindred souls, we have both painted, taught high school science, published books, worked in public programs in natural history museums and botanic gardens and loved growing orchids.
Ed always saw his mortal existence as but a phase in his journey through the stardust cosmos. While alive he worked tirelessly to create evidence of his existence in 27 published books, innumerable paintings of variable quality, a comprehensive personal website and memorial plaques. For some reason - maybe to come to terms with my own ageing - I feel compelled to continue Ed's quest for immortality. This is my second posthumous painting of him made using and preserving one of his own artworks.
Artist Name: RUTH BOSVELD
Artwork Title: HEADING FOR THE LIGHT
Medium: Oil
Size: 25 x 20cm
Artist Statement:
Table Cape is an iconic landmark on the north-west coast of Tasmania. It's minutes from the home where my husband grew up and special to our family. Each year, the area hosts a Tulip Festival, with a property owner growing bulbs for the local and international market. The farm is opened up to visitors during the flowering season and many of us enjoy the display.
My daughter, Eloise, took a photo between a row of tulips, looking towards the Table Cape Lighthouse, which sits on the edge of a steep drop down to the sea. The title suggested itself to me as I painted from this reference, as the gap between the row of bulbs angled towards the lighthouse, the light from which ensures safety for mariners in the hours of darkness.
I gridded up the image and, correspondingly the canvas, in order to transfer the picture, enabling me to paint the complex scene with accuracy. It is executed in oils
Artist Name: CORNELIA SELOVER
Artwork Title: SELFIE WITH BURQUA: SECOND SERIES #7
Medium: Oil on stretched canvas
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
I approach my work from two opposite directions: from a studied figurative practice, to abstraction. They are two the sides of the one coin and from one I learn about the other. From life drawing I learn to practice accurate observation, then to translate what my eye sees to the canvas in order to represent what I see with as few marks as possible. I apply the same principle to my abstract work where I look at every shape as a thing in itself, with edges, boundaries, inviting negative and positive pressure for the eye. The elements in the abstract work are symbolic and tell a story, and when I am painting the details in a face, for instance, the shapes often tell the same story, or become tiny symbols in themselves: representing the other, rather than me. But sometimes me as well, because they are my observations and how can one separate the artist from the subject and vice versa?
Artist Statement:
First I painted a portrait of myself in the nude, taken in the mirror with my mobile phone. I am wearing the burqa to conceal what is known and expose what is taboo. To bring myself into the present I write 37-1 on a designated path finishing with the word THERE. THERE has special significance to me - it is always somewhere else, it's always the place we want to get to and when we do it is somewhere else. Writing the countdown forces my concentration into the present - you may notice that there are mistakes in the countdown when my mind drifted from the rhythm, I colour the mistakes black and orient myself back to the countdown. A reminder to stay on track, to focus on what is in front of me. Occasionally the numbers line up perfectly and those places are noted in a special way by colouring in the square around the number. By default I would do this in bright, shiny, red. Signifying blood, the source, passion, life.
I merge my self and environment with the countdown. There is no division between me and the world around me. I am concealed behind the burqa but my essence is one with all things. The atoms in my body, so precious to me in this life, are more broadly part of the natural world. I am fascinated by astro physics: how stars were born and die; how each and every one of us (on Earth and everywhere else) is built from elements born in the death of starts. And all this occurring on an eternal cycle.
Artist Name: ULLA KUTTER
Artwork Title: UNTER AM FLUSS
Medium: Oil on wood
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
« The process of color-sensitive, soft, slow painting contrasts with the speed and indifference of everyday life. I take part of my surroundings and make art out of it. »
Through her images, Ulla Kutter creates possibilities for different levels of perception. Kutter paints using the traditional techniques of old Dutch masters, using oils on canvas or wood.
Artist Statement:
I love walking along the Elbe, everyone in my city Hamburg loves to do that - whatever the weather. In this case, the sun is shining beautifully across the river. A man takes a photo with his smartphone. The light is extremly strong and creates a siluette-like, dramatic look. Although the painting is in neutral colors, there are smal dots of color in the waves. The strukture of the ground is another theme of the painting. Each stone of the pavement is painted differently. This painting is painted on a colored primer on wood, the structure of the wood and the traces of the primer are visible. The primer is vanilla colored and determines the sunny atmosphere of the painting.
Artist Name: PETER FITZPATRICK
Artwork Title: SELFIE IN A COVID GAME.
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 61 x 52cm
About the Artist:
Considering myself a naive colourist without a set genre focus other than creating viewer conversation. My aim: One, to enjoy creating. Two, to conceive art pieces that interact with my viewing public as items intended as entertaining, but envisioned to create, provoke, and stimulate deliberation.
Artist Statement:
COVID lockdowns found people were drawn to simple board games to fill idle hours away from TV screens. My portrait is reflected within the glass balls of the pawn figurines with game pieces of identifiable historical objects to ratify history repeats itself. Chess demands prudent, and astute moves for a victorious outcome.
Artist Name: NATALIE ANNE O'CONNOR
Artwork Title: REDNESS #4
Medium: Watercolour on Paper
Size: 53 x 41cm
About the Artist:
Natalie O’Connor is an artist, researcher, and educator. Her experience in the international colour manufacturing industry has heavily influenced her practice. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master's degree. Most recently, she was awarded a PhD at UNSW for her thesis, The Nature of Redness- A Practice-Based Research into Red Pigments to Offer a New Understanding of Material Colour.
Her practice and thesis are concerned with the permanency and fragility of colour and the technical innovations of the artist’s palette that result from a collaborative dialogue between artists and scientists since the early nineteenth century. She engages deeply with the colour red, investigating its materiality and revealing its inherent qualities of colour.
By understanding and experiencing the delicacies of each red pigment, scientists explore the potential for colour-making in the future. This allows the new potential for contemporary artists to make informed choices with their palettes to interpret the world around them.
O’Connor’s current artwork, The Gol Gol Layer Colour Observations, has developed over the last ten years and consists of a series of experimental observations of a unique landscape in remote Australia. Each installation examines the inherent qualities of each red-coloured artist's pigment in response to the oldest red layer at Mungo, Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area, and the changes over time. These installations have been exhibited in numerous public and private galleries, including Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, Articulate Project Space, Hazelhurst Regional Art Gallery, Charles Sturt University Gallery, Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, Concordia Gallery and Griffin Gallery, London UK.
Artist Statement:
Redness #4 by Natalie O’Connor is an artistic interrogation of red-coloured pigments, inextricably linked to place. It has layers, testifying to the evolution of time, and the intervention and interactions, at times intrusive, of those who inhabit the earth and plumb its depths. Having made several expeditions to the remote and ancient plains of Mungo, a place where the earth is literally immersive, O’Connor has experienced at once the durability and transience of the earth’s redness; the concealing and revealing with the wind and shifting light of its deep strata.
Colour is in the earth, layered to its core. Here, the geological tides speak of the birth of life itself, fleetingly revealing the most ancient of reds in the deepest layer of the earth. For O’Connor, the privilege of sitting on the Gol Gol ground and touching and tracing the transient, all-time trajectory of the landform may have brought her closer to glimpsing the elusive spirit and nature of the pigment that fascinates her so much.
In her latest series, The Nature of Redness, Natalie O’Connor sets up glass vessels lined with paper and filled with a solution of red pigments and water. The gallery space becomes a laboratory in which O’Connor seeks to interrogate and distil the very essence of colour. Over time, the pigments leach onto the paper, leaving a trace, like an ebbing tide, or an errant and sometimes elusive signature.
For O’Connor, red is the most propelling of colours; an ancient pigment, sacred across time and culture, associated with ritual, power, life and death. Her practice, therefore, is at once clinical and passionate, calibrated and energetic, as she tries to capture and chronicle the depth and breadth and indeed the very nature of the red pigments.
Statement adapted from essay by Jo Morrow
Artist Name: DIAN NATA
Artwork Title: ODIN AND FREYA
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Bag
Size: 50 x 70cm
About the Artist:
Created in Dec 2023 by Dian Nata with truthful sight and dream viking GOD as looks like my painting.
Artist Statement:
An artwork was made by my belive in German God Oldways which it ODIN and he's wife FREYA. Made in Canvas bag with textile acrylic with lots of power spell and pray also energy that been put as protective for owner of this bag when purchased from me. With believe or not just with TRUST on ME.
Artist Name: MARLIZE MYBURGH
Artwork Title: HARMONIC METAMORPHOSIS
Medium: ceramics
Size: 24 x 18cm
About the Artist:
Marlize Myburgh, a nature enthusiast, draws inspiration from its interplay with memory. Her artistry focuses on clay and glaze, exploring texture, pattern, and form for a captivating sensory journey. Through disciplined experiments, she uncovers creative pathways and surprises. Her latest work, intricate vessels crafted with hand building and carving techniques, showcases her boundless artistic evolution.
Artist Statement:
"Harmonic Metamorphosis" melds fantasy, nature, and science fiction, sculpted from mid-fire red-earth clay using slab building. Every intricately carved detail embodies organic transformation. Myburgh's craftsmanship invites an imaginative odyssey, transcending norms to harmonize fantasy with reality, igniting exploration of their entwined realms.
Artist Name: DEBBIE SALMON-BROWN
Artwork Title: PANDORA
Medium: Clay
Size: 40 x 57cm
About the Artist:
At the youthful age of 56, I am an emerging artist who postponed my professional artistic pursuits to raise and support my family. I delight in exploring various art mediums, frequently returning to the tactile joy of clay and the tranquil state it provides.
Artist Statement:
Birth of Pandora
In the primal echoes of creation, where earth and tumultuous waters entwine, emerges the enigma of womanhood: Pandora. Wild, untamed, and bearing the weight of destiny, her head, defiantly breaking the surface, embodies the paradox of existence. She is both vessel and catalyst—a bearer of gifts and curses. From this chaos we are reminded that within vulnerability lies resilience, strength, innocence and wisdom and within myth lies our shared humanity.
Debbie Salmon-Brown
Artist Name: SARAH
Artwork Title: SUMMERTIME SERENITY
Medium: Oil on Linen Board
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Sarah Park is an accomplished contemporary Australian painter, specialising in realist paintings that capture evocative moments and a corporeal aesthetic defined by deep contrasts mixed with soft transitional tones. Through her technical prowess with both brush and lens, Sarah's genre of contemporary realism reveals a transformative story behind her subjects using carefully composed scenes, soft velvety colour blends, and meticulous attention to the shifts in light and shadow play.
Artist Statement:
As a continuation of my fascination with light and shadow,"Summertime Serenity" is an exploration of illumination, and corporeal observation, seamlessly uniting figurative elements with the graceful presence of a handheld fan. This work beckons viewers into a realm where curiosity is awakened by the intricate interplay of light and shadow, inviting them to peer deeper into the artful composition. Central to my artistic vision is a celebration of unfiltered femininity. In "Summertime Serenity," I extend an invitation to revel in the sheer joy of existence without the constraints of societal agendas or preconceived notions. It's an invitation to embrace the often-overlooked details and fleeting moments that hold a profound beauty of their own. This painting also serves as a jubilant ode to the comforts of summer's warmth and the pure contentment it brings, fostering an atmosphere of serenity that transports viewers to a place of tranquil delight.
Artist Name: JENNY VINEY
Artwork Title: THE KISS
Medium: Oil & Gold Leaf
Size: 36 x 36cm
About the Artist:
As a visual person I like to express myself through the medium of painting. I hope to illustrate some
fleeting moments that appear in front of me and share these with the viewer.
Artist Statement:
Capturing a special moment in time...happiness everywhere.
Artist Name: EVIE ADASAL
Artwork Title: GAZE
Medium: acrylic on wood
Size: 20 x 20cm
About the Artist:
A graduate in BA Fine Arts COFA NSW , majoring in photography, Evie has a natural eye for light and composition. With this background, Evie has transferred her skills to painting, connecting the same elements of light and composition. Her work has a playful and intense duality, the relationship between her use of colours, textures , moods and layers in her work invite the viewer evoking their own curiosity.
Evie's current body of work explores the notions behind the science of colour, how we perceive the colour of an object through the reflection of light, some of the light is absorbed and some is reflected. Also incorporating movement, physical obstruction, light or sound in the landscape, Evie dissects the interruption of view into her work. Her use of sharp lines superimposed in contrast to luscious green landscapes beneath are a literal distraction and yet a study of palette extracted from the environment.
Understanding how this affects our emotional connection and disconnection with landscape is part of her practice.
Artist Statement:
Gaze, is part of a series of works that explores the notion of white light and the science behind how we see colours and how this affects the way we see colours in the landscape. In turn how we translate that into emotion and our connection /disconnection with landscape. Movement, lines, shapes ,light ,colour draws our eye away from seeing landscape as a whole compared to that of a still photo. Our eye flickers from one point to another until it finally rests its gaze upon the whole scape. Gaze explores our colour perception of object through the reflection of light.
Artist Name: JOHN GRAEME PEARSON
Artwork Title: ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Medium: Oil
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
I am an established Australian artist and have exhibited extensively in Australia and also previously in South Africa. I have won multiple awards and art prizes.
I aim to capture and explore the essence and subtleties of light; the way light defines both the way we see and respond to the world around us.
I interpret the Australian landscape, capturing its subtleties of colour and light using a spontaneous technique in oils. My waterscapes and figurative works capture intense qualities of light contrasted with rich dark shadows. I also explore urban scenes and the place of the human figure. Other works capture the nostalgia of old VW Beetles and Kombis in a series depicting times passed and elements of surf culture.
My works capture a soft mood and feeling of contemplation.
I completed a BA Fine Arts degree in 1974 and an MBA in 1988. I worked as an art teacher, advertising illustrator and marketing manager before opening two galleries and a framing business in Perth. Today I am a full time artist based on the Sunshine Coast.
Website: www.johnpearsonart.com
Artist Statement:
Driving from the Sunshine Coast to Sydney we observed many rural properties with sheds and farm buildings. I stopped and did some sketches to remind myself of the rural country feel of the places we saw. From these and some photographic references I took, I developed this view of some of the sheds and out-buildings that to me epitomised rural Australia.
Artist Name: PAUL LEDINGTON
Artwork Title: SEBASTIAN
Medium: Digital/Giclee
Size: 42 x 31cm
About the Artist:
Born UK 1950, Australian citizen. Live and work in the Redlands [Brisbane] (Quandamooka country). First career as a management systems academic. MVA from Queensland College of Art (QCA)
Practice incorporates chance and focus on areas where complexity generates order/meaning/response. Crowds, seascapes, social life. Artistic roots in Surrealism, and Expressionism. Fav artists Klee, Kandinsky, Louise Bourgeois, and Julie Mehetru.
Artist Statement:
Sebastian is my sister-in-law's dog, and he is gorgeous. This work is one of his favourite poses, on a chair surrounded by abstract artworks. I love those rather flat, informal artworks of people and interiors of the 1930's onwards, something of a 'reluctant modernism'. I create with digital technology, but I am a rather 'reluctant digitalist'.
The work has an austere background, populated by other digital (abstract) artworks, the foreground is a cluttered coffee table, with coffee table art books, but within all this Sebastian, being a Labrador, is thinking about food and looking for his next 'food-provider' totally oblivious to the artistic constructs around him. It also hauls me out of my comfort zone of abstraction and the digital and faces me towards representation and the digital.
Artist Name: JULES BULLEID
Artwork Title: TRUTH SEEKER
Medium: acrylic and charcoal
Size: 30 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Jules is an emerging landscape painter living in Western Australia. Drawing inspiration from her previous farming life, journeys through the outback and overseas, Jules works predominantly in acrylics and enjoys the process of mark making in many forms. While strongly inspired by nature, Jules' work often will develop into an otherworldly interpretation, as she leans away from purely representational painting.
Artist Statement:
This work is inspired from a month-long journey I took through central Australia in 2023.
As a visitor/witness I noticed the amazing colours of sunrise, the deep purples of the shadows, the intense colours of the soil and vegetation. But I also wondered how these incredible sights might mask the history of the country, and what has happened at these places in the past. Were elders dispossessed of their country here? Were children stolen here? Were there massacres here?
I feel we need to view these incredible landscapes with context. It is natural to notice and witness the beauty around us. But the enquiring eye should be matched by the enquiring mind. To be a witness to the truth.
Artist Name: CHRISTOPHER MCLEOD
Artwork Title: SWING THE BILLY
Medium: OIL
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Christopher MCLEOD was born in Brisbane and has been part of the local painting scene for many years.He is at present working on a Series called BIG IDEAS. His paintings have been sold around the world.
Artist Statement:
When i was a child i went with my father and some locals from Forest to a Picnic spot on the Nullabor Plain and watched him SWING THE BILLY. The bush tradition for making Tea is a long time Australian tradition and seems to have faded into the past so I painted this to remind everyone about it. The Picnic spot was the only tree within 80 Kilometres from where we were.
Artist Name: EVY MOSCHAKIS
Artwork Title: EXEGEEZICLE JR.
Medium: Found wooden box, artificial grass, acrylic paint, yarn, polyfill, rubber bands, eyelets
Size: 33 x 23cm
About the Artist:
Evy Moschakis is a South Australian multidisciplinary artist working primarily across sculpture, textiles, installation and painting. Her primary artistic concerns are in creating immersive and playful experiences by applying a play-based methodology and strategy to her artmaking. Evy draws on her childhood experiences, guided by her father, where play and resourcefulness with everyday materials contributed to shaping her identity. Having practiced as a Psychologist prior to completing her arts degree, Evy has an enduring interest in the transformative potential of art and its impact on consciousness. In all media, Evy aims to employ varying texture, bold colour and humour to activate the inner child. In installation decisions, shifts in scale, colour and spatial awareness are employed to create a sense of wonder.
Artist Statement:
The sculpture incorporates materials from the worlds of work and domesticity, such as office supplies, and materials commonly associated with toys, sport and games. These items are used together in unexpected ways, borrowing conventions and properties from the world of games, sport and toys, to create playful sculpture. The box connects the artists own childhood memories of playing chess and backgammon with her father and offers a reimagining of analog games as contemporary art. Strategies of affordance and haptic materiality are used to engage the viewer in an experience of imagined play. The sculpture represents a moment of playfulness as a counterbalance to the more serious and mundane responsibilities of adulthood.
Artist Name: MICHAEL AUGUATINE
Artwork Title: DUSK PASSAGE
Medium: Oils
Size: 45 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Painting exclusively in oils, Michael Augustine produces fine art land and seascapes that celebrate Australia`s rich and vibrant backdrop. Depicting his works in a predominately impressionistic style, while integrating traditional artist values, his scapes convey the unique formations and atmospheric qualities of the Australian outback and shoreline.
Artist Statement:
A dusk setting with a warm tone quietly reflecting on the day. Awash of Cadmium Yellow Med to start with then Cerulean Blue and Red Violet with Raw Sienna to make the lands, shore, and bush. With all the colours to use in the sky and reflected in the water.
Artist Name: JULIE MCCURRY
Artwork Title: SUMMER GARDENT
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Ill health can confine an artist. Instead of venturing to complete plein air artworks, the backyard and the garden became my landscape during recovery. A gouache painting was first completed, then in the studio I used acrylics to create this painting.
Artist Statement:
The acrylic on canvas painting was loosely and quickly painted using a previous plein air gouache painting as a reference, The painting depicts a section of my garden as a landscape.
Artist Name: MESS NOISE
Artwork Title: CACTUS
Medium: Synthetic Polymer (Acrylic), Oil Stick and Marker on Birch Panel
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
When I paint there is a degree of pre planning long in my mind but not on paper, the entire drawing and painting exercise delivered to the canvas is also spontaneous based on deep thoughts at the very moment and developing the abstract composition whilst later placing the figurative elements. It could be considered a personal state of mind utopia I’m looking to reach in each piece.
I also think of things that have influenced my life in the past from an early age to those that that may be of influence now. The painting process is a continual process of deep thought creating an ongoing biographical narrative through my work. There is great consideration to art history and how the painting process can be interpreted to the modern age. No one needs to feel obliged to understand my work or to think anything. Its open to interpretation of the viewer.
My recent body of work captures a polyrhythmic style of figures with Nilotic masks, a reference back to family in Kenya/Africa and early modern art. My other composition and artistic intent is based on characters of clouds, large heads, potted plants with large eyes, which reference classical portraiture and still life’s but in review of the modern world youth, addiction mindset of the social media era, commercial advertising and modern contemporary street culture.
Artist Statement:
This artwork is based on the notion of deep thoughts represented by a cloud looking brain and engaging with things that harm us with the out reached and and a cactus looking object un green. For example we reach and and touch things like a cactus in which we hurt our hand and it is the same for other things we may engage with in life that may do us harm.
Artist Name: BARBARA JELBART
Artwork Title: HEALING. A SELF PORTRAIT
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 50 x 36cm
About the Artist:
Painting is one of the things I distract myself with.😬
Artist Statement:
I’m trying to recover from ptsd.
Constantly distracting myself helps.
Artist Name: LINDA HUNTER
Artwork Title: ONE DAY
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 54 x 54cm
About the Artist:
The Australian landscape is a beautiful thing that I have always loved. I have been painting since I was a child and use a range of mediums from graphite ,ink and acrylic paint. I’m always happiest when surrounded by nature listening to the birds and thinking about my next painting.
Artist Statement:
I’m a huge fan of Australian artist Nicholas Harding's work. In this piece I’ve applied the paint thickly with a palette knife directly inspired by him.
I see my artwork as a way of engaging people with the natural world, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility to the viewer.
Artist Name: FRILLY BUMSTEAD
Artwork Title: CASSOWARY STANDOFF
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 45 x 36.5cm
About the Artist:
I chose the Cassowary to paint as I find their whole dinosaur appearance just so appealing and would be a great challenge
Their colours just drew me in before I drew them in.
Artist Statement:
There are three species of Cassowary, but only the Southern Cassowary is found in Australia.
Cassowaries help spread seeds, which are returned to the forest undigested in the birds droppings.
They can run at speeds of up to 50km/h, can jump up to 1.5 metres and can be dangerous if approached.
The most interesting fact though is that the female is bigger and more brightly coloured than the male, which is so unusual in the bird world.
Artist Name: ROBERT DAVIS
Artwork Title: TEARS FROM HEAVEN
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 49 x 49cm
About the Artist:
Rob Davis ( ma rca) 50 years practicing painter
1969-72 Royal College of Art London
1973 Designer British Week Tokyo Japan
1987 winner Claremont Foundation
2000 finalist Doug Moran Portrait
2010 winner Cossack
2018 winner Margaret River Spring
Many Solo Exhibitions of painting India 25 years
Collections: New Norcia Art Gallery
Profiles: Artsource , Bluethumb
Artist Statement:
The All Seeing Eye of Providence can be seen as a metaphor of God's omnipresence.
The Tear is for the present world, and her war torn children !
Why do the Nations so furiously rage together imagining a vain thing ,
when one's life is but a blink of an Eye.
Artist Name: BARBARA GRAHAM
Artwork Title: ANTHROPOMORPHIC
Medium: PHOTOGRAPH
Size: 42 x 30cm
Artist Name: KAT HAMILTON
Artwork Title: ENCHANTED SONG
Medium: Watercolour and ink on Arches paper
Size: 51 x 51cm
About the Artist:
In my painting, "Enchanted Song," I explore the profound connection between music and the human spirit. Depicting a woman playing the violin, I delve into the transformative power of music as a vehicle for emotional expression and inner exploration. The figure's impassioned performance serves as a symbol of resilience and transcendence, as she channels her emotions into the haunting melodies emanating from her instrument. Through the interplay of light and shadow, I evoke a sense of intimacy and introspection, inviting viewers to contemplate the universal language of music and its ability to transport us beyond the confines of everyday life.
Artist Statement:
She played her enchanted song on her violin gifted to her by her grandmother, using it as a powerful means of escape and transcendence. As her fingers caress the strings, her music becomes a sanctuary, shielding her from the chaos and noise of the external world. Through her music, she transcends earthly worries and transports herself to a place of serenity and inner peace, where only the harmonious strains of her violin exist.
Artist Name: CAROL FORBES CROAD
Artwork Title: EMMETT
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 30 x 25cm
About the Artist:
I am a realist painter first and foremost but my background training at St Martin's School Of Art in London created a solid foundation of drawing followed by light - always the light. In portraiture my aim is to capture a moment in time in the subjects life. A moment that reveals the character behind the portrait right at that time. I work from life and photographs in my studio.
Artist Statement:
This is 2 year old Emmett who is not at all sure about getting in the water. He's been dressed up in special clothes and a big hat, slathered with suncream but he's just a little bit anxious about the next bit. I have tried to capture that uncertainty, it's not fear it's just what comes next? Emmett is a family member and a gentle little soul. I wanted to catch the light on that bright sunny day. He did enjoy the swim once he'd braved that first bit!
Artist Name: MICHELLE HENRY
Artwork Title: FINDING TRUTHS IN SHADOWS CAST
Medium: Scratchboard
Size: 13 x 18cm
About the Artist:
As an artist and teacher, I hold drawing as the foundation of any artistic practice. I most often paint the flower as a metaphor, exploring themes of love, lust and longing as intrinsic to the human condition. Never needing to look far for visual inspiration, I photograph and draw flowers wherever I can. These become reference points for further investigations. My images can come from my own yard, my mother’s garden, local walks, overseas and interstate trips, or bouquets given for special occasions. Whether working in thin layers of oil paint built up through scumbling and glazing or, more recently, drawing in Scratchbord, I construct the surface to suggest the subtle play of light on and through the petals, leaves and structure of each plant.
Artist Statement:
This work continues my practice of portraying flowers as metaphors. The discipline of scratchboard drawing involves carefully scraping away the black surface to reveal the white layer underneath. The flower is a white chrysanthemum, a symbol of loyalty and honesty. Chrysanthemums are also the flower associated with Mother's Day and nurturing. The light falling on and through the petals casts shadows (which often suggest uncertainty or dark times). The combination results in an artwork about the struggle of being loyal, honest and nurturing through difficult times, a struggle known by any parent.
Artist Name: DAMIAN BISOGNI
Artwork Title: EVERYONE I'VE KNOWN
Medium: Acrylic and Pastel on Board
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Damian Bisogni is an Australian artist whose creative journey spans over three decades, showcasing his vibrant works both nationally and internationally. Originally from Melbourne, Damian has found his artistic sanctuary in the serene landscapes of Byron Bay, New South Wales, nestled upon Bundjalung Land. With deep reverence, he acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands he calls home, recognizing the enduring connection to country and honouring its Indigenous heritage.
Drawing from the rich tapestry of his cultural lineage—Italian on his paternal side and Hungarian on his maternal side—Damian infuses his art with a kaleidoscope of influences. His work serves as a mosaic of history, personal anecdotes, melodies, cinematic narratives, contemporary culture, and the mundane beauty of everyday life. Through a delicate dance between abstraction and semi-representation, Damian weaves whimsical narratives upon solid fields of colour and off-whites.
With each stroke of his brush, Damian expresses a kaleidoscope of observations, building layers of mediums to unearth lyrical abstract and semi-representational imagery. His signature style exudes exuberance, employing both bold and subtle hues to craft simplified figures and forms that dance across the surface. Influenced by the ebb and flow of his mood and the surrounding environment, Damian's paintings serve as visual symphonies, capturing the essence of fleeting moments with playful spontaneity.
Artist Statement:
"Everyone I've Known" captures a profound exploration of personal connections across our lifespan. The painting combines a mixture of nostalgia and introspection, with a multitude of smaller portraits, each representing a person significant in one's life. Some faces are vibrant and full of life, while others are faded and blurred, hinting at the passage of time and the inevitable changes that occur along our journey. Each face, whether familiar or unfamiliar, contributes to the tapestry of one's life, weaving together a story of love, loss, growth, and resilience.
"Everyone I've Known" is a visual poem that celebrates the beauty and complexity of human connection, inviting viewers to reflect on their own relationships and the impact they have had on their lives.
Artist Name: CATRIONA/SUZANNE GALBRAITH/SWANN
Artwork Title: CONNECTIONS
Medium: Recycled mixed media (tea bags, jewellery, clothing, chain, copper, string), rust and thread in hand-painted recycled frame.
Size: 27 x 34cm
About the Artist:
This work is part of a new collaborative series of experimental works exploring environmental issues by renewing the energy in found objects and discarded waste.
Artist Statement:
Everything is connected; but the chains are chaotic: environmental, biological, social, temporal… and in all the betweens. But what is found in the here, there, and tomorrow?
Artist Name: ROSLYN ELMS
Artwork Title: WINE, REFLECTIONS AND GRAPES
Medium: Oil on Board
Size: 42 x 52cm
About the Artist:
Roslyn is an artist now based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
Previously owner and curator of the Little Wombat Gallery in the Blue Mountains NSW, Roslyn exhibited and sold her own art and photography, and also represented other local artists before closing the gallery and relocating. Since moving to Queensland Ros has pursued learning and painting and drawing as a creative outlet.
Someone once said we should pay attention to our persistent aspirations, and Ros believes we should all do that.
A big believer in not sticking to one genre, Ros enjoys painting in oils, acrylics and water colours and also drawing and sketching in different styles.
Artist Statement:
Wine, Reflections and Grapes is a celebration of light on a few of my favorite things; A lovely gift from a dear friend of the flask and glasses, and fruit. And of course red wine. I wanted the glass and reflections to be the hero of the painting. I wanted this painting to say "Cheers!"
This artwork was a labour of love, from the setting up and execution of the reference photo (you can see my kitchen reflected in the flask), to the selection of the frame for presentation.
Artist Name: CHRIS ANTICO
Artwork Title: WHAT WE CARRY
Medium: Oil stick on paper
Size: 40 x 50cm
Artist Name: LORRAINE DEAN
Artwork Title: HUSH
Medium: Porcelain (Set of 3)
Size: 25 x 20cm
About the Artist:
My artistic journey is one of self-discovery and introspection, guided by the tactile essence of clay. I relentlessly challenge its properties, pushing boundaries to sculpt vessels from within. Developing a process, that explores vulnerability and strength, reflecting the layers that define us, and the world we live in.
Artist Statement:
My artistic practice centers around the creation of vessels that reflect the delicate dynamics of our world marked by fragility. Through the mediums of porcelain and fabric, I fashion vessels that embody the resilience and adaptability required to navigate life and the way in which we contribute to the delicate complexities that are involved in our environment.
The deliberate construction, characterized by folding and layering, serves to accentuate the nuanced relationship between the contrasting elements. With a single firing, a visual tale with a textural surface reminiscent of charred bark emerges, mirroring the fragility inherent in our world and of the transient nature of existence. Yet from this fragility emerges the enduring strength of the porcelain, symbolic of the resilience that thrives amidst adversity.
Ultimately, my vessels serve as a visual and tactile exploration of the nuanced connections between fragility and resilience, offering a poignant meditation on the beauty and complexity of our existence within this fragile world.
Measurements are for each individual vessel.
Artist Name: MARIJKE LAMBREGTSE
Artwork Title: WAY HOME
Medium: mixed media on paper on wooden panel
Size: 42 x 58cm
About the Artist:
‘An abstract language that reveals references to an aesthetic figuration with a surreal flavour. This is the art of Marijke Lambregtse, an Australian based contemporary artist of Dutch origin, who focuses her artistic research on the relationship between man and the world, in its most hidden aspects.
Artist Statement:
This painting is much influenced by the torrential rains we had days on end while living in Bali for four months. I started feeling a bit of eco anxiety again about what is happening everywhere with so many extremes. I tried out locally made bamboo painting brushes for this work
Artist Name: GLORIA STERN
Artwork Title: SALSA PARTNERS
Medium: Oil on linen
Size: 41 x 31cm
Artist Statement:
I have always loved watching dancers and over the years I have painted many pictures with this theme. The figure in motion is of great interest to me and my exploration is to try and build atmosphere around the style of dance I am working on. In this case it is Salsa.
Artist Name: MEL HAYTON
Artwork Title: HOMELESS WOMAN I
Medium: Oils on canvas
Size: 60 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Mel Hayton is an emerging visual artist. She aspires to create emotion, challenge thinking and promote awareness.
She has won several art prizes and been commended/finalist. Her works are held in private, public and corporate collections across Australia, USA, Canada and the UK.
Studied at NAS, London Art Academy, other.
Exhibited in 40+ group and 4 solo exhibitions across Australia.
Artist Statement:
Many unforeseen circumstances lead to older women joining the fastest growing segment of homeless people in Australia - women over 55 years.
In my conversations with some of these women I hear the same words – illness, powerless, elder abuse, invisible, ignorance, financial abuse, domestic violence.
"Stand up for yourself. "
"People don’t want to know."
"You’re just an old woman."
It can happen to anyone.
Artist Name: NICCI BEDSON
Artwork Title: RETRO MODERN
Medium: acrylic on board
Size: 23 x 29cm
About the Artist:
Nicci Bedson draws inspiration from the suburbs and built landscape that surround her, on the south coast of NSW. Her style is iconically Australian and she imbues her paintings with a sense of nostalgia and familiarity.
Artist Statement:
Retro Modern is a nostalgic take on a little motor inn, located in Berry, in the Shoalhaven region/ Yuin country in NSW. I was drawn to the mid century stylings of the motel, as there is something so enduring about the architecture of the era, that we are seeing through a modern come-back.
Artist Name: KATHERINE BOLAND
Artwork Title: PRESENCE NO 3
Medium: Limited edition (1/5) pigment print from digital composite on Lustre photograph paper
Size: 59 x 42cm
About the Artist:
Since the 2019/20 bushfires, Katherine Boland has been compelled to make art to raise awareness about the climate emergency. Katherine was awarded the National Capital Art Prize (Sustainability Category) in 2023 and the Burrinja Climate Change Biennale Art Award in 2022. She has also exhibited at three consecutive United Nations Climate Conferences.
Artist Statement:
‘Presence No 3’ combines a photograph I captured in the Blue Mountains with digital elements. Materialising in the lush rainforest an imposing apparition demands that we contemplate our impact on the natural world and the imperative to preserve our fragile ecosystems. This work invites reflection and reverence for the interconnectedness of all life.
Artist Name: TAMARA PLAYNE
Artwork Title: THE CANONISATION OF THE CHOIR MISTRESS
Medium: mixed media paper
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I chose Yani Mills as a female performing artist to make visible an older woman musician in a male dominated scene where expectations differ for men and women as they age. Yani has made an indelible, and yet largely unsung contribution, to the community through the choirs she has led over the last 30 years. Mosaic Multicultural choir is a collaboration with QPAC and Multicultural Australia. Her other choir, Roar, celebrates its 20th birthday this year. Yani has just released an album with her band Maude Linn and The Tear Jerkers.
This work shows the context of patriarchy and misogyny represented by woven words that act as a contant backdrop for female performing artists. These words are plays on the various lenses through which female performing artists are viewed: microscope, periscope, telescope etc morph into peeroscope, terrorscope, leeroscope etc. The weaving of the words conveys the enmeshed complexity of the prejudice experienced, yet obscures and dismisses it, while female performing artists carry on regardless.
Portraiture has been an instrument of status and power throughout Western patriarchy which explains why so few women are its subjects. When women are the subjects they are usually saints with golden halos. Yani is represented here as a saint to mock this invalid constraint on the representation of women in portraiture and to question portraiture itself as a symbol of legitimised status and power.
Artist Statement:
Tamara Playne is a visual artist, writer and musician working in mixed media. Her experience as a curious, neurodivergent woman living with chronic illness positions her to question what passes for normal in hierarchical systems of power such as patriarchy and capitalism. She is particularly interested in making visible (otherwise) silenced voices and interpreting history through diverse lenses.
Artist Name: JULIE LUCHT DE FREIBRUCH
Artwork Title: SUNSET DRIVE
Medium: Acrylic on polycotton canvas
Size: 35 x 35cm
About the Artist:
Julie’s work is inspired by her local environment, exploring Queensland’s vibrant tropical landscapes, its nature and distinctive buildings. The contrast between man-made and natural forms is a popular theme in her work, as is the exploration of light. Julie uses fluid acrylics in her paintings, her style inspired by the strong graphic design elements of printmaking, and atmospheric details of illustration.
Artist Statement:
The sun sets over a Gold Coast river, emphasising the ripples of the water, the silhouettes of the palm trees, and merging landmarks into amorphous forms. With a backdrop of intense atmospheric colours, a small car makes its way home, its headlights creating its own impact on the landscape. Meanwhile, a house sits as a witness to this evening’s impressive show of light, allowing the beauty of nature to be the main attraction, our own busy lives quietly calmed as a result.
Framed in raw oak.
Artist Name: MIRANDA HAMPSON
Artwork Title: KLEPTOMANIAC LOVE ARCHITECTS’
Medium: Acrylic on cotton canvas
Size: 39 x 55cm
About the Artist:
I am an Aboriginal Anaiwan woman (Uralla, NSW). I was born and raised on Gumbaynggirr Country and currently living on Dharawal Country.
My grandmothers, both artists, in watercolours and oils, opened me up to the art world from a young age. I hold a Bachelor of Arts (Photography) and BA Applied Science (Parks, Recreation and Heritage) with First Class Honours.
I am human, so I have experienced trauma, both happened to and created by me. My work is based on the human experience but with the aesthetics that connect me to my childhood, nature and culture.
Whilst the human experience in my art is based on my perspective and wide range of influences affecting my reality of existing (mental, emotional, cultural, spiritual and physical), I hope to relate to my audience.
Artist Statement:
‘KLEPTOMANIAC LOVE ARCHITECTS’: One should feel safe in their bower. However trickery and seductive techniques can lead to dangerous consequences. They will display, they will dance and they will also steal your confidence …even your life.
These paintings represent the male and female colours of the fascinating Satin Bowerbird and are presented side by side in a 55x39cm diptych frame.
Artist Name: JULES TRUDEAU
Artwork Title: THE MAGIC HAND OF CHANCE
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 20 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Born in Melbourne in 1974, Jules is an emerging artist living in the NSW Southern Highlands. While studying at Julian Ashton's Art School in Sydney, he acquired an appreciation and understanding of the classical methods of drawing and painting.
Jules' compositions bear an acute sensitivity to the captivating dialogue between light and shadow and an intuitive understanding of the luminosity of colour and the spatial relationship between singular and set objects. His artworks are characterised by carefully balanced visuals and thoughtfully crafted compositions.
Recently, Jules' artistic path has taken a nostalgic turn, shifting from landscapes and portraits to still life depictions imbued with memories and iconography. The recurrence of certain themes in his work allows for the subtle unveiling of richly layered stories.
Artist Statement:
Alcohol and indulgence
a slow, quiet, raging silence
too taboo to talk.
A disguise,
a growing unease
surrounded by friends.
Pulling so hard on the the paddles
but the sails drag us down.
I want to lose control, unbridled
a morning melancholy,
after midnight, midlife.
Artist Name: MARTIN CLAYDON
Artwork Title: PEANUT 2
Medium: Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 32 x 36cm
About the Artist:
Martin Claydon (born.1989) is a painter based in Sydney. He is National Art School alumni since 2013. Through the ancient practise of painting, art and life get connected into brush strokes, as subjects and objects are relocated in a network of painted space. The passage of the art object within the sphere is intrinsic to the works materials and meanings.
Martin’s approach to painting reveals a heavily worked surface, often scraping and reworking an image. Highly charged embodied gestures result from this labour and present engaging subjective and material experiences. As the image is forced into the weave so too does it press into us. The social universe isn’t exterior to the painting it’s within it. Figurative modes become a manner of ‘consistency building’. Links are created whether plastic, morphological, or rhetorical between disparate objects and ideas.
Born in England (1989) emigrated to Australia (2002), Martin has a degree in Fine Art consisting of stints at the See Street Gallery School, Middlesex University, London and the National Art School, Sydney. He has completed a BFA (painting) (2013). His work is held in public and private collections in both England and Australia, including the Sydney Town Hall archive, Lane Cove Council Chambers, Redlands Art Gallery. He is associated with Metro Gallery, Melbourne where he shows his work. Some career highlights include being awarded the Lloyd Rees Memorial Art Prize (2015). A finalist in both the Brett Whiteley Traveling Art Scholarship (2018) and the Black Swan Portrait Prize (2018).
Artist Statement:
A crude rendering of a peanut, ballooning and blistering, swelling up over the canvas. Paintings feel lived-out to me not painted.
Artist Name: MICHELE RUDDER
Artwork Title: THE HARDSHIP TO LEAVE A LOVED ONE
Medium: Oil
Size: 55 x 70cm
About the Artist:
Raised in France Michele is inspired by European Artists.her style could be described as Impressionist going towards Surrealist.
Michele has exhibited in Adelaide, Gold Coast, Brisbane,Noosa and Noosa regions
.Michele has published two ART BOOKS to share Emotions and Observations with colours depicting the high and lows experienced in life
Artist Statement:
This painting is having a golden frame to enhance a deeper feeling of loss going through time
Artist Name: NELUS OANA
Artwork Title: HOT AUSTRALIAN SUMMER
Medium: Oil on composition board
Size: 49 x 61cm
About the Artist:
I work in oil on canvas or oil on composition board using mostly my fingers to apply a combination of thick impasto and delicate knife strokes to create depth and luminosity in my artwork. Greatly influenced by the emotional and enigmatic painters of the Expressionist period, particularly Van Gogh, as well as the rhythmic brushstrokes of Australian artist John Perceval, my works are filled with tremendous energy. I combine dramatic, almost violent brushstrokes, lavish textures and resonant colours to depict the sensuous beauty of Australia.
Rather than simply being representations of particular locations, my paintings move beyond the canvas into the realm of personal experience and subconscious images. They reflect the tension between nature and the human element, and celebrate the natural beauty of Australia.
Artist Statement:
Queensland, the land of the Queen. What a beautiful name! The Wonderland, the sunny land! What an inspiration for my painting, "Hot Australian Summer"! I have had the privilege of having my painting's subject be the brightness of summer tones, the movement of light on my favourite flowers. The sky is transformed by the moving waves of light that flood the painting and my soul. I am thrilled with the result. The atmosphere is the exact expression of my experience and feelings with Queensland.
Artist Name: SAMANTHA BLACKMORE
Artwork Title: I WISH..
Medium: Acrylic paint
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
I was born Deaf. Art is my form of inner strength, which I always have passionate about painting. My creativity always comes with my thoughts while I was painting.
Artist Statement:
I wish ....longing for family love.
Artist Name: STEFAN KOCH
Artwork Title: WINTER LANDSCAPE
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 40 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Over the past twenty years Stefan has been painting mainly with acrylics and pencils inspired by daily events in his life. Stef had his first solo-exhibition in Switzerland in September 2013 and it met with great success. More solo exhibition in Switzerland followed in 2014 and in 2015 with "Top Dogs" which was featured on Swiss national television. In 2016 he released his new work with an exhibition "Brains and Portraits" at "The J" in Noosa Heads, followed in 2017 by his solo exhibition with the title of "Flowers". In 2019 he was a finalist in the small scale art award in Brisbane.
He works in his studio in Noosaville - Queensland.
Artist Statement:
Winter Landscape
This work combines past emotions with todays reality. Having lived on the northern hemisphere for the first third of my life and experiencing cold winters combined with leaf less trees and grey depressing skies, and now living in the subtropics of Queensland, enjoying that crystal clear “Queensland blue” sky, most winter days over the past 40 years.
Artist Name: JOYA GAANG
Artwork Title: UNTITLED(BONG HWANG DO)
Medium: Korean watercolour (Minhwa) on mulberry paper
Size: 51 x 51cm
About the Artist:
I am the first and only korean traditional folk painter in Melbourne. I am specialized in korean watercolour which is called ‘Minhwa’ from the Joseon Era(1392-1910) mixing with modern objects of this generation and australia. I paint on Hanji, double layered mulberry paper which is made on the traditional way and dyed with black coffee.
I am fascinated about the meaning of Minhwa as both “painting of the people” to wish for good things to happen and the painting for the kings. So each objects in my painting era have symbols of happiness and luck and the status of the Joseon dynasty so that I can convey messages for everyones’ blessings, desires and wishes. @joya.in.minhwa
Artist Statement:
A legendary bird, the Phoenix is called Bong Hwang with a face of chicken, peacock, pheasant, swallow, and mandarin duck and a body of dragon and tortoise.
They live in paulownia trees and appear when good things happen in the world. It is also used to pray for the prosperity of the royal family.
I would like to express them playing around waterfalls during sunset.
Artist Name: HAZEL TWYCROSS
Artwork Title: BEDSHAPED
Medium: Oils
Size: 20 x 20cm
About the Artist:
My artwork springs from places or people that inspire me, often this occurs when I am outside of my
normal environment. The novelty of new, heightens my awareness and I have many references to my
travels in my works. I see vibrancy of colour often beyond what is there, or that is what I find myself
translating to the page. I am inherently drawn to detail and find beauty in intricate forms. I use light
and colour to tell the story of my feelings.
Currently exploring abstracting and refining at the same time, trying to have these both work on the
page.
Artist Statement:
And legs of stone. Awake, sort of, sleep deprived again, fallen by the wayside. A coffee for shapeshifting. Move, just run. Back into action. No time to wallow in there. Up i go, in white light.
Artist Name: KARRYN ARGUS
Artwork Title: I'LL HOLD YOU UNTIL YOU CURE
Medium: Casting plaster, found object
Size: 15 x 9cm
About the Artist:
Melbourne artist Karryn Argus has exhibited her handmade objects in selected group shows and has been a finalist in numerous Art Prizes throughout Australia. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from Monash University and a Master of Fine Art form RMIT. Karryn teaches in the Diploma of Visual Arts.
Artist Statement:
I’ll Hold You Until You Cure #1 investigates healing from loss. Karryn holds plaster works until they cure, as she calmly waits to experience the healing warmth in her hands. This work continues her ongoing interest in the embodied sculptural object and the relationship between bodies, objects, and spaces.
Artist Name: ANNA DAVI
Artwork Title: THE PRESENT MOMENT
Medium: acrylic and mixed media, paper bonded to board
Size: 45 x 45cm
About the Artist:
I am attracted to depicting birds, animals and the human form, using acrylic paint and mixed media.
I add realistic details to engage the viewer and express the subject’s key nature. Brush and pencil work, and unexpected colours shuffle the everyday, inviting the viewer to fill in their own details.
Artist Statement:
I love to depict birds in flight, suggesting movement and capturing moments in time, a witness to something that will never be repeated. I “mess up” the bigger picture - giving the feel of what’s unfolding. Then I delight in homing in on the finer details of eyes and beaks.
Artist Name: INGRID STRASSER
Artwork Title: 08:15
Medium: Oil
Size: 240 x 300cm
About the Artist:
I'm planning to paint food that you eat with your eyes, at the stage where it's very fresh and absolutely appealing. These images will feature larger than life depictions of food, to reference how absorbed we become from the moment we sit down with our meals.
Artist Statement:
The image focus' on the tastiness of the egg, the allure, heat and immediacy of a home cooked breakfast.
Artist Name: LEANNE HALLS
Artwork Title: THE GOLDEN TEAPOT
Medium: Oils
Size: 23 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Born in Australia, I spent a number of years working abroad in Japan. It was during this time that I was exposed to various kinds of traditional Japanese art and design. My passion for art led me to pursue tutelage under master of Japanese art forms and western oil painting.
My work is characterised by fluid and expressive brush strokes, atmospheric perspective and light. I do not paint oranges, vases or hills or trees, rather I capture the feeling of light falling across the objects within the painting. My painting philosophy is to paint movement, the movement of light, colour and tone across the surface of any given object.
Finalist in a number of awards including Glover Art Prize, Lloyd Rees Art Prize, Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Lethbridge 10,000 Art Prize and others, I have a growing reputation and confidence. My paintings have also been published in various publications including The Art Collector. My works are held in private collections in Japan, USA, Netherlands, UK and Australia.
Artist Statement:
My work is all about capturing the beauty of everyday objects, like that golden teapot sitting on my kitchen table. I love playing with Chiaroscuro technique to create contrast and depth in my paintings, which adds a touch of drama to the ordinary. Light is my ultimate muse, constantly inspiring me to bring life and dimension to my pieces. Through my art, I hope to bring a bit of magic into people's lives and encourage them to see the beauty in the mundane. So come along on this journey with me, and let's explore the world through a different lens.
Artist Name: PAUL REES
Artwork Title: OH WHAT A FEELING 3
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 41 x 21cm
About the Artist:
I paint in oils and watercolours. I am drawn to beauty and strangeness in the landscape, especially remote areas. My ‘Enormous Vastness’ series tries to capture our uneasy relationship with the other-worldliness and fragile beauty of Outback Queensland, often using the metaphor of a stylised 4WD, a modern-day Ned Kelly.
Artist Statement:
This is part of my ‘Enormous Vastness’ series. On a trip through Outback Queensland the ubiquitous vehicle tracks got me thinking about 4WDs as modern day Ned Kellys roaming the landscape. A 4WD crashes into a wombat hole as the marsupial flees, referencing Nolan's 1946 'Policeman in a Wombat Hole'.
Artist Name: SANAE MAWHINNEY
Artwork Title: KILN FIRED TRANQUILITY TEAPOT 06
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 43 x 43cm
About the Artist:
Having studied architecture at university and worked in various design firms in Tokyo before relocating to Melbourne, I discovered a profound fascination for interior design and the ability to express my interests through art.
My artworks are multi-layered acrylic abstracts, drawing inspiration from the tranquillity of trees, forests, and waterfalls. Through my art, I seek to embody the essence of "Wabi-Sabi," traditional Japanese philosophies of beauty that celebrate imperfection and impermanence. I proudly identify as a "Wabi-Sabinist," deeply embracing this life philosophy and dedicated to inspiring others toward peaceful minds and lives.
Artist Statement:
The 'TRANQUILITY TEAPOT' from the 'KILN FIRED' collection drew inspiration from a Shigaraki-yaki pot I discovered in Ginza,Tokyo showcasing an indescribably gentle and sweet palette. In the realm of ceramics, allowing the glaze to flow naturally under the influence of gravity, with the outcome only revealed after firing, adds a unique beauty. In this piece, I aim to capture the beauty of glaze naturally dripping, revealing underlying layers and creating a composition where colours blend organically, expressing the wabi-sabi aesthetic — an art form that embraces the beauty of simplicity and imperfection.
Artist Name: ADRIANA ARTMEIER
Artwork Title: INHALE
Medium: graphite on paper, photo paper, plastic sleeve, acrylic and silver pigments on mount board
Size: 13 x 25cm
About the Artist:
Adriana Artmeier is a Melbourne-based artist focusing on realism mixed with a hint of surrealism elements.
Originally from Germany, she moved to Australia in 2016 after graduating from the Municipal Technical School of Design in Munich.
The majority of her work is inspired by her experiences and challenges in society.
Artist Statement:
This piece is inspired by confronting past trauma head-on and trying to keep calm in the fire. It's a reminder to keep breathing and continue, closing that chapter once you've worked through it even if it seems impossible and come out on the other side stronger than before.
Artist Name: TONYA
Artwork Title: EVERY MOMENT WITH YOU
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 25 x 20cm
About the Artist:
Tonya Hetreles is a Sydney based artist, primarily focusing on oil and acrylic painting. With embracing a more figurative approach in recent works, she is experimenting with the representation of capturing moments of ordinary life with figures in their own world. Tonya's works characteristically feature lots of vibrancy in colour and highly contrasted tones. Including the evidence of process and brushstokes are important elements to the final product and included in all paintings produced to create a more dynamic and rough effect.
Artist Statement:
Capturing mundane moments to anyone external yet treasured and wholesome to the individuals involved is something I believe to be incredibly precious. To encapsulate that perceived feeling between beings and relate that to yourself, in my case feelings of childlike amusement, freedom and fun, is an expression of emotion towards certain people and experiences in my own world.
Artist Name: KIRSTEN HOCKING
Artwork Title: LIFE BALANCE
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Perth artist and educator, Kirsten Hocking, holds a Bachelor of Contemporary Arts (ECU) and a Graduate Diploma of Education (UWA). She exhibits locally and nationally and has won several awards, including The People’s Choice Award (Claremont Art Awards, 2016). Her art practice is informed by her professional background in aromatherapy.
Artist Statement:
Plants, for me, metaphorically represent life and our cultural relationships to nature. Sunlit and joyful, these stephanotis seeds are exuberantly youthful. The broken wicker basket alludes to the degeneration of ageing life. The scales – a memento of personal travels – symbolise the choices that are made as one journeys through life.
Artist Name: ELLA SENBRUNS
Artwork Title: SILK PHANTOM
Medium: Oils on canvas
Size: 56 x 46cm
About the Artist:
Ella Senbruns is an artist from South East Queensland who works across mixed-media drawing, painting, murals and digital illustration.
With strong use of dynamic line-work, Senbruns creates characters that are surreal and feminine, and often appear as though they are halfway through transformation. By distorting the body and combining it with plants, animals and objects, she creates mesmerising and confronting representations of emotion - high, low, and bittersweet.
In 2021 Senbruns graduated from a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) at the Queensland College of Art. She has since worked as a studio artist, freelance muralist and life drawing instructor.
Artist Statement:
“Silk Phantom” depicts the tent-shaped webs of orb weavers, delicately hung within dense native scrub. With careful inspection, viewers may be surprised to discover that the silhouette of a woman has been disguised within the spider silk!
The top-right web subtly implies the details of a nose, brow and cheeks, all facing down towards the Boronia blossoms as though to smell or inspect them. The centre-left web suggests the curvature of breasts, giving this ethereal figure a distinctly feminine appearance.
By painting spider silk in a way that resembles the disembodied essence of a woman, Senbruns reflects on personal experiences of womanhood within South East Queensland. These sparkling and intricate strands of web may be alluring, but simultaneously repelling through their association with spiders. For many of us, the notion of touching a web is enough to unsettle.
“Silk Phantom” can be interpreted as an emotionally charged allegory for desire and fear, projected onto women’s bodies and the Australian landscape.
Artist Name: DEB MICHELL-SMITH
Artwork Title: THE FISH
Medium: Acrylic on board
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
As an artist based in Narrabri, NSW, my work is a celebration of the everyday, drawing inspiration from the vibrant colors and inherent beauty of daily life. My art delves into the landscapes, environments, and neighborhoods that surround me, exploring the deep connection between nature, people, and places. Through my work, I uncover the layers of my life in regional Australia, reflecting on the connections to people and places, memories, and the community that shape my existence.
Utilizing nostalgic colors and a keen understanding of shadow and light, I create emotive narratives through paint. The repetitive nature of my brushstrokes and the layering of colors mirror the layers of my memories and experiences. In essence, I am painting a story, discovering myself, and crafting my own sense of place.
My art practice is influenced by the works of Wendy Sharpe, Sidney Nolan, Juli Allcorn, and Kathrin Longhurst, whose styles and themes resonate deeply with my own creative journey.
Artist Statement:
This figurative work captures two young boys in a moment of innocent adventure, one whimsically donning an ice cream container as a makeshift helmet while they catch a fish. It evokes the nostalgia of childhood, a time marked by carefree exploration and the joy of discovery. Through this piece, I explore themes of identity and the journey of growing up in the contemporary world, reflecting on how these early, playful experiences shape who we become.
Artist Name: VERA ZAMMIT
Artwork Title: SUNRISE AT SWANSEA, TAS
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 40 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I am a self taught artist painting in oils mainly in the genre of landscape and urban scenery. My inspiration comes from places I have travelled to and my local environment around Brisbane.
Artist Statement:
A spectacular sunrise view over Waterloo Beach at Swansea, Tasmania. As the sun started to rise, the orange and violet hues intensified and I was captivated by the reflections which appeared to spill over the water towards me. How often do we greet a new day with so much splendour?
Artist Name: DAMIAN JOHN LEE
Artwork Title: OUT O STEAM
Medium: Oil on Board
Size: 30 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Damian is an Adelaide based artist who spent most of his life in Mount Isa and North West Queensland. He is heavily influenced by the remote outback and the remnants of time that are left behind.
Artist Statement:
Many items exist as a reminder of past human activity. NWQ has many such artefacts including derelict equipment such as this steam engine from mining days of the past. Uniquely preserved because of the dry hot climate and little human or animal activity. A reminder that we are all simply passing through.
Artist Name: CHARLOTTE ORGILL
Artwork Title: OPEN COAST
Medium: Mixed media
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
As an emerging artist, I have had one successful solo exhibition this year and I’m trying to find ways to share my art. I have developed a visual vocabulary of saturated colors and abstract forms to depict the light and landscape you see on the coast, in Central Queensland.
Artist Statement:
Open Coast is an abstract depiction of the horizon where the ocean and the sky meet. There is a slight difference between the tones of blues. In this piece, I wanted to show the slight separation of the sky and sea but use elements to show their connection.
Artist Name: LIZ GRIDLEY
Artwork Title: FALCO - BIRD OF PREY
Medium: oil on aluminium
Size: 45 x 36cm
About the Artist:
Liz Gridley’s work centers on her experiences of states of hyper-emotion where distress arises from overstimulation. The personal inevitability of death & death care is a point in which dialogue can be culturally celebrated or silenced. Here Gridley’s experience with hyper-emotion makes room for conversation that is often taken for granted or pushed aside as taboo. Through contemporary figurative oil paintings Gridley reflects her internal states and connects viscerally with the viewer.
In 2024, Gridley was awarded a place in the “Victorian Artists Society Coterie” sponsored by the Hansen Little Foundation. She currently has works available in Australia and internationally.
Artist Statement:
Falconeris, poised, unwavering and determined, red cast coming up his arm from his stage—his prescence is undeniable. The Falcon is a symbol of laser-like concentration and single-mindedness. By embracing this spirit of focus, we can harness our energy efficiently, overcome obstacles with determination, and remain centred amidst life's demands.
Artist Name: TIEL SEIVL-KEEVERS
Artwork Title: DEATH OF THE SUNFLOWER 1
Medium: Acrylic and Ink
Size: 42 x 42cm
About the Artist:
Tiel Seivl-Keevers’ practice explores themes and observations from her environment with a focus towards impermanence and temporal flux.
Her art practice is attuned to cycles of life within landscapes and humanity’s impact on the natural world. For the last two decades she has worked as an artist, exploring various media.
Artist Statement:
'Death of the Sunflower 1' contributes to an ongoing narrative exploring the life cycle of flora and fauna, paralleling it with the complexities of human mortality and personal relationships. The work aims to foster a deeper understanding of the human experience and the profound interconnectedness between life and death.
Artist Name: MICHELLE FERREIRA
Artwork Title: THE FOURTH
Medium: Photography
Size: 60 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Michelle Ferreira has recently graduated from RMIT Master of Photography. As an artist and environmental activist, she is interested in the emotional resonance of our impact on nature. Her photography is an intersection of documentary, surreal and abstract landscapes. The work engages emotions to convey empathy and reveal the beauty of nature, both the obvious and unassuming.
She has lived, created and exhibited worldwide – Australia, Portugal, Czech Republic, Malaysia, and New York through group and collaborative projects; exhibitions include CLIMARTE Gallery, Pingyao International Photography Festival 2022, Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2020 and Red Gallery in Melbourne. She was recently awarded the Creative Climate Awards 2023 (New York) and the Head On Landscape Award 2023 (Sydney). She is currently doing an artist residency at RMIT University — RMIT Culture Graduate Residency.
Artist Statement:
This double exposure image is from the Melbourne “Where the green seeps into the concrete'' series. This project explores our urban experience with nature. It reflects on how human systems interact with nature in the cities and how valuable the sense of interconnectedness with nature in the city is for humans. The relevance of this photographic work speaks to the fundamental human rights and need for connection to nature and how vital it is for our mental and physical well-being.
This photographic work is an ongoing series focused on different cities (subjects) to highlight cities' pivotal role in fighting climate change. For this project, I apply one rule — each double-exposure frame will be within view — and the overlaid images are seen from one spot to create an abstract environment where nature and urban spaces meet. Working within this framework helped me narrow my focus and be hyper-aware of my surroundings. Though the work is experimental with angles and subject placement, it also became intentional and enhanced the storytelling. Double-exposure images convey the duality and figuratively the interconnectedness of the urban intersection with nature. The experience of environmental change blends as a poetic analogy to a changing environment.
Artist Name: TIM MARR
Artwork Title: SELF PORTRAIT
Medium: Ink pen
Size: 34 x 23cm
About the Artist:
I use the stippling technique with ink pens to create fine details. I'm fascinated with themes surrounding consciousness, mental stamina, history and nature. Many of my pieces include the use of geometric shapes and fine details to express the exploration of the artwork’s theory. Each artwork tells a story of knowledge or experience in life that holds meaning to me personally.
Artist Statement:
Inspired by the song 'lateralus' by the band Tool.
Expanding consciousness and breaking free from mental constraints are some of the themes I love about Tool's songs.
"Over-thinking, over-analyzing separates the body from the mind". We can become disconnected. I like to think of stoicism and how it teaches “you have power over your mind, not outside events”. If we can be fully present in our bodies we can experience the reality of the world around us much clearer.
Artist Name: EMILY APPLEBY
Artwork Title: THE DOOR
Medium: Coloured with silver and gold leaf on paper
Size: 14 x 29cm
About the Artist:
I am an amateur artist from the Gold Coast who loves experimenting with combinations of crisp lines, geometric patterns and bold colour palettes.
Artist Statement:
This artwork depicts one of my family's favourite holiday spots and as a young child it always seemed magical with ice creams and rock pools and never-ending games of catch. I want a little of that wonder to come through in this work as each individual detail is so important but ultimately lost without the whole.
Artist Name: BEATRICE PROST
Artwork Title: TAIL TALE
Medium: Hand carved unique print on aluminium, aluminium frame
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Beatrice creates in her studio in Tinbeerwah. She uses her own photography to encapsulate a current story and a sense of place. Now and here. Beatrice deconstructs and transforms each of her carefully curated own photos. She patiently and meticulously hand carves the alumimnium to emphasise powerful symbolism or simply awe dropping Australian nature.
Artist Statement:
Our coastlines are graced by the bi-annual migrations of whales. Each whale is unique and can be recognised from the mapping of her marks on the underbelly. On this windy encounter off the K’Gari coast, Beatrice uses her own photography to encapsulate a current story and a sense of place. It is a story of power and grace of those mighty gentle giants.
Artist Name: DINA GILLESPIE
Artwork Title: ARRIVED
Medium: Oil on linen
Size: 60 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Dina is an emerging artist based in Sydney. As a primarily self taught artist Dina works in oils, with her main focus being Landscape and portraiture. Through using a limited palette, muted tones and simple form, she strives to evoke an emotional response from the viewer
Artist Name: YVONNE FRIZZO
Artwork Title: ON A CLEAR DAY
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 52 x 42cm
About the Artist:
Six years into my art journey, the love of nature never fails to inspire me. The love of learning and experimenting brings great joy during this exciting adventure of art.
Artist Statement:
This piece brings joy and brightness into life while experiencing wet and gloomy weather for many months. Reference is compliments to local photographer Fairlie Sandilands who granted permission for me to put my interpretation onto canvas
Artist Name: JENNIFER PULLMAN
Artwork Title: ARKAROOLA- THREE STORIES
Medium: Oil
Size: 20 x 61cm
About the Artist:
I explore mood, shape and light and how these transform the way we see nature. Each work includes various surface textures with layering and scraping of paint, tonal colours, marks and lines. These become abstracted stories of the Australian landscape.
Artist Statement:
Title: Arkaroola: Three Stories
The triptych features one place in Arkaroola, South Australia within different spaces of time. The viewer sees and selects different landscape patterns, colours and forms to cast as memory. Various impressions emerge from such experiences. One place: three stories.
Artist Name: ROB SINCLAIR
Artwork Title: A MOMENT IN AUSTRALIAN MARITIME HISTORY
Medium: Oil
Size: 50 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Rob Sinclair is a Brisbane artist who enjoys attempting to create images showing moments in time. Colour and light are his object in order to capture the are and movement of the subjects. Well known for his landscapes, portraiture is a special interest.
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Artist Statement:
From the era of the Tall Ships, these two vessels, the barquentine rigged Southern Swan and steam tug Waratah, still can be seen on Sydney Harbour. The painting is done in the tones of sepia to capture the photography that existed in the early 1900's.
Artist Name: CATHRYN LLOYD
Artwork Title: WHERE WORDS FAIL, MUSIC SPEAKS
Medium: Collage, acrylic paint, pencil, paper, ephemera on wooden board
Size: 20 x 20cm
About the Artist:
I'm a collector of many things, patterns, paper, fabrics, textures, colour, feathers, shells, leaves, stones, fragments, the discarded and ephemera. I'm drawn to the natural world and I refer to myself as a ‘bricoleur’. Much of my artwork emerges from existing resources and materials which are reused, recycled, and upcycled. I'm inspired by the challenge and opportunity to create and make do with what is at hand. This is becoming an increasingly important aspect in my art- making given the environmental and ecological challenges that are facing us. Curiosity and creativity are two human characteristics I value deeply. We all experience, interpret and respond to the world in different ways. That’s what makes it inspiring, at times perplexing and a great foundation for making art, and collage is the perfect expressive art medium. I feel at home in the process of collage it continually surprises me, taking me to places real and imagined.
Artist Statement:
There are times when we experience life that cannot be described in words alone. While there is conflict and destruction there is also beauty that manifests in the world around us. Music can be the portal by which we can express that which cannot, when words fail to convey the human experience. Music can shine a light, making the intangible, tangible.
Artist Name: SARAH SNEDDON
Artwork Title: WE GO AGAIN
Medium: Linocut on watercolour paper
Size: 30 x 21cm
About the Artist:
After 35 years of making art around the edges of distractions, travel, day jobs and motherhood, I am working to find my way back to a consistent practice. I’m interested in exploring line and form and, experimentation with process.
Artist Statement:
This work is part of a small series exploring repetition and reproduction.
Artist Name: MIA GUNTON
Artwork Title: SELF PORTRAIT
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Mia is currently a student at Griffith University/Queensland College of Art and Design studying a Bachelor of Visual Arts. She works as a Visitor Services Officer at Home of the Arts (HOTA) on the Gold Coast. Mia’s most recent exhibition was a group show at QCAD’s Webb Gallery, Warm Apple Pie, which explored the impact on women through metaphor.
Artist Statement:
Mia Gunton's paintings look at the symbolism and language surrounding food. Mia's dessert paintings explore the concept of sexism built into language inspired by the notion of "Women as Desserts." She implores viewers to look at the connection of food and sexual desire, and the possibilities of food as a symbol.
Artist Name: LENI KAE
Artwork Title: LOVE AT THE HEART OF YOU AND I
Medium: Graphite, Charcoal, Watercolour
Size: 42 x 29cm
About the Artist:
I am an artist and writer from Sydney, Australia. My visual works are inspired by an innate need to explore the human spirit, emotional landscape, and our connection to all around us. I believe we get to know ourselves through reflections and conscious connections; and at the heart of this exploration exists the key to enlightening our mind and soul to our true selves. I believe the arts and nature can be so powerful to our journey of conscious awakening. Art and nature invite us to visit the concept of ‘Unity’ and see ourselves as part of a bigger universe; to question the truths of our sensory experiences and our existence.
Artist Statement:
There is a connectedness that lives at the heart of all mankind. This sentiment is at the heart of this drawing. Two seemingly separate people are united in thoughts, emotion and dream.
If all is done with this in mind, imagine the light and peace that our world will attract.
Artist Name: COLLEEN HELMORE
Artwork Title: KIWI BREAKFAST
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Size: 25 x 35cm
Artist Statement:
Almost every day I have this fruit for breakfast and I wanted to convey all that beautiful juicy deliciousness that entices me to continue to consume it.
Artist Name: ROSE KNIGHT
Artwork Title: SEA AIR
Medium: oil
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Since arrival in FNQ in 2018 Rose has been a finalist in the Glover, Villiers, Doyles and Lethbridge Art Prizes and winner in the Tyto Annual Art Prize, Mission Arts Annual, Central Highlands Regional Art Awards 2024 having successful solo exhibitions at Tanks Art Centre Cairns, Tableland and Hinchinbrook Regional Galleries.
Artist Statement:
My paintings don’t intend to be purely descriptive, but rather present themselves as an unfolding of a dream…. Such as when you waken with subliminal impressions still lingering just beyond reach. More and more I find myself painting intuitively, as a response to the environment…. Searching for the essence and it’s source. These paintings are moments of personal freedom.
Artist Name: DEBORAH HUNTER MILLS
Artwork Title: WHITE BAY
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 28 x 35cm
About the Artist:
Water is a common theme in my work. I grew up on a small island in the UK and felt a connection with the beaches and sea in Tasmania. This painting is inspired by the colours and lines of the water
Artist Statement:
I spent a long weekend down on the Tasman Peninsula with a fellow artist where we went sketching and painting. The weather was beautiful as was the landscape
Artist Name: JANICE GOBEY
Artwork Title: YOU CALL THIS A FISH
Medium: Oil on Linen
Size: 51 x 51cm
About the Artist:
Janice Gobey is a Melbourne based artist working in both Painting and Installation. Her work has focused on exploring subjects such as broken marriages, love, toxic masculinity, anger and more recently healing through nature.
Gobey has dedicated time to painting en plein air in Spain, France and Melbourne. Her interest lies in Jung’s exploration of nature and its potential to heal our overwhelmed systems amidst the current state of the world. She believes that being in nature and communing with animals can have a therapeutic effect.
Many of the animals that capture Gobey’s interest hold significant symbolic meaning.
Artist Statement:
During January of 2024, I spent time on an artist residency at Chateau Orquevaux in France. Dusty, the resident chateau cat decided to join us for lunch one day, I managed to capture a quick snap which I turned into this painting. He initially was attracted to a rather awful tuna sandwich, but the fish is much more in line with his tastes! I liked the blue background with the green, the orange stripe highlighting the connection to the cat. He appears to be caught in a moment of instinctive intrigue by the fish on the plate, highlighting nature's inherent narratives. This scene is not just a visual experience but a dialogue on the simplicity and complexity of animal behavior.
Artist Name: ALAN MAK
Artwork Title: CONNECTED
Medium: Ceramics
Size: 9 x 32cm
About the Artist:
My practice include different mediums, most of the time they are a reaction to a particular moment in time, and whatever are available at hand. I treasure every moment that I am able to practice to draw, paint, and make. My work are created with materials and spaces that I can access at the time. They are a creations and a reflection of a moment which I find difficult to repeat. I treasure them all.
Artist Statement:
The two pieces of ceramics may appear different, they are tied together through an emotional connection. Although they able to stand on their own, but the contrasting expression made them more prominent. Personally they are part of a process for me to understand individuality and togetherness, and to express the joy of a moment in time.
Artist Name: EVA DE SAN MIGUEL
Artwork Title: IN A SEOUL ALLEYWAY
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I am an artist based in Ipswich, Queensland and I paint in oils on canvas. I like to capture everyday objects lit by brilliant sunshine and singular moments in the urban landscape.
The philosopher Heraclitus said you can't step in the same river twice. I think the same way about household objects and the light that captures them and how it changes throughout the year. I like the impermanence of those moments ostensibly made permanent in a painting and I find joy in discovering how to capture little domestic scenes in paint.
I also capture moments like this while out and about – small seemingly insignificant moments and scenes in the urban landscape, lit by the sunshine or a flickering fluoro light in a certain way, just in that moment that I happen to be passing by.
Artist Statement:
Wandering around a foreign city, you can see the temples and curated attractions and you can see snapshots of everyday life. Both matter, but I find the snapshots of everyday life more interesting. I can imagine the flipside to this though: imagine wandering around your own capital city with its beautiful highlights and seeing a tourist taking photos of some boxes in an alleyway.
Artist Name: VICKI RATCLIFF
Artwork Title: BALANCING ACT
Medium: oil
Size: 53 x 53cm
About the Artist:
I am drawn to capture the women that share each morning with me at Mona Vale rock pool. Their support, their warmth and strength and their love of life help to create an inspiring local community. They have a joy about them and an age defying beauty. I aim to capture small moments of this world, and the constantly changing moods of each new day in the early morning light.
Artist Statement:
Life’s balance comes down to my feet in the sand, morning light and a cold water swim. The rest of the day then has a whole new perspective. I want this painting to immerse the viewer into my world.
Artist Name: MATTHEW HALL FONG
Artwork Title: SICK BOY
Medium: Charcoal & white chalk on hand toned paper
Size: 42 x 38cm
About the Artist:
Matthew Hall Fong is an emerging representational artist from the Northern Rivers of New South
Wales. Since picking up a brush, Matthew has fully immersed himself in the world of fine art - reading,
practicing and observing the techniques of the old masters from 17th, 18th and 19th century.
Matthew is now currently enrolled and studying at the prestigious Florence Academy of Art where
he is learning traditional drawing & painting practices.
Artist Statement:
This drawing was drawn from life during my time training in Florence, using charcoal and white chalk on hand-prepared toned paper. The final result amounting approximately 80+ hours over several months. The subject is a plaster cast of a sculpture made by Vincenzo Gemito titled 'il malatiello' (sick boy). As a practicing painter educated in the realist tradition, I have always found inspiration in the great 19th century Italian artists such Gemito, Antonio Mancini, Giovanni Boldini & Domenico Morelli.
Artist Name: SARAH JENNIFER DUTE
Artwork Title: OVERGROWN FLINDERS ST STATION, MELBOURNE
Medium: Acrylic Paint on Cotton Stretched Canvas
Size: 31 x 31cm
About the Artist:
Sarah Jennifer is an Australian born artist who currently resides in Melbourne, VIC, and specialises in acrylic paintings on deep-edge, cotton stretched canvas. She has been practicing art in various forms from an early age, starting her entrepreneurial journey selling painted pebbles at highschool, participating in art markets, and eventually completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at UNSW Art & Design in 2019. She has exhibited her work in 5 previous exhibitions, 4 being group shows including ‘Power SHIFT’ at Gaffa Art Gallery in 2018, and her first solo show called ‘A Future Place’ held in Leichhardt in January 2021. In 2023 she founded and directed a group show called "The Next Step (Sydney)" in Flow Studios 88 for a group of 12 emerging artists ranging from sculptural work, photography, painting, videography and more. She has also launched her business as a live wedding painter outside of exhibiting, where she paints newly weds live on their wedding day, and goes by the name 'Melbourne Wedding Painter'.
As part of her philanthropic journey, her solo show ‘A Future Place’ raised $400 AUD towards reforestation in California through the non-for-profit organisation One Tree Planted, and at her self-directed and funded joint show ‘Amalgamate Sydney’ she raised nearly $1000 for charity. Her show 'The Next Step (Sydney)" also raised approximately $20,000 in profit for the emerging artists involved from sales on the opening night, and no commission was taken. Sarah considers philanthropic work as a part of her art practice, and will continue to donate percentages of her artwork sales to environmental and global restoration and other relevant causes as part of her work. Her desire and current actions are focused on expanding her practice to reach an international audience and expand how she approaches this specific theme of art.
Artist Statement:
'Overgrown Flinders St Station, Melbourne' explores the dichotomy of the man-made metropolis versus natures call to untamed growth and how these two systems of existence may potentially merge in the future. This particular artwork focuses on Melbourne’s iconic Flinders St Station with nature covering its classic architecture in an eerie, yet serene way. The artwork playfully approaches what a possible future would look like if the building-dominated world became a more apocalyptic, overgrown future, and yet looks at the peaceful undertones of the tranquility and harmony this imagery can create.
Artist Name: VANESSA LEIGH THOMSON
Artwork Title: BLUE LADY
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
My art is a reflection of my love and appreciation for the beauty of nature that surrounds us all. Despite struggling at first, I persevered and found that painting was a form of meditation for me.
My focus has been on capturing the soul and spirit of the natural world through my art, and I'm passionate about conservation.
The years I spent studying were challenging and inspiring, and I've spent the last 20 years developing my style and skills while painting for the joy it brings me.
Artist Statement:
In a complex, ever-changing world where we often find ourselves grappling with our own sense of self, the question arises: should we boldly assert our individuality, even in the face of potential judgment from others, or should we opt to seamlessly blend in with the crowd?
Artist Name: CATHRYN CROWE
Artwork Title: ON SAFARI
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 20 x 20cm
About the Artist:
As a mixed media abstract artist much of my inspiration comes from the natural environment. Bushwalking, trekking in wild places, travelling, and time spent in my garden provide a multitude of experiences and memories. Painting feels like a way forward, a way of engaging with the world and exploring possibilities.
Artist Statement:
Being on safari was an extraordinary experience. From golden grasslands to pristine rainforests, this ecosystem has a distinctive energy and vitality. My process focussed on loose brush strokes, layering paint, paring it back, scratching into it and playing with colour dynamics to evoke a sense of this vibrant landscape.
Artist Name: CINDA MANINS
Artwork Title: TROPHY: RESILIENCE
Medium: Porcelain
Size: 18 x 9cm
About the Artist:
My creative practice is philosophical and conceptual in theme and resource aware in practice.
I explore the concepts of temporality, permanence and impermanence, and the relationship of humanity to the earth, particularly in the context of the Anthropocene.
The construction of each ceramic piece is guided by the qualities of the material, and the philosophies of Humanism and Wabi-sabi.
My forms are hand built and sculptural, often simple forms, with complex surfaces.
In 2023 I undertook the CoPP’s Environmental Leadership Program, where the examination of the qualities of Leadership captured my interest and led to the development of the Trophy series.
Artist Statement:
This artwork is one of a series of trophies that elevate and explore some of the qualities of Leadership required to guide Humanity through environmental crises to a stable and secure planet home.
The trophy form and use of porcelain in this work is intended to elevate the quality of Resilience through its appearance of purity. It is distressed but has endured. The Classical form of the flame style trophy is a reference to ancient civilisations where philosophers first explored and noted human dilemmas, and laid down existential frameworks for us to explore questions of ways of being and knowing.
There are many wonderful resilient people working on amazing projects to mitigate climate change, species extinction, habitat protection and recovery, ocean protection, and the many other threats to our planet who are not always recognised for their efforts.
It is interesting to note that power and leadership qualities are not always paired.
Artist Name: BRONWYN DOHERTY
Artwork Title: MOODS OF THE SEA
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Size: 51 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Sydney born, Bronwyn studied art at the NAS and a teaching degree from Alexander Mackie CAE. She taught Art and worked at her own practice. Moving to Brisbane in 1990, she has exhibited in group and solo shows, in Queensland and NSW, primarily as a painter, recently includes ceramic sculpture.
Artist Statement:
Watching the many moods of the sea is sometimes quite cathartic, a dramatic vision of ones own emotions constantly displayed at a safe distance, anonymous and relatable.
Artist Name: SARA NASH
Artwork Title: HOME TURF
Medium: Digital photograph printed on cotton rag
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
My perception of home is deeply rooted in my need for comfort, safety, and connection. Imagine a place where the softness of grass cushions your every step and the gentle touch of sunlight dances through the blades, creating patterns of warmth and shadow.
Home is more than just a physical space; it's a sanctuary—a haven where we find respite from the chaos of the outside world.
In this sanctuary, safety is paramount. It's where I let my guard down, knowing that I’m shielded from harm and surrounded by familiarity. The presence of softness and light among the grass creates an atmosphere of warmth and security, enveloping me in a cocoon of comfort.
Moreover, home is a place of light—not just the physical illumination that brightens my surroundings but also the metaphorical light of love, laughter, and shared experiences. The interplay of sunlight filtering through the grass adds to the ambiance, infusing the space with a sense of joy and vitality.
This abstract photo encompasses the elements of comfort, safety and softness, all harmonising together amidst the backdrop of nature's embrace.
Artist Statement:
Digital photograph printed on museum fine art paper.
Artist Name: LAURE RACHON
Artwork Title: AILLEURS
Medium: Oil
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I am an eclectic contemporary Artist. I used few techniques with metals, gold and acrylic and Oil. I have a special interest in portraits.
I worked on Duality themes. I received few awards at the Robert MCcubbins Art show 2017 and 2023. Finalist on the Lethbridge art prize 2023 small scale.I also had few exhibitions at Brisbane and Melbourne.
I tried to give a special energy in my work and I think like Fernand Léger
“J’ai horreur de la peinture discrète “
Artist Statement:
Ailleurs
Oil on linen
30x30
I choose a modern and colourful approach for this portrait of Tiana Australian country singer ..
I like the way she was able to disconnect a slightly second somewhere else during a show!
Artist Name: JUDE TULLOCH
Artwork Title: FREEFALL AND FLIGHT
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 61 x 51cm
About the Artist:
I am an outsider artist who works on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
Artist Statement:
This is one of a series of three collages that had their genesis in November 2016 on the that night Donald Trump won the US Presidential election. I wondered what the future would hold. Everything felt like a mess. Because I couldn't sleep, I walked into my workroom where there was a mess too! That only elevated my anxiety, so I sat on the floor amidst the chaos. Jimmy the dog, who'd followed me, settled in at my feet. Then, for some unknown reason, I picked up my cheap camera and started taking photos of random things in the room. The photos were absolute rubbish, but the act of being engaged in something alleviated my anxiety. Years later I revisited the photos, digitally re-coloured them, and chopped them up to make these mixed media pieces.
Artist Name: KIMBERLY SWAN
Artwork Title: TIME OUT AT THE BENCH
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 41 x 41cm
About the Artist:
My current practice in observational painting is inspired by day-to-day objects and happenings. I describe my world in paint to understand it, connect with it deeper and explore narrative. I believe I am here to observe and record what I see in my own unique way.
Artist Statement:
Team Sirens for Northern Beaches Roller Derby take a team Time Out at a recent game. My second passion after painting is the wonderful world of roller derby and its subculture. It provides a plethora of amazing figurative compositions to explore with paint.
Artist Name: GAVIN MILLER
Artwork Title: JEFE DE ESTACIóN DE ALMADENEJOS-ALMADéN
Medium: Acrylic on recycled board
Size: 38 x 52cm
About the Artist:
Local artist painting to chronicle scenes of the Anthropocene.
Artist Statement:
Estación de Almadenejos-Almadén is the stopping-off point for Almadén, Spain, the site of the largest mercury mine on the planet. Now closed the mine supplied quicksilver to enable gold recovery from historical gold mining undertaken all over the globe including Australia. The UN Minamata Convention has banned the use of mercury because of the extreme toxicity of organic mercurial compounds formed by bacteria when mercury enters the environment. Alarmingly mercury is still used in some countries in 'Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining' operations where its use poisons users and ecosystems.
Artist Name: LYNNE WALLIS
Artwork Title: BLINK OF AN EYE
Medium: Photography
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Primarily a painter, I use my photography as source material but have only recently used the medium as a direct vehicle for expression, a new direction. I’m interested in the way that print qualities and framing possibilities can also contribute significantly to the ideas conveyed in an image.
Artist Statement:
Fast lane on a French expressway. The fast journey through life that keeps gaining speed. Fast print, quick framed, pixilated phone photo, pinning a moment to the wall. One moment frozen, memories flash and fade. A 21st century odyssey gone in the blink of an eye.
Artist Name: DAVID LOOSE
Artwork Title: TWO PIED OYSTER CATCHERS
Medium: Spray paint on canvas
Size: 51 x 41cm
About the Artist:
David began his artistic journey on the streets and railway lines of north Brisbane in the late 80’s. It was here that he mastered the use of spray cans. David received numerous commissions and his work was represented on walls all over Brisbane. He went on to work as a commercial airbrush artist.
David uses the themes of Australian natives and explores how our culture exists within this land and region. Budgies and Banksias are two icons of Australia’s landscape. David uses them to represent a quintessential Australian-ness most of us can relate to. Australia however is a far more complicated, multicultural place and Australian culture is being redefined all the time. The Chinese text (Hanzi) explores this by weaving in different cultural aspects of our diaspora in a bright and playful way. Overall, David’s art looks to examine modern Australian culture and where this places us in a global context.
Artist Statement:
A pair of Pied Oyster catchers forage at the shore. This imagine for me, invokes childhood memories of the many family holidays I had on the beaches of K'gari and the many more I now get to enjoy with my own kids. The freedom of not having anywhere to be. The pure joy of being able to explore to your heart's content. All of these feelings are captured for me in this pair of oyster catchers.
Artist Name: RUTH
Artwork Title: SOLITUDE
Medium: oil painting
Size: 61 x 46cm
About the Artist:
In the lush rainforests of Far North Queensland, I paint dreams in buttery oils, blending surrealism with self-expression. My work connects the inner self with the outer world, reflecting both personal and universal experiences. Through my art, I explore the delicate threads that bind us all.
Artist Statement:
I love these places.
I have trodden in such places in my heart or my dreams ?
I love these places..
The solitary ones walk in these places in confidence.
This is the edge of the unknowable. for where we can be like eagles ,who delight in rarified air, or the great mountain goats who dance on cliff faces .
This is the place of the solitary ones who love being at the edge of the unknowable .
This is an ode for the courageous ones .
Artist Name: BRENTON DRECHSLER
Artwork Title: KRUMAU AM KAMP 17
Medium: Oil on Board
Size: 15 x 15cm
About the Artist:
Through a vigorous practice of painting, editing and reflection, I have considered the link between my sense of self and the materiality of paint. The ties that have emerged between my queer identity, research, and the materiality of painting have led me to an exploration of how the interconnectedness of practice can generate a sense of belonging and how that also speaks to my sexual diversity. Multiplicities, repetitions, and dualities - like my ever-present green and white stripe evoke the back-and-forth nature of being queer.
Artist Statement:
The source photograph for the work Krumau am Kamp 17 was taken on a recent self-directed residency in Germany and Austria, for my 2023 Honours research project at Adelaide Central School of Art. This setting is an abstracted transcription of another work that I have made previously. By making multiple works over and over I am inserting my sense of self into the site with more familiarity and more nostalgia over time. The work is framed in a metal tray frame that was made by my father; Edward Drechsler, who accompanied me on this residency and initially pointed out the composition.
Artist Name: TARN GIDDENS
Artwork Title: SCHOOL IN THE GARDEN AT BOORAMEEL, 1978
Medium: Crayola Crayons on Paper
Size: 30 x 25cm
About the Artist:
Tarn Giddens creates with Northern Australian longings in mind. The Queensland bush, the rainforest around Cairns and the savannah country abounding around Katherine in the Northern Territory inform Tarn’s work. He stays in touch with these landscapes, places and memories, revisiting and recreating them through various mediums.
Artist Statement:
My mother spent her first year out of school working as a governess on a property called Boorameel in Central Queensland. Here, Mum conducts a lesson for the children she looked after, Joan and Sarah. It’s a chilly June morning so they are outside; barefoot in the sunny garden.
Artist Name: LEE HARROP
Artwork Title: SELF-PORTRAIT 2024
Medium: Black and white photograph
Size: 30 x 22cm
About the Artist:
Born in Aotearoa/New Zealand Lee resides in Darwin/Garramilla on unceded Larrakia land. She was awarded a PhD at Charles Darwin University and a Master of Fine Arts, First Class Honours, from Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, New Zealand. Her art practice is ecologically-oriented and includes collaborative interdisciplinary projects.
Artist Statement:
Scientific evidence shows our bodies contain certain minerals found in rocks - ‘We are made of star stuff’ (Sagan). For over a decade I have cut, engraved, and polished geological core samples in my art practice. My self-portrait pays homage to the rock I shape, that continues to shape me.
Artist Name: MARY SULLIVAN
Artwork Title: SPIDER SILK
Medium: Mixed Media on Paper
Size: 38 x 31cm
About the Artist:
Mary Sullivan is a Melbourne-based artist. A writer, feminist and historian with a political science doctorate, she channels her social concerns into her true calling—art. Her network of contemporary artists, evolving from the School of Clay and Art, nourishes her growth as has participation in group and solo exhibitions.
Artist Statement:
This work explores nature’s life-giving force through spiders’ web making I use paper in a myriad of textures and forms, overlapping, tearing away, exposing underlying layers, finding parallels with the earth’s seemingly destructive nature, only to see it rebuild, reinvigorate, self-heal.
Artist Name: MARIANNE GRIGORE
Artwork Title: POPPY
Medium: Oil
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
I am a Brisbane-born and based, self-taught contemporary artist. An enthusiastic member of Art Street, http:www.artist.com.au/artist-marianne-grigore.html., I also have my own boutique gallery, Blind Dog Gallery http:www.blinddoggallery.com.
Artist Statement:
"Poppy" is a painting of a red poppy> The red poppy is sometimes used as a symbol to remember those who have died during Wars or conflicts. Lest We Forget.
Artist Name: AMY WOOD
Artwork Title: LITTLE BRIGHT SPOTS #4
Medium: Acrylic on Paper
Size: 28 x 19cm
About the Artist:
Art is a moment I can lose myself in, a captivating story, a maddening attempt to express an elusive idea, striving to achieve a fluency that allows me to communicate effectively with others, to connect over shared moments and ideas. I feel slightly braver about expressing myself in art than in life.
Artist Statement:
Life is often hard. My little bright spot series is about the tiny moments that can restore and lift us. I paint this series direct from life in an attempt to capture the absolute pleasure I feel when these moments open up before me.
Artist Name: SONJA DE STERKE
Artwork Title: FISSURE ON REYKJANES PENINSULA, ICELAND
Medium: Archival Giclee Print
Size: 29 x 41cm
About the Artist:
I'm inspired by aerial photography capturing untouched landscapes and exploring fractal patterns created by nature. Enticing me to investigate techniques recreating fractals on a smaller scale. I started photographing the fluctuating patterns of inks coalescing and discovered the inks capacity to mirror the natural forces operating at a microcosmic level.
Artist Statement:
I captured this image, inspired by the Fissure on Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland this year. I set out to interpret this event through the intermingling of different inks. The coalescing inks creating fleeting imagery mirroring the fissures created by magma on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland.
Artist Name: CHRISTINA WALKER
Artwork Title: LINE DANCE II
Medium: Mixed
Size: 61 x 46cm
About the Artist:
I am a storyteller at heart. A modern day Sheherazade. An alchemist transforming paint into truth.
I pursue elusive answers to questions that we are afraid to ask.
My content evolves from my process, the meaning accumulates from making.
Bringing my mind into a quiet and receptive state, I infuse my surface with personal symbols and loose gestural marks, weaving my lines around my dreams, creating a magical carpet while being in dialogue with my subconscious.
I let my paintings emerge and take shape, free of judgement, full of expression and authenticity. Layer upon layer I ban my hopes and fears to the substrate, transforming them and thus burning them down to their essence. I give myself permission to play, experiment and see shapes in clouds.
Artist Statement:
Experimenting with lines, dancing around the two panels, a surprising communication unfolded. An exquisite moment when I wasn't the dancer anymore, the decisive entity, but a mere observer.
Artist Name: NATASHA ZRAIKAT
Artwork Title: BECOMING
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Natasha is fascinated with nature, humanity and how the two interconnect. The animal allegories found in her work represent various parts of her own psyche and how she perceives reality, exploring our intrinsic connection to our natural world.
Natasha’s paintings take us to a place where realism and imagination meet, blurring the lines that define realism and inviting us into a dream-like state where intuitive meaning triumphs over physical reality.
Artist Statement:
I made this painting in a moment of great personal struggle. I was nearing the end of a significant chapter of my life and staring into a large void that lay before me, trying not to fall in. It took all that I had to weather that personal storm and more than once I very nearly lost my nerve.
But some part of me knew. Not only that I could get through, but that I needed to. An entire new self awaited me on the other side of this despair. And the part of me that composed this painting knew it.
Looking back, there is no other way that such a powerfully optimistic painting could come out of such a dark moment. But I somehow knew. A new, greater, more connected version of myself was being born. I was becoming something else.
In times of great challenge, we need great inspiration, and who better than the lioness to remind a woman of her inner power? This was my second hybrid in the series, and it stood as a beacon of bravery, determination and strength in the face of adversity.
The sky and the sea behind her seem almost aflame, yet she stands, triumphant, unwavering. She is all of us, she is our natural world. She is our collective ability to regenerate, to survive against all odds.
Artist Name: CHRISTINE STARZYNSKI
Artwork Title: UNDERSTORY
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Christine has been painting throughout her life. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Southern Cross University and has exhibited extensively in the Northern Rivers area. She has received Art awards from Ocean Shores Art Expo in 2011 and 2015.
She has artworks held in collections in Germany and Australia.
Artist Statement:
‘under story’, was completed at a time of great sadness of events in my life. It reminds me of the depths of my inner turmoil. The ‘under story’ explores the various elements of the rain forest and of my thoughts, and the to and fro of my emotions.
Artist Name: JENNY HERBERT-SMITH
Artwork Title: MINOR SWING
Medium: Mixed media on paper
Size: 58 x 41cm
About the Artist:
I am a Sydney-based artist with a background largely in sculpture having completed my MFA (sculpture) at National Art School in 2019. In the past few years l transferred my music based approach to works on paper embracing the same energetic application of material.
Artist Statement:
Much like the improvisation of a jazz musician, where the musician follows the moment, layering each instrument’s sound with the next, ‘Minor Swing’ proposes a visual culmination of this process. My intention is to capture the essence of music, movement, and space to create a dynamic composition on paper.
Artist Name: KAREN COLLINS
Artwork Title: MOOR THIS WAY
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Throughout my lifetime, I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel extensively, collecting captivating images in my memory, through sketches and my camera lens.
These experiences provide me with an almost infinite source of reference images, which I use to create my oil paintings. Painting my travels and memories allows me to relive these moments and share them with others.
Artist Statement:
After spending a wonderful week in UK’s vastly beautiful Dartmoor National Park, I was inspired to create paintings to capture the enduring vastness, solitude and untamed spirit of this magical and captivating wilderness.
"Moor this way" is an exploration of Dartmoor National Park on an overcast day. The painting captures the unique atmosphere on a day when an ever-present sky casts a soft light onto the rolling hills of vastness and solitude.
Artist Name: MUZA ULASOWSKI
Artwork Title: DINGO CONTEMPLATING
Medium: Acrylic on stretched canvas
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
My work predominantly explores the intricate beauty and fragility of wildlife, seeking to capture the essence of each subject with meticulous detail and realism. Using acrylic on stretched canvas, I delve into the textures, colours and emotions of each creature I portray, striving to invoke a sense of its presence.
Artist Statement:
Inspiration for “Dingo Contemplating” came from observing the dingo’s melancholy gaze at Australia Zoo. My attempt to emphasize the dingo’s isolation from its natural environment was by using a bokeh background in contrast to the meticulous portrayal of its fur, highlighting the challenges they face in a rapidly changing world.
Artist Name: PATRICE WILLS
Artwork Title: NEW DAY
Medium: oil on linen
Size: 53 x 43cm
About the Artist:
My work has an intimist sensibility and although figurative and in response to people and place, the tone of my paintings indicate that they have come from the inside, not out. The work is about empathy and a felt sense, and the process of making is my way of unpacking, maintaining, and nurturing a relationship with my subject whether it be the land, a figure or portraiture. I utilize a painterly materiality and colour to fuse the figurative and the abstract, as I merge my ideas about what I am seeing and experiencing.
Artist Statement:
In 'New Day' I continue to explore the connection between walking, nature, and my arts practice. The activity of walking unshackles the ego to magnify profound experiences of humility, new perspectives, empathy, and compassion, bringing the attention to the immense value of every part of life. This painting brims with optimism and spirit and was in response to hiking through Arrernte country along the Larapinta Trail. Back in the studio I paint what was seen and felt, to make it visible again.
Artist Name: VICTORIA ALEPOROS
Artwork Title: TRANSCENDENCE IN BLOOM
Medium: Mixed media
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
As an artist, my work is a continuous exploration of the dynamic interplay between the tangible and the intangible, the seen and the unseen. Utilizing mixed media, I blend collage, paint, and resin to create pieces that evoke a sense of surrealism and contemplation. My compositions often feature elements of nature intertwined with abstract forms, reflecting my fascination with the delicate balance of life and the enigmatic nature of the human experience.
In my art, I seek to capture moments of transcendence and transformation. The layered textures and vivid colours in my work are designed to draw viewers into a dialogue. Through my creations, I aim to evoke emotions and provoke thought, offering a visual narrative that resonates with the layers of our inner self.
Artist Statement:
Title: Transcendence in Bloom
Medium: Mixed Media (Collage, Paint, Resin)
This piece, "Transcendence in Bloom," juxtaposes the delicate beauty of nature with the enigmatic essence of the human spirit. The vibrant flower, meticulously collaged, symbolize life and vitality. The fluid, swirling paint evokes the ever-changing and unpredictable nature of existence. At the heart of the composition, a woman appears to float within a golden, cage-like structure, suggesting themes of entrapment and liberation. The resin coating creates a glossy, ethereal finish, enhancing the surreal and dreamlike quality of the work. Through this intricate interplay of elements, the artwork invites viewers to contemplate the balance between confinement and freedom, and the perpetual journey of transcendence.
Artist Name: FIONA ENDERMANN
Artwork Title: HARMONY RISING
Medium: Mixed media
Size: 40 x 40cm
About the Artist:
My concern and awe for the environment is reflected with my abstract landscapes and portraits of people connected to their environment. My art has exhibited in Meanjin and interstate galleries, and I recently held a successful exhibition at Brisbane Powerhouse precinct.
Artist Statement:
The artwork suggests a child at play within an estuary in Moreton Bay. The art is layered with oils on a photograph, as well as paraffin wax and etching with oils. The layering enables contrasting and translucent areas of colour, whilst the etching permits intricate detail.
Artist Name: PETRONELLA VAN LEUSDEN
Artwork Title: BANKSIA GALORE
Medium: Pastel
Size: 30 x 23cm
About the Artist:
Living on the Gold Coast, Master Pastelist Petronella van Leusden started at the Dutch Royal Academy of Art (KABK). Her work, characterised by versatility and depth, ranges from subtle nuances of tone and texture, through to vibrant colour and strong composition, all dictated by the concept she seeks to convey.
Artist Statement:
Discover the intriguing beauty of banksias in this artwork! From delicate beginnings to vibrant blooms, it captures the most beautiful stage of flowering, while hinting at the lurking seed pots in the background. Let the colors and contrast mesmerize you as you explore the captivating world of Australian flora.
Artist Name: NATALIE MATHER
Artwork Title: AWKWARD VICE II
Medium: Pen and felt tip on paper
Size: 59 x 42cm
About the Artist:
As an artist I aim to explore new possibilities of imagined and constructed space - melded with the characteristics of my own visual language. My visual language includes geological features, classical architecture and the architecture of my local Melbourne neighbourhood and 1980s design-influenced pattern and colour. This personal visual lexicon combines to create fragmented tableaus that are spatial yet flattened, plausible yet simultaneously impossible. The effect of this is bordering-on-baroque drawings that contain rhapsodic, precarious structures, drawings that lead into and out of themselves without a clear exit or entry point for the viewing eye.
Artist Statement:
Awkward vice II is one of a series of recent drawings where I explore experimental spatial constructions. These drawings are a contemporary response to the capriccio - an eighteenth century architectural conceit where seemingly realistic illustrated spaces were in fact exclusively imagined. In Awkward vice II, however, there is a more distinctive interplay between artifice and plausibility, the real and the unreal. This is underscored by my chromatically high-key palette and a lack of discernable ground or gravity - elements slide and float, appear both solid and flimsy, recognisable yet rendered in synthetic colours. In contrast to the capriccio, which were often etchings completed by experienced draughtsmen, I lean into my abstract painterly skills and use of playful low-brow materials such as felt tip markers to push into a more surreal and less deadpan pictorial territory.
Artist Name: ROGER ARTHUR CALLEN
Artwork Title: ROCK SUTURES, CURRAWINYA (BUDJITI PEOPLE).
Medium: Fire (soot, burns), Oils, wire, seeds, gel media
Size: 52 x 41cm
About the Artist:
Even the most sophisticated culture depends on the natural world, which we relentlessly convert to our own consumerist imaginings. First Australians found a way of existing with minimal harm to the environment, free of global warming, pollution and habitat destruction. I am a landscape artist concerned with our interaction with the natural world, the physis from which all life springs forth, which gave rise to our imagination and consciousness.
Artist Statement:
The 'Granites' at Currawinya National Park, Queensland is a Budjiti men's dreaming site,its rock laced by joints and sutures, weathered and cracked into rounded tors and hollows. Fire-lines on the canvas resonate with travels of ancestral beings; the spring-wire collage with mound springs nearby, the blue-green ink with the lakes. Painting with fire is a way of rendering the hot magmatic origins of our planet, such as gave rise to granite intrusives.
Artist Name: JOHN MARTIN
Artwork Title: CLIMBING THE GREASY POLE
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
The painting depicts US Naval academy students climbing the Herndon Monument in Annapolis USA. The 6.5m tall monument is covered in grease and the students work together to scale the monument and swap the hat on the top of the monument with another one representing their progress through their education in a graduation ceremony on sorts.
The painting is cropped so there is little context and it is hard to tell if the writhing sea of colliding and grappling bodies are working together toward a common goal or against one another in a competition.
Artist Statement:
John is a multi-disciplinary artist and architect who makes paintings about the way that individuals and entities represent themselves and how culture, technology, and world events impact that representation. He has studied Fine Arts, Animation and Architecture at QUT & UQ and his work has been shown in group shows, film festivals and art prizes across Australia and internationally.
Artist Name: ALIKI YIORKAS
Artwork Title: TWO HOMES
Medium: Artist Book Card 220gsm, artist's architectural drawings
Size: 10 x 28cm
About the Artist:
Aliki Yiorkas has completed a BFA at the National Art School, and a Diploma of Visual Arts, Sydney. Her practice is multi-disciplinary; a hybrid of drawing, print, painting and artists books. Aliki’s work is concerned with personal experience, striving to record an emotional response to direct experiences in her world.
Artist Statement:
A model of the home can be seen through relationships where strong personal ties cement the structure of home. Aliki, as a grandmother, constantly moves back and forth between two houses, reinforcing the meaning of home.
Artist Name: TANIA MASON
Artwork Title: ON THE SHELF
Medium: Watercolour, Gouache and acrylic on board, Framed
Size: 37 x 58cm
About the Artist:
I have been looking at the forms within large and small plants and it has given me ideas to recreate and restructure the way plants grow. If you look at a plant, tree, bush or flower and its gorgeous foliage you can see these wonderful compositions they make without trying!
The concepts behind my practice is to explore the human inclination and tendency to collect and display meaningful items on shelves, emphasizing that these painted aspects of flora may one day only exist as objects to be admired.
Artist Statement:
It has been acknowledged that the current future of our own environment is in peril! The main concept behind the works is to bring awareness of this peril and showcase that our delicate plant life in particular is currently endangered or extinct.
Titled, On The Shelf are sitting on floating shelves on the surrounding gallery walls, to represent important items on display and symbolise the fragility of their existence.
The intention is to explore the human inclination and tendency to collect and display meaningful items on shelves, emphasizing that these painted works may one day only exist as objects to be admired.
Artist Name: PANCHALI SHETH
Artwork Title: KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Medium: acrylic and oil bar on canvas
Size: 60 x 50cm
About the Artist:
I hold a Master's degree and my work intertwines Indian miniatures' narrative and figures with hybrid layers. My process involves blending traditional techniques with contemporary perspectives, creating a dialogue between past and present. Each piece is a meticulous exploration of history, culture, and personal expression, rendered through intricate, layered compositions.
Artist Statement:
In my abstract painting "Know That You Are Not Alone, Others Are With You," I used bold, interwoven lines and vibrant, overlapping colors to represent interconnectedness and solidarity. Each brushstroke symbolizes individual struggles and triumphs, merging into a collective expression of unity and shared human experience
Artist Name: GLENDA MARKWELL
Artwork Title: SUNFLOWER SUNSHINE
Medium: Digital media
Size: 30 x 25cm
About the Artist:
Glenda Markwell has actively pursued her lifelong passion for art through painting and life drawing classes. Her interest has always been painting and drawing from nature, mainly focussed on trees and natural objects. In recent years she has challenged herself with portraiture. Glenda continuously pushes her personal boundaries, trying new styles, techniques, and subjects.
Artist Statement:
Fields of Sunflowers surrounded the farmhouse where I recently stayed. Each day I would walk through these fields, and I was captivated by the vibrant colours of the flowers and leaves against the glorious blue of the sky. The way these flowers burst from the buds and faded so quickly was stunning at every stage. They are joyous to look at regardless of whether each petal or stamen is fully formed or not. They just get out there and do their best with what they have got – ready or not. So inspiring.
Artist Name: SARAH DOYLE
Artwork Title: CAMELLIAS IN BLUE REVERIE
Medium: Oil
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
“Camellias in Blue Reverie" captures the delicate beauty of white camellias in a dreamy setting. Each petal is painted to showcase the soft, creamy-white tones that symbolise purity and grace. The subtle variations in shading and light create a sense of depth. The soft light from a nearby window is subtly captured within the vase which plays with the light. This artwork invites viewers to experience a moment of contemplation, where the timeless elegance of camellias allows us to pause and breathe in this busy world.
Artist Statement:
Sarah Doyle lives and works on Guringai country in Sydney’s North Shore, Australia. Her work explores the intricate relationship of water, sky, and land, as well as her love for creating still life art. Her still life pieces reflect her passion for gardening, capturing the beauty of flowers, often from her own garden. Sarah's art is atmospheric, authentic, reflective, and thoughtful, inviting viewers to engage with nature’s beauty. She believes in the power of art to awaken and connect, hoping her work encourages viewers to see the world with fresh wonder. Sarah has exhibited at the Willoughby Arts Centre, Hornsby Art
Society and Ku-Ring-Gai Art Society.
Artist Name: SIMON BARWICK
Artwork Title: INVERT, SUBVERT
Medium: Mixed Media Diptych. 200gsm paper in timber frame, and oil on canvas board.
Size: 43 x 46cm
About the Artist:
Have you ever noticed how some gallery-goers spend more time reading the artwork’s Title Card than considering the artwork itself? Are they are missing out on experiencing the art? I think so and it bothers me!
In trying to overcome this, I have recently had success in presenting large square paintings hung as a lozenge (diamond) which made the viewer consider the artwork first.
In this diptych, by inverting the Title Card and the artwork in size, framing and relation to each other, I am asking the viewer to reflect on the process of experiencing art itself: is there a ‘right way’ to see art; what does it mean to me; is my response valid?
I have been playful in the Title Card text, detailing the movement that inspired the artwork, as well as referencing the reason for the inversion seen here. The inverted presentation subverts how the art is perceived - Invert, Subvert.
The capacity of abstract art to ask these questions inspires my creativity.
Artist Statement:
Over the last several years, my style has developed from highly conceptual abstraction involving geometric shapes and utilising the space of large canvases, to currently working on a much smaller scale.
This progression means that my mark-making is now more intuitive, responding to the size of the canvas and knowing that every mark has an increased importance.
I want to highlight the beauty of abstraction and garner emotional responses to the work, while retaining an intellectual curiosity about how the art is perceived.
Artist Name: GLENISE NORMA CLELLAND
Artwork Title: 3 EGRETS
Medium: oil
Size: 50 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Glenise Clelland
Glenise has over 40 years of exhibiting at major galleries and her paintings are keenly sought. She has won numerous prizes and had over 15 solo exhibitions. She is represented in Government, Corporate and private collections in 15 countries and across Australia. Her vibrant contemporary paintings express her passionate love of colour, texture and dynamic forms.
Artist Statement:
3 Egrets
Glenise’s studio of 23 years at Noosa North Shore was surrounded by acres of waterlily covered lakes where Egrets and many other birds were regular visitors. The multi layers of colours in this painting are inspired by the everchanging light on the water reflecting the sky and trees.
Artist Name: KELLY KONDIS
Artwork Title: MUCH ADO
Medium: oil on canvas in oak
Size: 53 x 53cm
About the Artist:
My work balances qualities of realism and impressionism exploring the organic elements and texture of the weather. I paint intuitively in oils and my landscapes are constructed over many layers with a subdued palette to represent a state of augmentation and transformation eventually arriving at immersive and sensory renderings.
Artist Statement:
Returning to view Turner's work again earlier this year i was drawn to the small windows of light in some of his darker works, reminding me that all storms pass. I created this piece with that thought in mind. Layers and layers of shadow and swirling winds can't block out that burning sun and with it returns hope.
Artist Name: EMMA-LEE MCGREGOR
Artwork Title: THE TOLL ON BRIBIE
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 75 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I am 32 year old mother of 3 who has grown up surrounded by art my entire life based din Moreton bay region but have only recently have dove into my art after loosing my father unexpectedly at the end of last year. I am fascinated by the local rich history in our area and love discovering unknown facts of our history.
Artist Statement:
This piece was created based on a photo of the toll bridge which was originally positioned at the start of Bribie bridge, it's also one of the only toll bridges i have seen that once the tolls paid for the bridge the bridge was taken away.
Artist Name: SHIRLEY PLOOG
Artwork Title: QUIET POETRY
Medium: oil on dibond
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Through my painting I strive to convey a feeling that resonates and conjures up memories of my surroundings, capturing the curious aspects of nature and delving into its minutiae.
I am committed to unravelling the intricate and fragile tapestry of the world around us.
Artist Statement:
I am a dedicated observer of the natural world with a philosophy entrenched in walking, observing and imagining. My delicate mark making and subtle shifts of colour creates a sensory experience that goes beyond the visual. The gentle delicacy of ‘Quiet Poetry’ reflects my profound connection to the landscapes I encounter.
Artist Name: HIRANYA RANAWAKE
Artwork Title: ARDENT FLOWER
Medium: Acrylics on Cotton
Size: 51 x 41cm
About the Artist:
My body of work is prominantly stylised figurative portraiture which has been mildly influenced by romanticism and symbolism yet it has progressively developed into a sophisticated unique style.
Moody expressive body language and signature colourful line works discuss traditional ideas in a contemporary eye.
In a world with a manufactured happiness where everything is valued by materialistic worth, I explore real human connections, emotions and devotions which are withering away. Focusing on this very thought, I believe my female protagonist has become a creator of a profound human connection and a communicator of emotions.
The imagery I use, show a strong influence from the ancient Indo-Aryan painting techniques I was exposed to as a young person. My further studies on classical figure paintings found in cave temples, frescoes and monastery walls have also contributed to my creative practice.
Artist Statement:
A hybridised form of a female being who represents power, beauty, fragility, sexuality and vulnerability. She is able to maintain her feminine traits yet creates an alternate reality to coexist by recasting herself as an unparalleled character of expressions.
Artist Name: NATASHA LAXTON
Artwork Title:
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
I love to create a world of Beauty, Elegance and Magic. To escape from the reality WHICH CAN SEEM dark at times. Using mixed media such as inks, watercolours, acrylics and top with the refinement of oil paints to bring the paintings alive. Capturing the connection and essence of Mother Nature that is all around us and to bring together our souls with our dreams. I have uncovered techniques and a style that truly resonates with me. The gentle layering has played a pivotal role in enhancing the depth of each painting, inviting viewers to uncover hidden meanings and connections within the enchanting world around us.
Artist Statement:
20" x 20" (50cm x 50cm)
Transparent layers of collage, inks and oil paints.
In the stillness of the night, they carry memories of a thousand lifetimes intertwined with the threads of the universe. Soft echoes of untold stories and unspoken dreams. Secrets whispered by the wind, only to be caught by the petals of delicate roses and hearts that listen.
Artist Name: LENI
Artwork Title: MY TEARS, THEY ARE GOLDEN
Medium: Mixed Media - Pencil, Graphite, Watercolour
Size: 42 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Leni Kae is an artist and writer from Sydney, Australia. Her visual works are inspired by an innate need to explore the human spirit, emotional landscape, and connection to all around us.
“I believe we get to know ourselves through reflections and conscious connections; and at the heart of this exploration exists the key to enlightening our mind and soul to our true selves. I believe the arts and nature can be so powerful to our self-exploration and conscious awakening.”
Artist Statement:
The swallow animal spirit is a messenger between worlds. The woman here is expressing her emotions through tears that send messages to the spirits. The swallows carry her dreams and prayers to the heavens. Through these ‘golden’ tears, she is letting go, making space for, and manifesting new beginnings.
Artist Name: SUBI SLATER
Artwork Title: GROOVY
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas panel
Size: 41 x 51cm
About the Artist:
I am a self taught artist and have been drawing and painting from a very young age. I enjoy working in different mediums, including acrylic, coloured pencil, charcoal and pastel, and I am inspired by the beauty in the the world around me which I try to capture in my artwork. I particularly love drawing people and animals but am always open to experimenting with different subject matter and styles.
Artist Statement:
When I look at butterflies, I always imagine what it would be like if the little body between the wings had a human form - how fascinating that would be! I have combined my love of the 1960's style, fashion and vibe with the concept of a 'human butterfly' to create what I imagine would be a groovy looking creature. I wanted the colours and patterns of the wings to be bold and eye catching, yet not detract from the central body of
Artist Name: LINDA FARDOE
Artwork Title: THE BLUE TREE
Medium: Acrylic on wooden panel
Size: 40 x 40cm
About the Artist:
I have a diverse practice sometimes there are overlaps. Drawing/print, painting/drawing, mark making prevails through all. I am fascinated how images can evolve simply from a bunch of marks. Originally from the UK, I find the Australian flora and landscape exotic. They are frequently my inspiration.
Artist Statement:
In WA dead trees painted blue in regional landscapes are reminders of the tragedy of youth suicide. Forests and parks for me are medative spaces where I seek solace. Using cut up pieces of plastic cards instead of brushes to build up layers, the image finally revealed itself.
Artist Name: DENNIS MCCART
Artwork Title: ONLY THE MEMORIES
Medium: Ink and oil paint on canvas
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
McCart’s practice examines the tension between humans' instinctive connection to nature and the ever-increasing signs of detachment. Repetition, remembrance, and recreation are key components in his artworks. McCart has been highly regarded for his work which is a part of both private and public collections, and selected in exhibitions throughout Australia.
Artist Statement:
As an artist based in Brisbane, erasure of historical buildings is recurrent, I am attuned to this destructive pattern. Construction sites, emblematic of temporality and transitions, captivate me with their abstract shapes and nuanced tones. My painting delves into the archetypal imagery of demolishment, a pervasive symbol in contemporary culture.
Artist Name: LISA WEST
Artwork Title: BALANCING ACT
Medium: Acrylic on Collaged Board
Size: 20 x 20cm
About the Artist:
Lisa creates layered artworks inspired by her interest in patterns and connections between colour and form. Influenced by her affection for home and outdoors, Lisa portrays organic forms and spaces she observes daily. By assimilating personal interpretations, experiences and memories, her art aims to evoke sensations of relatability and sentimentality.
Artist Statement:
Balancing Act is an expressive rendering of formations seen recently walking through Girraween National Park. This rubbed back and layered artwork combines collage and acrylic paint and aims to capture the memory of the luminous colour of the rocks and foliage seen in sunlight.
Artist Name: SIGRID PATTERSON
Artwork Title: WATTLE IN TIN
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 53 x 53cm
About the Artist:
Based in the hinterland of Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia, Sigrid works in both oil and acrylic paint. Many of her pieces embrace the story telling power of flowers. She has extended this use of floriography in her still life genre to include Australian native plants, favourite and found vessels and mementos.
Artist Statement:
Every year in wattle season I paint a big bunch in one of my studio tins. I love the wild and wacky nature of the flowers and gnarly tress. The paintings are usually quick and made with love, tissues and antihistemines.
Artist Name: EMESE ANTAL CUTH
Artwork Title: MIKLóS IN A YELLOW ROOM
Medium: Pencil on paper
Size: 20 x 27cm
About the Artist:
To me, drawing portraits is among the finest pleasures in life. And when I feel like I have perhaps managed to capture a tiny glimpse of a person’s character, charm, quirks – in the curve of a lip or the glint of an eye… That is truly the pinnacle of existence.
Artist Statement:
In this little room in Budapest, fine dust has settled on the radiator and the windowsill. The smell of Miklós’s cigarette lingers on. The lazy summer afternoon sun has turned the yellow walls into a shade of gold: a shade as deep, warm and comforting as our decades-long friendship.
Artist Name: JUANITA SANGANITHY
Artwork Title: RAINBOW REST
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 35 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Juanita is an Australian artist who loves to use vibrant colours in her creative work, preferring acrylics to express her style, ranging from realism to abstract. She enjoys being immersed in nature and bringing it to life on the canvas, whilst seeking out interesting compositions that create an emotional response.
Artist Statement:
The high-pitched chattering of lively Rainbow Lorikeets in a bottlebrush tree outside my window captivated me. Their vibrant plumage against a backdrop of crimson blossoms had me in awe.
Artist Name: KIMBERLY SMITH
Artwork Title: UNTITLED NUDE 1
Medium: Mixed Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 30 x 16cm
About the Artist:
Brisbane-based queer artist; Kimberly Smith has been a practising artist since 2015. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts at QCA Southbank in December of 2022. Throughout her arts career, she has participated in four solo exhibitions, seventeen group exhibitions, three publications and her work is in several private collections globally.
Artist Statement:
Crochet historically has been a domestic practice kept to the confines of the home, much like nudity. Much like it's medium, this piece aims to challenge the traditional concept of the "nude". The subject is not submissive, nor is she positioned as an object of the viewer's desire. Nothing is alluring,weak or lacking in autonomy about the subject. She displays a strong power dynamic, refusing to acknowledge the audience; she holds control. She is not ordained in precious jewels or feathers, she is bare, raw, natural. She doesn't meet society's standards of beauty or sexuality and yet she is present and she is NUDE.
Artist Name: JANE SHERIDAN BOOTY
Artwork Title: SUN SHINE CREEK
Medium: Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
Size: 51 x 41cm
About the Artist:
My artistic vision intertwines the subjective realm of psychology with the objective world, projecting the complexities of deeper human perception onto the world around us. Inspired by a love of experimental themes in art, books and movies, my work invites the viewer to explore the intricacies of inner landscapes projected outward.
Artist Statement:
My painting is informed by everything from psychedelia to the landscapes of Hirõ Osono. Originally a scene from a suburban park, it is an image I have revisited often and layered over. I aim to pull the viewer into an otherworldly landscape, a place where reality converges with the imagination.
Artist Name: LAUREN DAVIDSON
Artwork Title: MOANA BEACH AT LOW LIGHT
Medium: Soft pastel
Size: 25 x 35cm
About the Artist:
Lauren Davidson is a local Brisbane artist who evokes feelings of connection and through layers of soft pastel. She creates paintings to capture ordinary moments with vibrancy and immediacy. Lauren’s work not only aims to capture the physical beauty of landscapes but are also invitations to pause and marvel at the wonder of the world. Through her art Lauren hopes to share in the awe of nature and instil a deep appreciation of the pastel medium.
Artist Statement:
The hope of distance and the comfort of near in the low light of sunset, create a sense of vibrancy and stillness in the colours of South Australia.
Artist Name: JOANNE KERR
Artwork Title: CHANNEL COUNTRY COLLAGES
Medium: Collage and mixed media on paper
Size: 58 x 48cm
About the Artist:
My art practise is based on drawings and sketches that are developed into paintings, collages, or lino prints. I have discovered through my own artistic and personal journey that with my own artwork, the inspiration of drawings, however small are the best starting points for my own re imagined landscapes.
Artist Statement:
Lines of trees or hills create points that are the beginnings of my work. Collaging torn paper marries together randomness and structure in this work. Placing layers of paper becomes a meditative thing which is not unlike sitting in the landscape witnessing nature’s ability to rejuvenate when given the chance.
Artist Name: MARIYAM SHAYA LATHEEF
Artwork Title: SOLITUDE
Medium: Oil
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
As a self-taught artist and full-time doctor from the Maldives, the ocean has always been a profound influence in my life. Growing up surrounded by its beauty, I channel my fascination into oil and acrylic paintings that capture its serenity and majesty.
Balancing my medical career with my passion for art allows me to explore the therapeutic aspects of creativity. Each piece reflects the ocean's fluidity, light, and vibrant colors, offering viewers a glimpse of the natural beauty that inspires me. Through my work, I aim to evoke the ocean's calming and awe-inspiring essence, inviting others to experience the tranquility I find in the sea.
Artist Statement:
"Solitude" is a 50cm oil painting on round canvas, capturing a small fishing boat in the ocean. It is based on a photograph I captured during a whale watching tour in Port Stephens. Through gentle brushstrokes and rich hues, this piece celebrates the quiet beauty and simplicity of maritime life. The painting invites viewers to embrace the peaceful solitude and natural beauty of the ocean, offering a quiet escape into the tranquil waters of Port Stephens.
Artist Name: MIRANDA AUBRET
Artwork Title: NOPAL IN TULUM
Medium: Acrylic Paint
Size: 46 x 46cm
About the Artist:
Through my art, I depict the interconnections between human's emotions, connection between people, spontaneity and contradiction. Every layer of paint and brushstrokes embodies the complexity and beauty of one's being. I paint intuitively, letting place to the spontaneity of movements, choices of colours and mark making. I like playing with complementary colours as a reflection of our own contradictions. Connecting and accepting our whole selves is connecting with the world in a deeper and more authentic way.
Artist Statement:
My inspiration for this series is my trip to Mexico. The bold colours, the omnipresence of nature, the texture I could notice in the surroundings and the rich culture created this piece. A blend between colours, emotions and nature.
Artist Name: LARA J COOPER
Artwork Title: OKEY DOKEY ARTICHOKEY
Medium: Oil
Size: 425 x 375cm
About the Artist:
Feeling that there is enough chaos and destruction in the world, and not wanting to add more to the jarring noise, Lara seeks to tell stories, bring peace and capture beauty. She works in oil and watercolour and has a studio, gallery space in Maleny.
Artist Statement:
Afternoon light in a patch of glowing artichoke flowers, conjures up a sense of abundance and longevity, such that everything is going to be ok. The deep, almost shocking violet blue, is the reason why I grow artichokes - and secondarily for the bees who clamour to feast upon them.
Artist Name: MEG JEFFERY
Artwork Title: GREEN MCLEAN
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 40 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Meg Jeffery is a painter of the urban landscape, with a fascination for the deterioration of the built environment. Her current focus is on the demolition of old houses to accommodate the Gold Coast's urbanisation. Her paintings immortalise these homes and celebrate the lives that they have had.
Artist Statement:
Green McLean is an ode to the retro homes and fibre shacks in the neighbourhood where I live in Coolangatta. With a new high rise going up every minute on the southern Gold Coast, and I fear this little house won't be around for much longer.
Artist Name: ANGELA WILSON
Artwork Title: MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 44 x 55cm
About the Artist:
Angela Wilson is a marine and landscape artist. A member of Art St with an online webpage resulting in many sales and commissions. Art works have been on consignment to galleries, cafes and hotels. She has held solo and group exhibitions since 2015. Her paintings are in acrylics, oils, metallics and inks using layers and glazes to create a vibrant and translucent effect, less exact and impressionistic variants of the real-life images.
Artist Statement:
Description: Mountain Climbers
In the cold of a foggy winter morning, the walkers set out across the fields to the base of the mountain ridge. Anticipating an arduous climb, they expect when the fog lifts to see a rewarding panoramic view.
This painting in acrylics, metallics and inks is primarily capturing the atmospheric physical surrounds but also the emotional expectations of the walkers. Layering the light layers in the background contrasts to the figures in the foreground.
Artist Name: EMMA DUCK
Artwork Title: SEEKER
Medium: Oil
Size: 46 x 36cm
Artist Statement:
Why do we seek life beyond our planet whilst we neglect the intelligent lifeforms right in front of us. Wisdom comes in many forms. Watch, don't just look, and you will find it.
Artist Name: NOAH SPIVAK
Artwork Title: ONLY US (FISSURE)
Medium: hand silvered glass, enamel pigment, timber
Size: 54 x 41cm
About the Artist:
Spivak’s current processes collaborate with the alchemical world, creating artworks that express a deep adoration (and understanding) for the materials used. His fascination with the invisible and obsession for process-led experimentation culminate in a body of work that explores the sense of self and its relationship to the physical world.
Artist Statement:
Spivak’s silver works investigate the liminal space between narcissism and self-loathing. For the artist, these works allude to the powerful duality of narcissism over his own identity - using this opportunity to publicly gesture towards his own issues in confidence, delusion and their respective relationships to self/image.
Artist Name: SALLY WEST
Artwork Title: DOG
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 45 x 45cm
About the Artist:
I have been painting for 30 years. I am predominantly a plein air painter, working on site when the conditions are right.
Artist Statement:
I grew up in Central NSW on a sheep and wheat farm. I have been documenting working life for many years. The sheep dog is an integral part of life, often doing the work of 2 men with the stock, also providing important companionship.
Artist Name: TAMARA MENDELS
Artwork Title: GREEN TWISTY WITH DRIP-DOWN
Medium: Epoxy Resin and Pigment
Size: 18 x 20cm
About the Artist:
I don’t want to make what I know but rather delve into the unknown through play and process. I invent new ways of making art and create solid formulas for the art to be recreated once the experiment has been finalised. I am always looking for new methods to express the relationship between colour, gesture and mark making.
Artist Statement:
Isolated gestural forms with dripping/ drooping lines. Transparent to capture the changing rays of light that pass through its curved structure. Free standing to be viewed from all angles. Made by inserting resin into a twisted plastic tube, to be peeled off later revealing the form. I then partially cure a pot of resin to be able to pour it onto the gestural structure right before it hardens, so it can hold some consistency in order to form cascading drips gravitating down the sculpture.
Artist Name: KATE LEDDICK
Artwork Title: EVERYTHING'S DANDY
Medium: photography
Size: 32 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Kate is a photographer from Melbourne, with a strong interest in people, places and spaces. People in their natural habitat. Places where people bring up family, holiday and connect with friends, and spaces where the documentation takes place. Kate captures these images on digital and film cameras. Her love of photography started when she was a 70's child. Growing up in Bougainville. Born in Ballarat. Her different upbringing and love of travel definitely impacts that way she sees and captures images.
Kate is a mother and nurse.
Artist Statement:
One day post covid Melbourne lockdowns, we took to my friends' courtyard in Brunswick, and dressed up, and took photos. Looking at the simpler things in life, like common weeds in common backyards. The composition of beauty and darkness. The beauty in weeds and shiny rings, and unpainted fingernails. The beauty in things post covid. The wearing beautiful party dresses in your backyard. Celebrating all the moments here. The time is now.
Artist Name: FIONA ALLISON
Artwork Title: THE POWER AND THE FRAGILITY
Medium: oils on canvas
Size: 33 x 33cm
About the Artist:
Fiona Allison has been a life-long creative and collector of treasured things. Her still life paintings are composed of cherished everyday objects and explore the quality of light. She seeks to evoke a sense of calm through pared-back compositions that allow the authentic nature of objects, and the relationship between them, to be revealed.
Artist Statement:
This piece explores the juxtaposition of the finial and the ostrich egg. Dark and light. The end and the beginning. The powerful symbol of mankind’s control and the simplicity of nature’s perfection. But which one holds true power? Human dominance or the fragility of the wonder of creation.
Artist Name: ROBYN CARR
Artwork Title: TOPSY TURVY
Medium: Wood Burn
Size: 20 x 20cm
About the Artist:
My art depicts moments that either make me smile or simply appreciate the beauty in life. An expression, person, creature, view or a moment in time that I’ve captured. I hope that the observer can smile with me at the quirky and walk away feeling a little lighter for having seen it.
Artist Statement:
This wood burn captures the joy and spontaneity of early childhood. Enhanced with watercolors, it depicts a small child trying to do a handstand. The natural textures and vibrant colours merge to create a lively, yet nostalgic piece celebrating an infant’s playful moments.
Artist Name: ALMA SALTA ZENTNER-PITMAN
Artwork Title: SUNRISE (MY CHICKEN)
Medium: PASTEL AND PENCIL
Size: 30 x 20cm
About the Artist:
Alma is a figurative artist working in pencil and paper
Artist Statement:
A portrait of my beautiful chicken Sudnrise
Artist Name: ANDREA
Artwork Title: SILENCE FLOATS
Medium: Block ink
Size: 18 x 12cm
About the Artist:
Andrea Hamann is a Southern Highlands Artist based near Mittagong. Andrea’s work is inspired by the world around her, sometimes by the natural world and sometimes by the events of the world. Much of her work has a connection to the elements, wild weather and the moods of nature. Andrea works with printmaking and mixed media on paper and also in acrylic on canvas, producing miniature abstract landscapes on paper and larger works on canvas. More recent works have focussed on the tumult of war and of the impact of humanity on the landscape.
Artist Statement:
I grew up with stories of my father’s privation as a child in Ww2, chasing after trains to collect fallen coal, rifling through farms to steal cabbage or potato or eggs from a hen house, of spending months (MONTHS) in bed on a ration of piece of bread a day to conserve energy so as not to starve. Of him being displaced from his home three times, twice for armies who sent them to live in to the barn while the Russians and then the Americans set up camp in their home (now illegal under international law) and once permanently, by horse and cart, from their home to a school house where they lived five to a room.
I know those stories like a scar on my mind, and have found myself watching them live streamed for the past 8 months.
Silence floats in my mind as I watch these images echoing the past. Wondering how it happens over and over again.
Artist Name: MARION RODGERS
Artwork Title: THE GAZE
Medium: Figurative Photography
Size: 900 x 600cm
About the Artist:
Marion Rodgers is a photographic artist specialising in abstract/figurative imagery. Her work attempts to capture the subtleties of the personality of each of her subjects.
Artist Statement:
To convey emotion, the technique used here allows graphic qualities like texture, colour, shape, structure and rhythm to be distorted but still be recognisable.
Here also, abstraction shows a subtle universe which is much more emotive and imprecise, an alternative reality, making it ideal for meaningful portraiture.
Artist Name: SARAH SINGLETON
Artwork Title: DAKOTA RAYNE
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Painting is this busy mother's relaxation and release of emotions. I am a painter by weekend, usually working on portraits, animal portraits or vivid landscapes. I primarily paint in acrylic or oils and focus on playing with colour theory, loose brush strokes and layering to create depth and emotion.
Artist Statement:
What initially can appear to be one colour, can be observed as many variations after closer inspection. Like the first impression one might have from an initially reserved teen, who then minutes later radiates such colour, sass and personality. I used a monochromatic pallet to capture this impression when painting my daughter. This almost mute pose was in fact the calm before the release of pent-up laughter storm.
Artist Name: TRESOR MURACE
Artwork Title: HER
Medium: oil paint on canvas
Size: 40 x 60cm
About the Artist:
My practice within my MFA at the National art school is about exploring how in which humans have changed interactions from the rise of virtual profile creation. Before web 2.0 there was a physical self in which yourself and others referred too. In contemporary culture we are battling who is real between our physical self and our curated profile. This is also in regards to the relationship humans have made with reality TV, having been consumed by a celebrities personal life it is easier to project our desires onto that person and simple to remove their humane qualities. By having this figure we desire to be like we forget the important parts of ourselves and want to conform to what "trending" or what i getting the most likes as this therefore releases endorphins. It is a cycle known as simulacrum meaning we are creating and consuming media for the next person, in turn never ending competition due to the vast reach social media has in the 21st century culture.
Artist Statement:
Within my diptych the use of saturated colour speaks to the hyperreality in which we are surround in, in a highly, superficial and mediated world. The disconnect in the woman's eyes shows the loss of human touch we experience via speaking, and referencing online friends rather than accepting their physical experience without all of the other information clouding our judgement. The choice of the intimate size aims to draw the audience in to the marks,textures and pops of colour encouraging the viewer to accept and study the physicalities. The name "Her" references the movie about a male whom falls in love with his AI technology, exploring how both technology and social media is warping the human world in ways of pulling us further away from each other.
Artist Name: SUE TESORIERO
Artwork Title: PINK LADY
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 32 x 37cm
About the Artist:
Sue Tesoriero is a painter based in Sydney’s Inner West. Sue holds a bachelor’s degree in visual communications from Sydney College of the Arts (UTS). Sue has exhibited works in group shows both locally and abroad as well as three solo shows at AK Bellinger Gallery.
Artist Statement:
This Still life was an exercise using a limited palette of only 6 colours. The colours could not be mixed to make further combinations. It was painted in three layers using classical techniques, starting with a monochromatic ground. The items chosen were selected for their colour and size relationships.
Artist Name: DIANE QUICK
Artwork Title: THE LONG PADDOCK
Medium: ceramic
Size: 15 x 35cm
About the Artist:
Working with clay unites all my artistic instincts. Predominantly inspired by nature, and constantly experimenting, my work is a hybrid of wheel thrown forms and hand building. Using texture, pattern and colour to embellish surfaces extends the tactile nature of making, and echos aspects of the natural world that often evoke an emotional response.
Artist Statement:
Domestic and wild animals have always inspired me. The long paddock is a heartbreaking story of one death every two minutes in roadkill capital of Australia, Tasmania. We don’t need to look closely to see the scars of our actions, every small mammal is an integral part of our fragile ecosystem. Overcome by the quantity of road kill on a recent visit, I recalled Mark Twain’s words “Thy misplaced bone where flesh should be, And flesh where should be bone.”
In responding to environmental issues including the precarious existence of threatened Australian animals, I approach the ceramic object as a vessel empty of life, and as a symbolic way of setting the slaughtered free.
Artist Name: LILLY
Artwork Title: ALICEBLUE
Medium: Oil and faux silver leaf on salvaged wood
Size: 31 x 14cm
About the Artist:
Lilly Piri is a visual artist who began her career at the Arts Academy in Morningside. She recently held a successful solo exhibition at the Art Post on Tamborine Mountain, and was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Lester prize for portraiture. Lilly loves painting and working with oils and acrylics.
Artist Statement:
AliceBlue is one of the few web safe colour names I can remember off the top of my head. This painting jumped (hopped?) into my head when I couldn't sleep one night. Maybe the hares in the park nearby sent it. It is painted on a bit of salvaged wood.
Artist Name: KRIS ESTREICH
Artwork Title: FADED ROSE FROM DAYS GONE BY.
Medium: Handmade papers, pen, ink and wash. ink
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
This collage was inspired by the rose bushes in my garden. While drawing these flowers I found myself singing a very old nostalgic song about a faded rose. I have used hand made papers which have a softness like rose petals while the sharpness of the pen drawing finds an affinity with the thorns of the rose bush.
Artist Statement:
Kris Estreich is a mixed media artist working in collage, assemblage, painting, drawing and paper making.
Artist Name: SUSAN TREGEAGLE
Artwork Title: SETTING UP IN THE STUDIO
Medium: Oil
Size: 45 x 61cm
About the Artist:
I returned to the easel three years ago after a break of many years.
It has brought me both delight and challenge as I seek to paint the familiar and inspiring in my life, the periods of calm, of complexity and adventure.
Artist Statement:
Setting up in the Studio
Artist Name: PETA HARVEY
Artwork Title: MOONSTRUCK
Medium: graphite and charcoal
Size: 31 x 25cm
About the Artist:
Peta Harvey is a versatile artist whose practise is focused on drawing and exploring the combination of pen or pencil with brushwork and water-based media. Her aim is to craft realistic yet expressive artworks that reveal the distinct marks of the artist’s touch.
Artist Statement:
“Moonstruck” captures a young woman in graphite and charcoal, as she prepares for a night out. This portrait explores light, shadow and introspection whilst inviting viewers to ponder her thoughts and the mystery of her destination, reflecting the beauty of silent, unseen moments.
Artist Name: JULIE LLOYD
Artwork Title: FIRST LIGHT OF PLACE
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Julie Lloyd Biography
I live and work in rural South Australia, seven years ago I took my first formal painting lesson. I paint in oils in a naturalistic, tonal style ,combining figures, memories, nostalgia with geography around the sitter to create a narrative within.
Artist Statement:
Timeless beauty of an old homestead steeped in history . The old bench seat symbolises the moments of contemplation and connection with the past. Evoking a sense of peace and nostalgia, inviting viewers to reflect on the stories embedded in a passage of time.
Artist Name: ROSITSA HURRING
Artwork Title: GRAVITY
Medium: Mixed media
Size: 51 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Working with different materials fascinates me.
This has taught me many techniques and allowed me to express my beliefs in having a sustainable world.
I am passionate about upcycling and creating jewellery.
Artist Statement:
Gravity was inspired by our pet friends, the ones that give so much and yet ask for so little.
Their joy for life can be immeasurable.
The selected denim offcuts, gesso and acrylic paint along
with my desire to create bright, eye catching painting created this playful work.
Artist Name: LISA ANDERSON
Artwork Title: THE BETRAYAL OF ICARUS
Medium: digital photograph baked on metal
Size: 15 x 11cm
About the Artist:
Dr. Lisa Anderson has created and exhibited internationally for over 40 years undertaking exploration and scientific residencies working with landscape/urbanscape/topographies through a prism of stories found in folklore and superstition as memories of place. Residencies included remote locations in the High Arctic and Antarctic and locations such as Paris, London, Ireland and Iceland. Installations for the St Tropez Antipodes, Boston Lights, MardiGras 798 in Beijing and the Toronto, Hong Kong and Amsterdam Art Fairs by London Gallery Bicha while locally at Customs House in Sydney and Wollongong and Ballarat City Galleries. As the Rupert Bunny Fellow 2023 for Port Phillip creating the exhibition Beguiling at the Victorian Pride Centre with images using tales of gods and sprites that help explain nature. Dr Anderson is the 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Abbotsford Convent working with the queer ghosts of memory and the folklore that surrounds them. Anderson work is public and corporate collections internationally. The video, Searching for Ghosts created here is currently a part of the Fringe for Venice Biennale 2024.
Artist Statement:
The Betrayal of Icarus.
This twinning of images, black and white against the original infrared reminds us that we are all too close to the sun, metaphorically we are headed towards an over-heated planet and just like Icarus by our own hand. Mirrored effect in nature and art are a forewarning of great change, speaking of possible futures and neglected pasts.
The place is a view from West Beach, St Kilda through the kite surfers to Williamstown and the crane towers of the Port of Melbourne
Heat baked print on aluminum. 11 x 15 cm
2023. a/p of edition
This work is not framed but will be simply framed if selected. Otherwise it would be difficult to handle. Will be signed on verso.
Artist Name: P. G. PREECE
Artwork Title: STUDY OF A WOMAN
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
P. G. Preece studied graphic design before focusing on acrylic on canvas painting. She is based in Sydney and is known for her expressive paintings of people’s faces. Her distinctive use of line and layers results in varying degrees of abstraction and elements that recall Cubism and Expressionism.
Artist Statement:
This painting is a contemporary study of a woman’s face. Her features are defined with expressive marks in a limited colour palette. A surface layer of skin-coloured paint gives a sense that the woman is being seen through a veil or a fog, and is thus distanced from the viewer.
Artist Name: MINHAN CHO
Artwork Title: MOMENTS AT KUTA BEACH
Medium: oil
Size: 41 x 51cm
About the Artist:
Korean artist Minhan Cho's journey from pottery in Seoul to furniture-making in Melbourne led to a transformative immersion in nature upon his relocation to Moreton Bay in 2018. Focusing on developing techniques and visions, Minhan creates dynamic landscape paintings that invite viewers into his unique perspective shaped by diverse experiences.
Artist Statement:
Kuta Beach, Bali, captures a tranquil moment of people enjoying the shore. The textured layers and vibrant hues evoke the serenity and joy of coastal life, celebrating the harmony between nature and human connection in this idyllic setting.
Artist Name: ANN SCULLY
Artwork Title: SUNNY CORNER
Medium: oil
Size: 35 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I'm primarily interested in attaining some kind of 'poetic vision' if you like,
Failing that, I'd settle for more knowledge, skill and expertise.
Artist Statement:
My intention here was to attempt to share some of the joy of this little corner of the garden, where every winter the pear tree's lost leaves create a burnished sea and the sun-shot bird's nest fern looks like a giant kelp.
It was painted in oils on board over a few days in Winter 2023.
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Artist Name: ANTONY DENSHAM
Artwork Title: C4.2024
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
When contemplating landscape painting the artist describes a definition of the word vista that relates particularly well to the process of a painting as it develops. It reads.. An extensive mental view (as over a stretch of time or a series of events.)
With respect to the relationship between abstraction and figuration the artist says, ‘The marks are independent gestures, but also acknowledge the brain's tendency to search for representation. I’m looking for this middle ground, to confound the space somehow through the interchange of revealing and concealing.'
Artist Statement:
Antony Densham, an abstract artist based in Aotearoa, New Zealand, is renowned for his distinctive approach to capturing the ephemeral qualities of the landscape. His artistic journey is deeply intertwined with the stunning natural vistas of his homeland, which serve as a boundless wellspring of inspiration. Densham's work is a testament to his profound connection with the diverse terrain of New Zealand, ranging from rugged mountains to serene fiords, lush forests, and expansive plains.
Artist Name: JOANNE BRADDY
Artwork Title: FEELING LIKE I HAVE TO FIT IN SERIES
Medium: Stoneware clay
Size: 24 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Joanne Braddy’s sculptural works focus on the artists experience of living with mental health challenges and various disabilities. This series draws the viewer’s attention to the emotion in the figures. Her sculptures can be impactful, moving, healing and speak to the viewer on their inner struggles and strengths. Her work has appeared in numerous group exhibitions across Australia and has received several awards, including the Moreton Bay Region Council Art Brian Burke 25th Anniversary Award.
Artist Statement:
Feeling like I have to fit in
I was told it was healthy to be in social situations, to be around groups of people.
But I have always, struggled,
I haven't always wanted to be the person that followed along with the Sheep of the crowd, just because I feel like that's expected of me.
But as human beings socializing is a human need but I've always struggled I've always preferred more deeper connection and being around people where I feel like I can be myself.
Artist Name: STU DOHERTY
Artwork Title: EMBRACE
Medium: Watercolour and gouache, cut paper assembly mounted on board
Size: 43 x 43cm
About the Artist:
My process of painting is a reflection of me; I am calm and thoughtful, slow and focused, lost in the flow of pigments and water on paper, I paint mainly with watercolour and gouache and use cut paper assemblies to gently allow the flat image to emerge from the paper.
I’m also working on stand alone brass and paper leaf sculptures.
I spent decades living in Redfern, Sydney, and even after five years by the sea in regional NSW, my obsession with nature remains strong, the Banksia is my current love.
Artist Statement:
“Embrace” is a watercolour and gouache painting combined with hand cut paper banksia leaves assembled and mounted on board. It is a love letter to the landscape outside my studio in Port Macquarie NSW.
Over decades the coastal winds sculpt banksia branches into graceful forms that resemble the arms of dancers, these special trees cling to the rocky landscape despite the sometimes savage conditions.
The board is professionally framed in a neutral white floating frame.
Artist Name: RACHEL RAE
Artwork Title: SNORKELLING ADVENTURES
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Colour, movement, patterns, and memory intertwined with human connections with the coastal environment are encapsulated in Rachel Rae’s artworks. Inspired by the vibrant hues and patterns of the Australian landscape, Rachel invites viewers to dive into her sensory snapshots, hearing waves, feeling breeze, and smelling the salty air.
Artist Statement:
Under the blue cloud-streaked sky, visitors revel in the ocean. A pile of belongings hint at the exciting anticipation of a day filled with coastal fun. Signs warn of danger stretching to the horizon, but three eager kids living in the moment, prepare for a snorkelling adventure without a care in the world.
Artist Name: CHARLES BAYER
Artwork Title: SELF PORTRAIT
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
This is the first time I have ever painted a self portrait. Much to my surprise it took less than two hours to execute as I expected it to take much longer considering I was using acrylics on a black canvas. The paint just flowed with almost no thought or effort…it was almost like an out of body experience where I was sketching a total stranger.
Artist Statement:
I was inspired to paint my self portrait after seeing Billy Apple’s 1962 “Portrait of the artist in a Drip Dry Suit” late last year in a group show in South Melbourne. I had worked with Billy a number of year’s ago and never quite understood where he was coming from but the moment I saw his self portrait I got it. Unfortunately Billy is no longer died in New Zealand in September 2021.
Artist Name: PIP MILTON
Artwork Title: CURIOUS TENDRILS
Medium: Recycled newspaper and 'Who Gives a Crap' toilet roll wrapping paper twisted by hand into string then handwoven on shaft loom to create fabric with basketweave structure that includes random weave of some wefts.
Size: 58 x 48cm
About the Artist:
I am a handweaver with an incurable fascination of warps, wefts, their limitless potential of interlacements and how they create fabric. Fabric is fundamental to our existence and transcends other materials in it’s storytelling abilities. My handwoven fabrics, made from recycled paper and textiles, comment on consumerism and fast fashion.
Artist Statement:
‘Curious Tendrils’, tells stories of hope and sustainability as global efforts in textiles trend towards an efficient circular economy and fibre-to-fibre recycling. Handwoven from recycled paper laboriously twisted into string, this fabric is symbolically more valuable than the original paper items and advocates for increased awareness of our consumerist habits.
Artist Name: ANNETTE HOLLIS
Artwork Title: WATCHING
Medium: Watercolour
Size: 26 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I love to draw and paint the human form from life. I enjoy the urgency of discovering my focus, the problem solving involved, the decisions made on the fly.
Working directly with watercolour gives me the opportunity to create a spontaneous piece, to retain the energy of the connection between model and artist.
Artist Statement:
Looking and watching are not the same thing, yet both involve the focus of the eye on the subject. We are looking and the figure is watching.
Artist Name: SUSAN TESSMANN
Artwork Title: GRACE
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
As a new artist who began her journey in 2020 I enjoy the medium of acrylics for the spontaneity, colour and softness that can be achieved. I love using my palette knives for the texture.
Artist Statement:
This vibrant acrylic on canvas of my Indigenous niece, Grace has been achieved with mainly my palette knife and layers of texture paste which I sanded back and reapplied many times to get the dynamic and bold strokes achieved with a palette knife.
Artist Name: DAVID MICHAEL ARDLEY
Artwork Title: DEEP DIMENSION CUBE
Medium: oil on aluminium
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Since the very beginning, my art has always been about the connection I feel to the natural environment and the beauty I seek to portray.
Working mainly in oils on polished aluminium canvas's, my art embraces water and light as the central core of my inspiration.
Artist Statement:
Deep Dimension Cube is an extension of a popular theme I have worked with for years. A 3 dimensional revolving artwork that speaks of my - and our - experiences and immersion in a blue sparkling void of quiet seclusion.
Artist Name: RAEANN SHIELDS
Artwork Title: WINNER IN BLUE
Medium: Ceramic
Size: 40 x 23cm
About the Artist:
Now retired from a fulfilling career as a Paediatric physiotherapist I have turned my attention to the equally creative field of clay. I so enjoy discovering opportunities for expression that this medium allows. Despite being visually impaired I love to find stylised ways of creating. My aim is to engender as much movement and emotion in each piece: and a dynamic, flowing rhythm that can be imagined and felt within. There is also a quirkiness that I find interesting and unique that clay does allow. I am exploring different textures, glaze and mediums including bronze and enjoy the challenges that this brings.
I am frequently asked more specifically about my vision and what I can actually see and while I wish my art to be judged on its merit I can understand the interest and query.
I have peripheral vision but no central vision, similar to a person with aged related, end stage macular degeneration. Peripheral vision is not sharp or focused. This means I cannot drive, read, write, find my way to places without technological assistance etc, I generally use a white cane so that I might not run into people. I find small details like hands, feet and faces particularly frustrating. I do, however rely on my background as a physiotherapist and feel/know that muscles/movement should flow . I try to over/under emphasize aspects of my pieces deliberately to enhance the dynamic nature of the piece.
Artist Statement:
Swimmer in Blue
Perched on the edge of the Pool, surveying all. She is relaxed and happily watches the action after the exertion of training.
Artist Name: MARGERY GOODALL
Artwork Title: THE BEAUTY OF SMALL THINGS: STITCHED STORIES #1
Medium: Textile
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Margery Goodall’s longstanding creative practice focuses on stitched cloth, with more recently, assemblages of found objects and waste materials. Her work has been exhibited in Australia and internationally since 1999, including the Alice Craft Award, the City of Joondalup Art Prize and the York Botanic Art Prize (2020, 2023).
Artist Statement:
Margery Goodall honours family memories by using minute scraps and threads donated by others – fragments that may seem inconsequential but are often imbued with stories. This re-use of unnoticed and discarded items in new ways hints at tales known and unknown, recalling the ordinary connections that enrich life.
Artist Name: CHRISSY
Artwork Title: CRIMSON BOUQUET
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Nature, in particular trees and plants are what I gravitate towards. My still lives are currently of interiors and houseplants in different vessels, whereas my landscapes are inspired by where I live, a sub-tropical and semi-arid environment of the Darling Downs. My colour palette explores earthy colours of shades of greens and blues along with orche with pops of magenta. Sometimes my style is semi-realistic as I love to exaggerate colour with an aim to capture the essence of the subject matter. Currently, I am is interested in the interplay between light and shadows, aerial perspective as well as the liminal space between landscape and still life.
Artist Statement:
A bouquet of roses in a glass vase casts soft shadows on the ground. This image is not your typical side view but an aerial view of the still life. A warm wintery palette of soft purple greys with typical reds and greens of the roses.
Artist Name: JULIE REES
Artwork Title: THE MESSENGER
Medium: Painterly photography on acrylic mounting
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Julie Rees, an artist based in Brisbane, uses personal and collective experiences to inspire her artwork. Julie Rees considers the subject matter before deciding on her medium, but photography and drawing are significant in her artistic process. Using her art as research, she hopes to explore personal and collective experiences from a different vantage point, gaining new perspectives.
Artist Statement:
'The Messenger' (2024) is a photographic piece capturing the auric energies released during planetary alignments, a phenomenon believed to shape our lives. The presence of Mercury alongside the Moon is said to be a relatively brief transit period that cautions against making long-term decisions.
Artist Name: HELEN ANDRADE
Artwork Title: DREAM WEAVER
Medium: Acrylic and spray paint on canvas
Size: 61 x 51cm
About the Artist:
In much of my art I utilise the human figure or face expressing the internal world of people and the energy of emotions. Colour is a strong motivation for me in the creative process, and I find that in the process my intuitive placement of colours, shapes and movement direction gives a sense of being in the moment, and a temprality. My work is quite often experimental and I enjoy the spontaneity of working from observation as well as delving into my imagination.
Artist Statement:
I firstly created an expressionist, textured portrait in acrylic paint, then added more expression with spray paint to create a dreamy, atmosphere as though entering the subjects internal world. Also the spray paint adds playful vibrant colours and shapes capturing a sense of energy and emotions.
Artist Name: DENISE LEIGH CROSS
Artwork Title: SACRIFICIAL ACT
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Denise Cross is a visual artist undertaking her MVA, working primarily in acrylic painting. She has been a finalist in reputable art competitions, regularly contributing works to solo and group exhibitions, within Queensland and Bangkok. Denise has been a secondary art teacher for 23 years, completing a BFA and M.Ed.
Artist Statement:
Contemplations of the heavenlies float above as loose sheets of monochromatic blues. A ribbon of crimson red meanders through the mid-ground, seizing the sacrificial act of my Heavenly Father, once hung upon the rugged cross. Rolling hilltops below echo the heart of humanity in need of our Lord and Savior.
Artist Name: MARIE SMITH
Artwork Title: NEGLECTED
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 46 x 46cm
Artist Statement:
Neglect
Neglect is an acrylic painting, inspired by a geranium in my garden.
Its pot reflects many seasons as the clay has cracked, beginning to flake and mould has made an appearance.
The Big Red Geranium is a perfect companion with its bold deep red blooms while the leaves and stems reflect that it thrives on neglect.
Artist Name: ANGELA MCHUGH
Artwork Title: ALL WE STOLE & SLAUGHTERED; A BRIEF HISTORY OF COLONIALISM
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Angela McHugh is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores personal story, learned history and memories through a hyper vivid lens. She typically paints at night in the back garden studio of her North Brisbane home. Her most recent works explore the defiance of being content with one's own solitude and complexities of balancing necessity and desire.
Artist Statement:
On 7 September 1936 the last known thylacine died from exposure at Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart.
All We Stole & Slaughtered.
A composite landscape merging Greek mythology and colonial calamity in Van Diemen's Land.
Artist Name: DR WENDELL ROSEVEAR O.A.M.
Artwork Title: BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 60 x 40cm
About the Artist:
This is my 15th time to enter the Lethbridge 20000. I haven't missed a year since the start. I am grateful the inspiration of opportunity. Thanks.
Artist Statement:
I love letting imagination extend the joy of art.
Artist Name: NIC NICOLAS
Artwork Title: NO EXIT
Medium: Clay
Size: 33 x 20cm
About the Artist:
Nic Nicolas is a world-renowned performer, singer/songwriter, and artist based in Sydney, Australia. With a multifaceted career spanning various artistic disciplines, Nic's work is distinguished by its profound philosophical undertones, often exploring the fickleness of life and the intricate nature of existence. His artistic journey is a testament to his deep introspection and unique perspective on the human condition.
After an extended hiatus from sculpting due to performance and work commitments, Nic has recently returned to this form of artistic expression, bringing a fresh and invigorated approach to the Sydney art scene. His sculptures, always abstract in form, serve as a tangible manifestation of his philosophical inquiries. Working primarily with clay, Nic manipulates the medium to create pieces that challenge conventional perceptions and invite viewers to contemplate deeper existential themes.
Nic's return to sculpting has been met with widespread acclaim, as his abstract clay sculptures resonate with both art enthusiasts and critics alike. Each piece is a reflection of Nic's inner dialogue and his continuous quest to understand and articulate the complexities of life. His work not only captivates the senses but also provokes thought and introspection, making Nic Nicolas a significant and influential figure in the contemporary art world.
The intention of my art is to move the viewer and allow them to reflect on the big issues outside the mundane modern life and understand and question all aspects of life.
I also like to showcase the issues surrounding the homosapiens dominance of the landscape.
Artist Statement:
"No exit" Sculpture Description:
The sculpture "No exit" is a abstract clay artwork symbolizing life's creation. Shaped like a umbilical cord, signifying the origin of the selfish ape, with numerous distorted faces representing the torture of life and the involuntary nature of birth.
The bottom right features an image of an primate, from which humans are descended and displays a range of expressions to represent diverse personalities and the multifaceted nature of each individual navigating life's perils. The faces are distorted and piled on top of each other, depicting earth as a graveyard for mortal beings. These faces have an alien appearance, symbolizing humanity's constant yearning to reach for the stars, seeking something beyond their current existence. However, the sculpture underscores a harsh reality: in their present form, humans are bound to earth, with no escape from their mortal condition.
The rear of the piece has an indentation representing a naval symbolizing the tie that holds mortal existence to earth. Horizontal indentations represents the swirls of our location in the universe being the Milky way galaxy while the on the bottom of the bae represents the Orion arm of the galaxy in which we are situated. The uneven structure of the piece and its base highlights the human expectation for perfection despite inherent imperfection, emphasizing the inescapable reality of earth-bound existence - "no exit"
The base represents earth as being nothing than an unremarkable rock hurtling through space all alone.
Artist Name: LAINEY SPINA
Artwork Title: WILTED BEAUTY
Medium: Oil Paint on Aluminium Board
Size: 29 x 19cm
About the Artist:
Lainey is an artist who looks for the little joys of everyday life, trying to combine the romanticism of the past with the complex and vibrant modern world.
Artist Statement:
’Wilted beauty’ searches for the beauty in the mundane. This painting depicts hanging dried roses, inspiring the viewer to consider how something past its prime can be beautiful if it’s looked upon with eyes that appreciate its value.
Artist Name: SUZANNE JAYE CROMB
Artwork Title: WITH A TRACE
Medium: mixed media
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
This piece is from a series of works made reflecting my interest in nature and in particular water.
The way light reflects and dances across the waters surface has always been mesmerising to me.
I have endeavoured to explore these ideas through mixed media paintings and drawing techniques by layering many colours and washes with pens and paint to build up the shimmering surface effects.
To the viewer I aim to give a glimpse into the stillness, peace and beauty that nature can offer us.
Artist Statement:
The natural wooden pine art board provides a unique starting point for my work. With its own forms and line shapes present in the surface of the board, I begin to map out the ocean image that exists within.
Time stands still for a moment here and we are left with the evidence of what has been etched in the water surface map.
Artist Name: WEN LANE
Artwork Title: NATURE’S BOUNTY
Medium: Clay/Wood
Size: 28 x 28cm
About the Artist:
Australian born, Gold Coast based artist Wen Lane uses her art practice to envision, document, and connect with the world around her, creating verdantly rustic hand built functional ware and sculptural pieces. Her work draws upon the beauty of the natural world using clay, glazes, and planetary elements discovered on her beach and hinterland walks in south east Queensland. Each component discovered, visually inspires a statement piece to be explored and brought to life by combining ceramics and organic matter. This merging of natural substances symbolises the joining of the internal and external world within the heart space which opens up when the beauty of nature is experienced. Originally trained in psychology, Lane’s practice emphasises the healing power of connection to oneself and nature through inspiration from these natural elements joined with clay. It’s this same connection which she aims to elicit in the viewer through her art. You can find her @lilmisspottymouth on Facebook & Instagram
Artist Statement:
Nature has a beauty and a nurturing way of supporting us and connecting us with our heart space and the natural world around us. It gives us shelter, food, emotional wellbeing, peace, and connection. Much like the support that the naturally carved, treated and lacquered timber base provides for the vessel nestled inside of it. The vessel, created by hand using local volcanic clay, and liquid contents (implied) represent the bountiful resources and sustenance provided to us by this beautiful planet.
Artist Name: MARIAN QUIGLEY
Artwork Title: WESTERN PORT SPRING
Medium: Acrylic on linen
Size: 46 x 61cm
About the Artist:
My work incorporates vibrant colour, minimalism and hard edge abstraction. Influences include the Post Impressionists, Japanese woodcuts and Australian painter Jeffrey Smart. My subjects include portraits and sea/land/cityscapes. I have been a finalist in a number of national awards including the Portia Geach Memorial Award and the Maritime Art Award.
Artist Statement:
Western Port Spring is inspired by the view of Western Port Bay from Bass in Victoria. I love the lush greens of the Bass hills and pastures at this time of the year. This is one of my favourite local views to which I keep returning. I aimed to capture the beautiful serenity of this scene using a minimalist, hard edge technique.
Artist Name: MICHELLE CAITENS
Artwork Title: IRONMAN - COMING OF AGE
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Michelle Caitens is an award-winning Sunshine Coast-based artist, who has exhibited with Lethbridge Gallery for many years. Michelle has a love of simple concepts that are portrayed with the intricate complexity of detail and the illusion of depth and realism.
Artist Statement:
‘Iron Man - Coming of Age’ depicts the evolution of the iconic Marvel comic book-based character, Ironman. It features the original comic book Ironman #1, 1968, where the superhero makes his solo debut, alongside the contemporary character with his specialised armour and all its technological capabilities.
Artist Name: JODIE CUNNINGHAM
Artwork Title: DOMESTIC DELUSIONS - REMEDY
Medium: Mixed Media Assemblage (Juggling pin, knitting needle, costume crystals, costume pearls, crystal dish, speedie kettle lid)
Size: 465 x 12cm
About the Artist:
The Domestic (De)-illusions works investigate memory, nostalgia, fantasy and notions of feminine identity using vintage objects from women’s lives. Memories mix with imagination to illuminate stories of what was, what might have been and what will be.
Artist Name: EMMA GLEADHILL
Artwork Title: WHAT'S THE STORY, ALICE ST?
Medium: Watercolour paint on paper
Size: 30 x 21cm
About the Artist:
Emma is a watercolour artist, based in Victoria's Mornington Peninsula and formerly Newtown, Sydney.
She seeks to get her audience to look twice at local spots by capturing both their past and present in a moment of wonder. Inspired by the vedute, or view-paintings, of the eighteenth century, her paintings capture beautiful combinations of light and shade, colour, symmetry and movement in the built and natural environment. Emma also paints family portraits, pet portraits, house and business portraits and wedding pieces on commission.
Emma has a bachelor in Visual Arts from Monash University and more recently has learnt under Carla Hananiah and Tanya Baily at the ArtEst Art School in Leichardt. She was a finalist in the 2021 Milburn Art Prize and the 2022 Greenway Art Prize and 2023 Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award. Emma has volunteered for the Art Program at the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick.
Artist Statement:
One thing I love about Sydney's Inner West is that even walking the dog in the morning is an activity full of colourful stories.
Artist Name: INDEAH ROSE CLARK
Artwork Title: FISH HEADS FOR BOIL UP
Medium: Ceramics
Size: 7 x 15cm
About the Artist:
Indeah Clark: Multidisciplinary Artist Exploring Contemporary Themes
Indeah Clark is a dynamic visual artist working with contemporary concepts, seamlessly
blending with low brow aesthetics with a multidisciplinary approach. Primarily known for
her captivating work in ceramics and printmaking, Clark’s artistic journey extends across
animation, painting, film photography, and sculpture, embodying a versatility that keeps
audiences engaged and intrigued.
At the heart of Clark’s practice lies a deep-seated love for the repetition of color and form
weaving intricate patterns and visual motifs that resonate with viewers on a profound level.
Clark draws inspiration from the multifaceted identities that shape both her personal
narrative and the broader community around her. Through her art, she delves into the
complexities of human experience, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and cultural
heritage. Her current major art influences are Kaylene Whiskey, Tony Albert, and Vincent
Namatjira.
Artist Statement:
In my ceramic work, I explore the profound within the ordinary, delving into the essence of
worship through the lens of everyday rituals. At the core of my creative journey lies a
fascination with the seemingly mundane aspects of life. Rather than worshipping a revered
abstract deity, I celebrate the tangible manifestations of sustenance, nourishment, and
communal bonds that permeate our daily existence.
Through three-dimensional sculptures and slab works, I hope to capture the essence of
these rituals, elevating them to the status of sacred artifacts. Whether it be the meticulous
preparation of a nourishing meal or the bustling chaos of a communal kitchen, each
sculpture serves as a totemic homage to the significance embedded within these
experiences.
By exploring the intersection of the sacred and the mundane, my sculptures invite viewers
to reconsider their perceptions of worship, urging them to find beauty and significance in
the rituals that enrich and sustain our lives. Through my art, I seek to evoke a sense of
reverence for the extraordinary within the ordinary, inviting viewers to find solace,
connection, and spiritual resonance in the rituals of daily life.
Artist Name: MICHELLE GRAHAM
Artwork Title: AND THEN THE GLOAMING.
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 60 x 41cm
About the Artist:
Michelle Graham, an emerging abstract artist from southeast Queensland, showcases her textured & emotive work in local Paddington cafes and recently joined the Sunshine Coast Open Studios with great success. Her heavily textured pieces rely on palette knife and resonate with inner journeys inviting the viewer to stop and ponder. Michelle has participated in a number of pop up galleries and private collectors have already sought out her work to add to collections.
Artist Statement:
As the day falls away over the ocean there is a brief moment where a single colour is given space to be the hero. The gloaming has come and all other colours work in harmony for this pure moment. This painting is an abstract study of a single colour being bolstered by a multitude of other seperate colours & shades.
Artist Name: MADONNA MORRISON
Artwork Title: BANGKSIA
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I am a largely self-taught Brisbane-based artist.
My creativity reflects beauty and is my escape.
My work explores the healing powers and elegance of the natural world and my own garden.
I create colourful ornate still life paintings in an expressive painterly style and I hope my paintings inspire joy and peace in the viewer.
Artist Statement:
This work reminds us that the beauty and tranquilities of everyday life can be shattered at any moment.
The grenade vase of flowers sits upon an old child’s chair referencing innocent lives lost.
As our gaze moves to the mid ground and beyond we see a tropical garden reminding us how lucky we are to be here.
Artist Name: ANTOINETTE EDMUNDS
Artwork Title: OXYTOCIN
Medium: 30
Size: 61 x 3cm
About the Artist:
I contemplate all living things and their interconnectedness. I like to produce work that invites the viewer to think of how and why and to be curious about the science behind our simple everyday activities we often taken for granted.
Artist Statement:
This work explores the profound bond between humans and dogs. This love hormone, a neuropeptide, triggered by visual and tactile interactions, fosters a reciprocal surge in both species. Beyond emotional warmth, this bond yields tangible benefits, from reduced anxiety and improved general wellbeing .
Artist Name: NICOLE HELEN MIRANDA
Artwork Title: HEART’S JOURNEY
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 52 x 52cm
About the Artist:
Artist statement
Constantly inspired by plants, birds and the overwhelming infuence of Mother Earth and the way these living organisms have on the way I look at the cycle of life.
For the past 30 years I have been exhibiting and selling my Work plus
involved in several group exhibitions and my first solo exhibition in 2022.
I am a multidisciplinary artist working in a variety of mediums including pencil drawings, acrylic paintings on canvas and wood, etchings, watercolours, gouache and Ceramics.
I am in awe of the balance in nature and mother earth's attempt to nurture and battle the challenges.
Respect the earth, tread lightly and appreciate the beauty arround you; something I try to do in the stories I tell through my artwork.
Artist Statement:
Heart’s journey
Pays homage to my dear father who grew Cymbidium orchids in an ancient cement laundry tub in the backyard of our childhood weatherboard home.
After he and my mother passed, the orchids were lifted by my sister and replanted in our own gardens to carry on this special tradition.
Exemplifying the special role plants play when moving from one generation to another; signifying love, loss and memories of our loved ones . . .
Artist Name: ELIZABETH MCNAMEE
Artwork Title: BABY ORANGUTAN - MY FUTURE OUR FUTURE
Medium: Fine Art Photography on museum grade archival, rag paper
Size: 52 x 39cm
About the Artist:
Based in Brisbane my journey through the fine art spectrum influences and plays a significant part in my fine art photographic works, designed to provoke thought and reflection: to convey a declining legacy through unique and intimate portraits of the wildlife I photograph. My images present an elegy to what is being lost.
Artist Statement:
BABY ORANGUTAN – My Future Our Future
Sitting in the morning sunshine this baby orangutan stares at the food just received from his mother and trials the taste. It must be good - she is enjoying it! A dramatic portrait of a species on the edge of extinction and the hope of a future riding on tiny shoulders.
Artist Name: JAMES
Artwork Title: PERFORMERS IN THE NIGHT GARDEN
Medium: oil on linen
Size: 51 x 565cm
Artist Statement:
This work painted in situ during live performance of old friends Robbie Long and Luke Gaudrey, gigging at Franky's night cafe.
Artist Name: NICHOLAS
Artwork Title: DULL.NOISE.SPICY
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Size: 40 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Nicholas Aplin grew up in Sydney and currently resides in Melbourne. Having studied Fine Art in Sydney and Film Making in New York, Nicholas worked as a prop maker and illustrator most notably for the TV series Survivor. After spending time in remote natural environments it was a contrast returning to heavily built up urban areas. It is this contrast that inspires Aplin’s current painting practice.Working in oils, acrylics and oil pastel, Nicholas now finds himself exploring streetscapes, and urban environments, his art practice revolves around capturing junctures in the urban environment, the interplay of man made structures and nature and the effect these have on people.
Artist Statement:
Dull.noise.spicy is named for its location using a mapping system known as ‘What 3 words’ this mapping system divides the whole world in to 3m squares and assigns a unique 3 word combination to each square. Using these 3 words you can identify anywhere on the planet down to 3 square meters. I have always been drawn to maps and navigation. Obviously the area in the painting covers more tham 3 square meters, I am able to find the combination that may relate to the subject.
Artist Name: ERIN RENFREY
Artwork Title: DAWN OF THE SHAPES
Medium: Watercolour and gouache on panel
Size: 15 x 15cm
About the Artist:
Erin Renfreys artwork presents a unique fusion of imagination and ecology within a surrealist context. Featuring anthropomorphic sweets and creatures, her artworks evoke a sense of playfulness and innocence, but also act as mirrors to present-day existence.
Artist Statement:
Dawn of the Shapes asks the viewer to reconsider their perceptions and embrace the enchanting possibilities of the surreal. As the mandarin assumes the role of a dwelling, and animate shapes take the place of humans, the boundaries between dreams and reality blur.
Artist Name: MADELINE YOUNG
Artwork Title: FULL CIRCLE
Medium: Acrylic and collage on board
Size: 23 x 23cm
About the Artist:
Madeline Young is based in Orange NSW on Wiradjuri Country and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Newcastle completed in 2009. She has exhibited widely across Australia over the past 10 years in both solo and group exhibitions. Alongside her art practice, Madeline works full-time as a Curator and Gallery Director, which influences and shapes her own work.
Artist Statement:
Inspired by her young son’s naïve and completely intuitive mark making and drawing, Madeline’s new work is a joyful expedition into pure abstraction. Colour is the most important element in her work, unconsciously changing with the seasons and her emotional state. Texture and composition play a vital role in creating depth and history through many layers of different mediums and materials.
Artist Name: PIPPITA VINCENTIA BENNETT
Artwork Title: LATE AFTERNOON DRIVE TO NEVILLE
Medium: textiles
Size: 35 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Pippita Bennett uses natural dyes to create colour on the threads and textiles she works with. Her dyed fabrics are soaked with the memory of the place they were dyed; similarly thrifted fabric holds memory of its past use. Stitches are her words, a memory of time and place.
Artist Statement:
Late afternoon drive to Neville captures the vibrant pinks and golds of an Autumn afternoon in NSW Central West. The silence of that moment of solitude as I witnessed this beauty resounds within me still.
Artist Name: CATHERINE GEORGE
Artwork Title: RATIOS
Medium: Photography
Size: 25 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Catherine George is a Brisbane based artist who embraces the unique light of the sub-tropics to create a body of work that embodies beauty while exploring unease, displacement, and otherworldliness.
Artist Statement:
It is know that patterns repeat in nature, and this piece explores the questions: what if whole landscapes repeat within nature?
Artist Name: MART BASA
Artwork Title: IMPROVISATION IN BLUE
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 35 x 34cm
About the Artist:
My artistic practice spans painting, illustration, and poetry. My practice is rooted in deep observation and often explores themes of emotion, spirituality, and relationships.
I am guided, and inspired by the Impressionist and post-Impressionist canon as a way to move forward and build bodies of work that are personal, and thought-provoking.
By attuning myself to People and Places, I seek to convey this in my paintings through textures, sinuous forms, and vivid stories.
Artist Statement:
Completed in December 2023, 'Improvisation In Blue' was painted over a couple of months using excess paints from other paintings I was working on. As an emerging artist paints are prized resource. From painting in my bedroom/studio I've found a way to be organised, clean, and reuse paints in sustainable ways. 'Improvisation In Blue' explores finding balance with the need to paint, and personal values regarding sustainability, in the hope of creating something beautiful.
Artist Name: BRENDON PATRICK
Artwork Title: ANNALISE
Medium: Rosemary Toned Cyanotype
Size: 45 x 33cm
About the Artist:
I’m a local hobby artist who is interested in street and portrait photography
Artist Statement:
Annalise is a handmade Cyanotype print that has been toned via alternative printing processes using dried cannabis and rosemary leaves.
Like most cyanotype prints, emulsion is hand coated.
Artist Name: TAMAKI NAGAO OGER
Artwork Title: THE SEASON
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Tamaki is a visual artist based in Brisbane. She studied Glass Art in Japan and France and worked with art galleries in France . She has settled in Australia since 2017 and has created her artwork in painting.
Artist Statement:
I expressed one moment of Jacaranda blossom.
- Stand at the base of the old tree,
And look up the purple petals dancing in the light.
It’s in full bloom.
Artist Name: ROBYN GAIL YEOMAN
Artwork Title: VINTAGE FASHION
Medium: Charcoal/gouache
Size: 30 x 21cm
About the Artist:
Robyn Yeoman is a visual artist based in Sydney Australia. A three time Dobell Drawing Prize finalist, she draws influence from her childhood in rural New South Wales, passionately capturing the natural and industrial scenes of country Australia. With an art practice of over 40 years, including commercial experience as a scenic painter and illustrator, Robyn has a developed a broad artistic skill set.
Artist Statement:
This painting is one of a series focusing on fashion from the 1970s.
Artist Name: LIV BONNOR
Artwork Title: BURNING PASSION
Medium: Charcoal/ watercolour
Size: 56 x 42cm
About the Artist:
Fine art, portrait art, and tattoo artist.
I work primary in charcoal and watercolour, using a combination of techniques in each material and putting them together. I love the challenge of a messy medium like charcoal and manipulating it to look neat and perfect.
Artist Statement:
“Burning Passion” is about that lightbulb moment when you are passionate about something and then taking the action to make it come to life.
This is one of my favourite things about creating art, it’s that spark! And you can’t stop thinking about making it happen.
Artist Name: CAMEILIA GRACE EDWARDS
Artwork Title: ONE THING AT A TIME
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 53 x 43cm
About the Artist:
Cameilia is an emerging artist based in Inverell, NSW. After some unexpected success in a local art prize in 2020, Cameilia was able to leave her job in financial planning and pursue a full time career creating art.
Cameilia takes on commissions of various styles and subjects, but her passion lies with painting landscapes that have a strong contrast between light and dark, and often incorporate an element of water. Through her pieces, Cameilia aims to draw you in and evoke a sense of calm.
Cameilia was selected as a Finalist in the Lethbridge Small Scale Prize 2023 and Doyles Art Prize 2023, and has been awarded 2 acquisition prizes at the Inverell Art Prize in 2020 and 2023.
Artist Statement:
Since pursuing a career as an artist I often find myself getting caught up in what other artists are doing, what I think I ‘should’ be doing, and what my career ‘should’ look like.
I constantly need to remind myself that my story is unique to me and that I need to run my own race. And that’s what I see when I look at an image such as this. By focusing on something in the foreground, the background noise is blurred out. The sun is shining through on a singular object and highlighting it’s simplicity and beauty. One thing at a time. It’s all we can do.
Artist Name: MEG WALTERS
Artwork Title: FEVER DREAM
Medium: oil on linen
Size: 45 x 35cm
About the Artist:
Meg Walters is a visual artist based in Newcastle (Awabakal). She studied at Chelsea College of Art & Design and Newcastle University before recently returning to her studies at Byron School of Arts. Walters is interested in transcending our understanding of reality, questioning what lies beyond and attempting to create worlds that are both based on real and imagined places. Echoing her own multi-faceted experiences of living in Bermuda, Canada, the UK and Australia, her paintings have a rich narrative and abstraction which lends itself to creating other-worldly dimensions.
Walters has had eight solo shows throughout Australia and abroad. She won the ‘Commended’ Award at the Hawkesbury Art Prize (2023) and has been a finalist in multiple art prizes and competitions including the Cornerstore Landscape Prize, the 9x5 Landscape Prize, the Border Art Prize, the Omnia Art Prize and more.
Artist Statement:
'Fever Dream' is a homage to my island home of Bermuda. Growing up on such a small island I became resourceful in my exploration of the natural world. The ocean became my playground and I discovered another realm under the surface. In 'Fever Dream', the horizon divides one world from another, acting as a metaphor for how we often experience life in definitive polarities.
The two women depicted in my painting appear to have surfaced from the mysterious underworld. They have allegedly crossed over to the other side and returned - with knowledge and conviction. There is an element of tension present due to the unnatural and somewhat hostile pink that belies the otherwise calm atmosphere of the painting. One of the women is holding a fish - a symbol of consciousness.
Artist Name: HAMISH WILSON
Artwork Title: SOONER OR LATER
Medium: Oil and acrylic on canvas
Size: 61 x 51cm
About the Artist:
Hamish Wilson is an emerging, self-taught artist residing in Meanjin/Brisbane. His works are primarily figurative oil paintings, floral works or self-portraits that exude gestural brushstrokes and often incorporate short yet poignant phrases of text. His work aims to be easily accessible and explore themes of self-perception, loneliness, toxic masculinity and relationships.
Artist Statement:
I placed you on that pedestal
Knowing sooner or later the flowers would wilt
But you never asked for that
Avoidant eyes and restless nights
Delicate stems hanging on
Steadfast in this portrayal
A red herring
As a richer beauty peaks through
I can only hope you'll let me in
Artist Name: PETR ZLY
Artwork Title: WE DREAM OF A SHIP THAT SAILS AWAY
Medium: sculpted resins
Size: 53 x 33cm
About the Artist:
In a culture enframed by technology, I am countering with an expressionist strategy. My work is conceived inside digital programs but is a reaction against the mathematically rational and crystalline aesthetic of cyberculture. So I am a sort of digital dadaist.
Artist Statement:
This work is part of series in which I am experimenting with the space of the wall. As walls are predominantly the place for images, the act of installing an object in this space creates a dislocation where the object becomes more like a sign. This piece is concerned with a melancholic longing.
The work is created in a modeling program and then 3d printed, before it is post-processed and painted by hand.
Artist Name: JOHN N MASON
Artwork Title: TURTLE THREE
Medium: Arcylic
Size: 41 x 51cm
About the Artist:
John creates paintings that are visually engaging. He draws the viewer into the scene, giving them an experience of a place or object. John’s Marine series draws on his early years as a member of Broken Bay Game Fishing Club and more importantly, on his years of sailing, and snorkeling around the islands of the Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsundays Queensland where John lived for many years.
Artist Statement:
John N Mason has imagined an underwater world where a turtle, swims over a sandy bottom. Painted with biological accuracy yet endearingly realistic.
Part of John N Mason's current marine series of imagined underwater worlds.
Artist Name: PETER RUSH
Artwork Title: GIRLZILLA
Medium: pencil on paper
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
My work explores the emotional connections we have with our surroundings, seeking to distill the essence of a place. To contemplate the ways our own experiences and emotions are intertwined with the environment we inhabit.
Artist Statement:
Awakened and empowered a monster begins to emerge ahead of storm clouds sweeping over Sydney. This stick figure visage held back until now by moral agency will destroy everything. Then a rebirth, something new and fresh to begin.
A allegory for societal and environment change arriving too late, an anti-heroine is created.
Artist Name: SHENGWEN WU
Artwork Title: VIBRANCE
Medium: paper, acrylic
Size: 15 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Shengwen Wu is a professional musician and multi-instrumentalist, intertwines her musical journey with paper art. Through delicate craftsmanship, she invites viewers to experience the visual concert, where every glance becomes a harmonious exploration.
Artist Statement:
Vibrance offers a visual experience containing bold flavors to utilize several realms of vibrational possibility. A combination of contrasting colors, shadow and depth from the paper serve to either conceal or highlight visual disturbances against the canvas, depending on the viewer’s position in relation to the work.
Artist Name: CLARA PHILIPPE
Artwork Title: MORETON ISLAND: GRASS TREES
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 41 x 51cm
About the Artist:
I am an amateur French-Australian artist based in Brisbane, aiming to solidify my personal artistic expression through experimentation and play.
Artist Statement:
My artwork depicts the lush greenery of Moreton Island. I was inspired by the vibrant, deep colours of the Moreton Island landscape and influenced by Australian artist Fred Williams in my art-making. This artwork, if anything, is a celebration of the colours.
Artist Name: CHRISTOPHER MCCLELLAND
Artwork Title: STILL LIFE WITH FISH
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 53 x 43cm
About the Artist:
Christopher McClelland is a multi-award winning artist who has held over 20 solo exhibitions, both in Australia and overseas. He is represented in public and private collections both in Australia and overseas. Light, colour and atmosphere are important aspects of his work, as well as explorations of identity and culture. Recently he has been exploring and adapting traditional academic techniques of painting and drawing, developed through post-graduate studies he completed in Florence and Paris. Many of the techniques are inspired by the artists of the Renaissance, Baroque and even 19th century European narrative paintings. However, Christopher is fascinated by the crossover between the rigour of academic techniques and lusciousness of paint being allowed its own freedom of expression. In this way, many of the works are contemporary explorations of the act of painting itself.
Artist Statement:
The artwork is a whimsical take on the traditional still life painting. There is no deep and meaningful aspect to the artwork. I simply wanted to create a visually strong piece with a sense of the surreal.
Artist Name: LAURINDO DE ABREU SOTO
Artwork Title: PROFUSION
Medium: Laminex cladding on Wood, Wax Finish
Size: 34 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Laurindo De Abreu Soto, a Brisbane based sculptor, works with variety of materials and techniques. This has enabled him to be a finalist in many prestigious Art Prizes, also part of prominent art collections. His many solos, group shows, and nine public commissions are a testament to this versatility.
Artist Statement:
Any idea takes the artist on a journey towards that seductive form which will capture the invisible space, revealing the true beauty of the idea. Sustainability is at the core of my sculptural practice, it is also heavily informed by Hinduism, Zen, and Taoism.
Artist Name: KERRY MCINNIS
Artwork Title: VISITORS
Medium: Oil and Oil Stick on Canvas
Size: 50 x 56cm
About the Artist:
My art practice is shared between the genres of portraiture and landscape painting. I go bush each year to paint en plein air, returning to my studio later to reinterpret with new works. My paintings have been selected into numerous national Prize exhibitions, including the Archibald, Ravenswood, Dobell, Portia Geach
Artist Statement:
In this painting I explore the "marriage" of figuration and the landscape, trying to avoid the human presence becoming superfluous, anachronistic. I would like to imbue the figure with a sense of respectful adoration and wonder of the land. The human becomes a Pilgrim, and the visitation becomes sacred.
Artist Name: REBECCAH POWER
Artwork Title: MOMENT #4
Medium: Oil on linen
Size: 46 x 36cm
About the Artist:
Using the immense winter sky and rugged landscape of her home on Boonwurrung country on the Bass Coast in Victoria as subject matter, Rebeccah Power creates paintings that can be described as atmospheric, ethereal and hazy. After graduating with a painting degree from the Victorian College of Arts, Power has developed an extensive exhibition history that includes shows locally, nationally and internationally and she has received several accolades including the Besen Family Foundation: Arts and Culture Grant, The MCollection Award; Peoples Choice Award, Copyright Agency Limited; Creative Industries Development Fund and Calleen Art Award; finalist.
Artist Statement:
Moment #4 is inspired by the rainbow fragments I often witness when overlooking the sea near my home. Through this painting I aim to capture a moment between formlessness and form and allow one to experience the indistinguishable; a space where something is emerging out of a range of possibilities.
Artist Name: KYM MULLEN
Artwork Title: KONDALILLA
Medium: Watercolour on paper Framed
Size: 30 x 42cm
About the Artist:
Kym Mullen is a Brisbane based painter .
Although her paintings often start in the landscape, once back in her studio they become less about an accurate representation of place and more about the instinctive use of mark and colour to describe a memory of the feeling of being in that place.
Artist Statement:
I floated on the cool water of this pool, looking up at the canopy of the rainforest and all of a sudden feeling I understood something of the perspective of the great William Robinsons’ paintings.
Artist Name: TARJA AHOKAS
Artwork Title: THE GATE
Medium: Ink pens on board
Size: 35 x 40cm
About the Artist:
I'm a Sunshine Coast artist.
I graduated with Associate Diploma in Fine Art in Brisbane.
I've had12 solo shows and taken part in over 70 group shows.
My works are visceral and expressionistic prompted by emotive impulse and desire to make sense of the world around me.
Artist Statement:
We have many Gates on our property so it is no wonder that one appears in my drawing of my wild and wonderful garden filled with all manner of trees and plants.
Artist Name: SURESH JEANEL
Artwork Title: UNTITLED
Medium: Highlighter on paper
Size: 29 x 42cm
About the Artist:
This calligraphic abstraction represents a digital exploration within the realm of computer graphics, prompting a contemplation of meaning and significance. It serves as a homage to James Cousins, embodying the artist’s investigation into the convergence of tangible and abstract elements. Through its intricate manipulation of digital elements, the artwork invites viewers to ponder the fluidity of interpretation, enticing them on a journey of introspection and discovery.
Artist Statement:
Influenced by Gerhard Richter, this work is a virtual manipulation in the context of computer graphics which hovers between asemic writing and a doodle. Where does the meaning lie?
Artist Name: LINZIE NARDI
Artwork Title: TREES AT THE RIVER 2
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Size: 20 x 25cm
About the Artist:
My artwork depicts my everyday interactions with the landscape simultaneously acting as a mindfulness practice. I am naturally drawn to document the beauty of the land and its uniqueness. My work documents my interactions with the landscape whether they are depictions of places where I live or places I travel.
Artist Statement:
Trees by the river 2 was inspired by a photograph I took of the Murrumbidgee River close to where I live. I painted it Alla Prima trying to capture the energy of the place. I was also drawn to this composition due to the interesting combination of tree and plant forms.
Artist Name: GRACE BUTTERFIELD
Artwork Title: PUMPKIN WITH APRON
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Finding Beauty in the simple objects that furnish everyday life is the impetus for Grace Butterfield’s process and the pleasure of viewing her work. In her still-life oil paintings, handmade, timeworn tableware is arranged with a stylish insouciance and rendered in detail. Inviting us to see subtle colours and textural nuances, the artist shares an appreciation for the artisanal that began as a child and continued through her work in fashion and interiors.
Artist Statement:
"Pumpkin with apron", is part of my solo exhibition titled 'Home'. The exhibition is an exploration of what's embedded in the objects around us. It is a collection of scenes that evoke the meaningful memories tethered to our homes. "Pumpkin with apron" is composed to be a suggestion of what surrounds. With attention to colour and tone I’ve hoped to reflect a small part of a big scene, without the bounds of the canvas. It’s an entire bowl when only the edge can be seen, it’s a whole table setting shown by a glimpse of tablecloth, it’s a beautiful home in a simple image. I’m hoping this series can remind us, its memories held in these small and seemingly mundane objects that create Home and enrich our lives.” ~ Grace Butterfield 2023
Artist Name: KATHERINE MCNAMARA
Artwork Title: LITTLE FISH, BIG PROBLEM #15
Medium: Round Wooden Board
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Katherine McNamara is a multi-disciplinary artist working in acrylics, printmaking, and drawing. Based in Ipswich, she creates unique and visually striking pieces, often exploring environmental themes and producing work that is educational and thought-provoking.
Artist Statement:
Using acrylic pens to capture the fine details of each plastic fish, I created my piece on a round wooden board to give the illusion of a lens, highlighting the larger implications of our everyday choices and the importance of reducing single-use plastics to protect our environment.
Artist Name: IRINA MITIN
Artwork Title: BLUE WRENS ON GOLD
Medium: Mixed Media: Photography & Digital Art
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Inspired and creative photographer with more than 15 years of professional experience in landscape and still-life photography. Skilled in both print and digital media with a strong understanding of equipment and best practices for both platforms. Irina aims to highlight the intricate details and vibrant colours of flowers, using various techniques to create her botanical art. With every shot, she strives to capture the essence of nature and the world around her.
Artist Statement:
Inspired by nature, it is a fusion of native Australian flora & fauna, unexpected finishes and details. Vibrant hues against a dramatic backdrop capture attention one of a kind look. Meet superb fairy-wrens on golden branches of eucalyptus. Intricate details such as lady-bugs, textured gumnuts and jewels complement the look.
The art composition is so natural, yet the golden and vivid hues and tones make it alluring. Golden leaves shine so brightly you almost hear their jingle. Touch the rough eucalyptus branches or let the tiny birds land on your hand, their colourful wings gently brushing against your palm.
Artist Name: MELLISSA READ-DEVINE
Artwork Title: THE SEASON OF PINK
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
My focus is colour, I rejoice seeing it’s subtleties in nature and then interpreting it onto canvas in a saturated form.
I wish the viewer to be transported into the imagery I have created. If it is a landscape, visually wander around and feel uplifted and entranced by colours and shapes that I have been inspired to depict.
Artist Statement:
Mum and I travelled to Lithgow to see the famous pink flannel flowers that emerge only rarely after bushfire and rain. It is both a painting for immediate delight and for remembrance. A visual poem to remind us of beauty in all seasons.
Artist Name: MARY THI NGUYEN
Artwork Title: THE SUNRISE IN THE RED CENTRE
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Mary Nguyen is a Vietnamese Australian visual artist based in Sydney, having competed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at UNSW. Working across a wide variety of media and styles, Mary is frequently selected for prestigious art prizes and recently received numerous creative awards and residencies.
Mary's prolific multidisciplinary art practice reflects a synthesis of cultural influences
as she responds to her personal heritage, Australian history, and travels on country.
The series artworks of Alice Springs and Darwin aims to capture the varied and ever-changing landscapes, from dramatic cliffs and sandy beaches to pandanus-lined channels, and the essence of a people’s history and their environment.
Artist Statement:
I rose before dawn to capture the significance sacred waterhole in the West MacDonnell Ranges. I was amazed by the glowing orange, red of the rocks that reflected in the water. It was a beautiful early morning, which was perfect sketching conditions for those spectacular rocks display. Such a unique location that I really enjoyed my journey.
Artist Name: GLORIA DIETZ-KIEBRON
Artwork Title: QI=ENERGY
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 31 x 43cm
About the Artist:
My artwork is eclectic with some years experimenting with most mediums. I especially enjoy landscapes of Australia and Europe where I lived for some years and of course using my fertile imagination with semi abstracts and now venturing into watercolours.
Artist Statement:
Asian art has influenced impressionists and others for some years moving away from strict representation to impression. This is close to the Chinese method of capturing the essence of objects and so in this artwork and one of four the focus is on capturing the life of the object which is the tree.
Artist Name: MAX BOWDEN
Artwork Title: SO FAR AWAY
Medium: oil
Size: 45 x 35cm
About the Artist:
Max Bowden lives and paints in Darwin en plein air. Enjoying what she describes as her own version of extreme sports, with the constant challenge of rain, lightening, humidity, creatures and heat. Max loves the humbling aspects of painting nature.
Artist Statement:
Max has spent the last 6 months painting at Fogg Dam, a location near Darwin, whilst relaxing on weekends with old television episodes of Monkey. Enjoying the technical challenge of capturing thousands of seemingly identical lilies, whilst simultaneously paying attention to the individual beauty and character of individuals, similarities became apparent to how Monkey struggled to shift between focusing on himself, versus caring for the group, and how this paradox is repeated in everything we do.
Artist Name: OTTO SCHMIDINGER
Artwork Title: KINGS BEACH
Medium: ACRYLIC
Size: 45 x 61cm
About the Artist:
I mostly paint realism in oils but wanted to explore this dramatic lighting using acrylics and a simpler style.
Artist Statement:
The pavilion on the headland at kings beach is one of my favourite places on the Sunshine Coast and the sunsets are always spectacular.
Artist Name: JASMINE RAISBECK
Artwork Title: THREE IN THE BATH
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Size: 35 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Jasmine Raisbeck (b.1986) is an emerging Australian figurative painter from Boorloo/Perth, Western Australia.
As a female artist working mainly in oil paint, Jasmine's practice is focused on her own experiences as a woman and mother, as well as the lives of those in her immediate circle, including her children.
Being a self-taught artist with a background in journalism and TV production, Jasmine brings a unique blend of skills and experiences to her artistic practice. Her work is marked by a keen observational eye, honed through years of storytelling. Her aim is to articulate the human experience, finding beauty in the everyday and ordinary moments shared with family.
Artist Statement:
This painting portrays the simple, everyday moments of motherhood. With loose, expressive brushwork, the scene captures my daughters and I sharing a bath. The painting celebrates the unspoken bond and comfort found in these ordinary yet cherished moments of family life.
Artist Name: SARAH RANDALL
Artwork Title: SMALLSCAPE #11
Medium: oil on paper
Size: 035 x 045cm
About the Artist:
Sarah is an artist based in Orange, NSW. Her work is informed by a Bachelor of Creative Arts, Wollongong in 2013, Masters Fine Art (coursework), RMIT in 2015 and Grad Cert of Art History, from the University of Melbourne. She has completed residencies in Tasmania, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea and Ireland where her paintings have been collected publicly and privately. In 2018, she exhibited as an Australian artist in the Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale (Mokpo, South Korea), following a residency in the Bank of Fishermen Building. In 2019, she was a finalist in the Calleen Art Prize, as well as STILL in 2021.
Artist Statement:
This is apart of a series of paintings of the country landscapes around Central West NSW. It explores directions and shortcuts, while ignoring warning signs from our environment. It happens sometimes.
Dimensions:
3.5 x 4.5cm Artwork
28 x 24cm Framed - see 'second entry' for image
Artist Name: WILNA TEN CATE
Artwork Title: COCO B
Medium: Mixed Media - Recycled
Size: 39 x 12cm
About the Artist:
My mother, an artist, inspired me to immerse myself in South Africa's vibrant artistry. My creative journey flourished after I moved to Papua New Guinea and Australia. In my work, I capture nature's rejuvenating essence, human form, and portraits, urging viewers to reconnect with overlooked beauty through intimate observation and admiration.
Artist Statement:
In this sculpture of Coco B, the horse emerges as a proud, mythical protector of my grandchildren on their farm. Crafted from recycled materials, this mixed media piece embodies patience and resilience. Each component symbolizes the enduring guardianship and nobility of the horse, bridging ancient legends with contemporary sustainability.
Artist Name: MARIANNE DE BEUZEVILLE
Artwork Title: I'VE LOOKED AT CLOUDS FROM BOTH SIDES
Medium: oil on round wood panel
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
I paint the landscape I dwell in. The mountains, the lake, ocean and rugged sea cliffs. I observe the effects of climate change on the landscape, sometimes subtle changes, sometimes dramatic changes.
Artist Statement:
The sky and clouds were reflected on the waters of the lake as if it was a mirror. I thought of Joni Mitchells song and knew I was looking at clouds from both sides. On the far south coast the skies are big with beautiful sunsets. This work represents the landscape I live in.
Artist Name: LEAH MARIANI
Artwork Title: PINK MEDUSA
Medium: Acrylic and oil on canvas
Size: 28 x 28cm
About the Artist:
I tell stories about women through art. In my practice, I reinterpret fairy tales and mythological stories through a feminist lens to give female characters a voice. Even though many of these stories are centered on female protagonists, they are often passive participants in their own fates, like Sleeping Beauty or Medusa. When I retell these stories, I use the deconstructed tropes of the originals to reframe women as being in control of their own destinies. Their futures are no longer decided by men, or in service to men, as a wife or an object.
Artist Statement:
This is a contemporary interpretation of Medusa. This whimsical painting is inspired by the often misunderstood story of Medusa who was a victim rather than a monster. Here we see Medusa with her hair tamed and she is wearing a demure button-up white shirt. Although her snakes are subtle, we can see them arranged at the back of Medusa's head.
Artist Name: AMY JONES
Artwork Title: CARNIVOROUS
Medium: Cotton, silk and wool on linen
Size: 61 x 55cm
About the Artist:
Amy Jones’ work is predominantly based on botanical references, both abstract and figurative. She seeks to explore the notion of memory and change over time, creating dreamlike, abstracted gardens. The imagery chosen references personal symbols of remembrance, love, loss and renewal. Jones works primarily in textiles, using a mixture of new and recycled materials. The stitching itself is a process of reflection and meditation
Artist Statement:
A garden requires regular human intervention to maintain it and prevent its decay. By their very nature, gardens are cyclical and ever changing. A deliberately planned, yet transient space. The “Lost Gardens”series explores spaces that were planted and nurtured, but over time have disappeared, either by neglect or design. Carnivorous is an imagining of the carnivorous plant exhibit that existed at the royal botanical gardens in Sydney in 2019.
Artist Name: SONKA PIETREK
Artwork Title: SOFT POWER
Medium: Photopolymer Print
Size: 18 x 18cm
About the Artist:
Coming from a digital design background, artist Sonka Pietrek seeks deeper engagement through the physicality of mixed media and printmaking techniques. Her intuitive process involves layering and reusing previous works, allowing the process to transform the work and fostering a deeper connection than digital methods permitted.
Artist Statement:
My 10x10cm Photopolymer print "Soft Power" explores female resilience, opening a conversation about the interconnectedness of vulnerability and strength. The image merges flower petals with female bodies, celebrating the courage to open and blossom, and engaging with the world from a place of wild softness and femininity.
Artist Name: DAN SCOTT
Artwork Title: FRASER ISLAND, ANALOGOUS COLORS
Medium: Oil
Size: 46 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Dan Scott is an Australian landscape painter with a keen interest in landscapes, color, and light.
Artist Statement:
A simple landscape with a sea of analogous greens and blues. Based on Kingfisher Bay at Fraser Island.
Artist Name: ANNE-LOUISE CIEL
Artwork Title: TAKE TO THE HILLS
Medium: Oil on canvas, framed
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Ciel uses oil and a knife to pare subjects down to their basic necessity, without the distraction of extraneous details. Every work becomes the very essence of her intention, allowing the viewer to simply absorb the emotion and thought.
Artist Statement:
A glimpse into secret places, a joyous exploration of nature, a simple dance of freedom.
Artist Name: FIONA CHIVERS
Artwork Title: THE EDGE OF THINGS, PORCUPINE GORGE
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 42 x 42cm
About the Artist:
My primary interest is in the position that ‘place’ holds within the human experience – more specifically, my paintings aim to evoke our personal memories of this nostalgic natural world. My work also examines the natural cycles of erosion that have shaped our country over millennia, highlighting the beauty of nature’s gentle labour. Texture, form, and colour are all utilised to capture the paradoxical nature of the landscape – endlessly fluid yet unmoving. The aim of the work is for the landscape to resonate with the human spirit and evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
Artist Statement:
"The Edge of Things, Porcupine Gorge" depicts the gorge wall with its many colours and layers, its a place that has a natural serenity and the creek which is such an important life source. The play of light and shadow, the textured rock face, and the presence of the magpies contribute to the overall sense of harmony and balance in this Australian landscape. It is a celebration of the unique beauty of the gorge
and the wildlife that calls it home.
Artist Name: ALEXANDRA PLIM
Artwork Title: FLOWERS FOR FRIDAY
Medium: acrylic on cradled board
Size: 52 x 42cm
About the Artist:
I am an expressive abstract artist working on Gadigal and Wangal land in Sydney, Australia. Working primarily with acrylics on canvas, my art practice is a journey of experimentation and intuitive creation, embracing chance and playfulness.
Embracing the irreverent joy of creation, I dive into each painting with a sense of exhilaration. Weaving together layers of colour and texture, my work invites the viewer to immerse themselves in a sea of movement and energy.
Ultimately, my art is a celebration personal expression. Like rehearsing a play or improvising on stage, it requires me to be fully in the moment, responding to the canvas with honesty and vulnerability.
Artist Statement:
This artwork has been kicking around my studio for months in a variety of unfinished states. It's only when I really stopped trying so hard to force it in a particular direction that it started working. It wanted to be a joyous mess of vibrant colour and texture.
Artist Name: BEC SCHOPEN
Artwork Title: DREAMS AND WHISPERS
Medium: acrylic and spray paint
Size: 45 x 45cm
About the Artist:
I am an artist based in Sydney, Australia. My paintings convey the "abstract female soul"; I explore the connection between women through generations and the relationships that bind and shape us. My distinctive works vary from decorative abstract to representational. However, they are characterized by vibrance, warmth, engaging narratives, and expressions of the soul.
Artist Statement:
"Dreams and Whispers" is a decorative abstract work that weaves the threads of connection, intertwining our tales of love and resilience amidst the trials that test our bonds, often emerging reinforced, like robust threads woven into the fabric of our shared journey.
Artist Name: JULIA KENNEDY- BELL
Artwork Title: RENEW
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 28 x 22cm
About the Artist:
Julia is an artist that works in a diverse range of media. She explore her in and outer world through abstraction, by combining her own visual language with more industrial elements, thereby creating a contrast of opposing motifs and themes.
Artist Statement:
Exploring stencils as off cuts as a way of exploring new realities and new spaces for self reflection.
Artist Name: ANNA DUSK
Artwork Title: METAMORPHOSIS
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 46 x 36cm
About the Artist:
When I paint abstracts I want to discover that which arises without thought. I want to be surprised, mystified, by how form and colour can conjure up an image that I will only ever see here, NOW, expressed in a language that is momentary but profound.
Artist Statement:
Transformation is life - in every moment there is change, radical, imperceptible, often unimaginable. Scale to claw, gill to lung, amoeba to a body with uncountable cells. Wisdom is in the adapting; it is in the letting go, the movement into something new.
Artist Name: BRIDIE O'BRIEN
Artwork Title: THE GAP
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
After recently moving to Canberra from Sydney, I have immersed myself in the natural surrounds with beautiful results.
My paintings are more alive, my energy more in tune to the environment.
Wandering on a bush track out near Nicholls one day, the boldness of nature struck me. Avoiding the midday sun, I gazed at the cloudless pristine, deep blue sky. It was a striking contrast against the tall green gums. And the further I walked, the more I noticed the earthy oranges and yellow ochres of the earth fall away off the trail. The best colours are found in nature. It is the greatest inspiration for my painting.
Artist Statement:
Bushwalking in the heat of the day.
When the cockatoos screech above my head like an inner city freight train that has pulled on its rusty brakes and is struggling to stop along the cold metal rails.
Bushwalking on a cloudless day.
When the Rayleigh scattering is at its peak. The uninterrupted blue is the ultimate painkiller and endless with its reach.
Bushwalking.
Our local scrub, these majestic trees, they sway so gentle in the cool blue breeze.
Artist Name: ANN BROOKS
Artwork Title: SUNSHINE
Medium: Oil
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Through landscape and still life work my aim is to depict the beauty of Australia. Travelling to different cities and town of our Eastern States on a regular basis I am able to depict our varied countryside and flora through my art. There is inspiration everywhere in our amazing country, Australia.
Artist Statement:
Queensland is the Sunshine State and there’s nothing quite like a Sunflower to make you feel like it’s a happy sunshiny day
Artist Name: AMELIA LYNCH
Artwork Title: MARRAMARRA
Medium: Glazed ceramic
Size: 34 x 34cm
About the Artist:
As a ceramicist, I delve into the natural processes of erosion and stratification, crafting tactile forms and surfaces that echo geological phenomena. My work employs innovative glazes to mirror the intricate beauty of nature, reflecting my deep connection with the environment. I hold a Master of Fine Art.
Artist Statement:
My art making practice explores my connection with the Australian landscape. Marramarra
encompasses my perceptions of the colour, shape, form, and textures, which play a pivotal role in creating my exploration. Micro and macro views of scenery, allow me to create a kaleidoscopic view of native Australian flora and fauna.
Artist Name: TANIA FITZGERALD
Artwork Title: HEAVENLY HYDRANGEA
Medium: Oil
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Tania is a full-time artist working in her studio on the Gold Coast. Tania’s art is about colour, pattern, and texture. During her studies in Architectural Design, Tania built a strong understanding of form and structure, and developed a deep connection with painting. Working as an interior designer had a huge impact on how she viewed art and its role in transforming interior spaces. “Painting for me is a form of meditation. My flower garden is a great inspiration. All sorts of colours mix together and create a wonderful harmony.”
Artist Statement:
This is an abstract composition in delicate shades of pink and green, evoking the imagery of hydrangea flowers in a square vase. The impasto oil paint's luscious, buttery texture imparts a luxurious dimension to the artwork.
Artist Name: LAURIE MCLEOD
Artwork Title: KNOW YOUR PLACE OR LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT
Medium: Soft Pastel on Art Spectrum paper
Size: 30 x 24cm
About the Artist:
I have studied and practiced many art forms. A graduate of the Queensland College of art, I also studied performance, and set and costume design at NIDA, as well as Community development with the Australia Council. I was lead back to visual art after many years in community development after a workplace injury left me unable to continue. Focusing on my visual art practice brought healing and solace. I enjoy looking at the big issues but expressing them in almost every day images of nature. We have become so cut off from nature, taking it for granted that we don't realize the wisdom it holds for our lives. By expressing these grand topics in a mundane way, I seek to explain that nature is already supernatural, you barely need to go looking for the spiritual it is already around you
Artist Statement:
A lone Pacific Black Duck occupies a tiny piece of mud in a lake. Will she nest here? Will she make her home here? Her ability to adapt means that living on the margin is possible for her. But wildlife are being pushed further to the edge of survival. Forests are cleared and whole populations of wildlife are displaced. Yet here she stands full of hope and potential. Only reflected sky, no hint of abundance for her future life and possible family. Yet her instincts have found this place. Safe at least from predators. She is bland and camouflaged, yet beautiful in this reflective environment. Only her shadow reveals the colour which lies beneath the subtle inscrutable landscape around her. Her choices echo our choices - how do we survive the pressure for resources? Australia has arguably the worst rate of extinction in the world.
Artist Name: PAOLA RAGGO
Artwork Title: SEAGULLS
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I had been painting and drawing since I was a child, I went to several courses, then I went to the University of Chile to study visual arts and majored in painting. Then and there I discovered jewellery making and have been doing both since then.
Artist Statement:
In my work I like to reflect on the ocean and its diverse temperament, how fragile and small we humans are at its side. I want to capture and share the different feelings that this immense beast can make me feel sometimes calm and gentle, others a raging beast.
Artist Name: SANG JU LEE
Artwork Title: TRUE PRO BONO: HEARTFELT OR OBLIGED?
Medium: Korean traditional natural pigment paint on Mulberry paper
Size: 31 x 31cm
About the Artist:
My name is Sang Ju Lee. With a solid 15-year background in the finance industry, I began exploring Korean traditional painting, "Minhwa," as a hobby during the Covid-19 pandemic. This passion led me to win the "Finalist Prize" at the Korean Traditional Folk Painting (Minhwa) Association National Contest. Inspired to delve deeper into the world of art, I enrolled at QCAD in 2023. Now in my second year of painting studies, I continue to develop my unique artistic voice. My work has already gained recognition, culminating in a duo exhibition at Grey St Studio at QCAD in February 2024. Through my art, I seek to blend traditional techniques with contemporary themes, creating pieces that resonate with empathy and societal awareness.
Artist Statement:
Title: "True Pro Bono: Heartfelt or Obliged?"
In my figuration painting, I employ the one-stroke painting style to create a heartwarming scene of cheerful pro bono service amidst the complexities of contemporary society. My work is further enriched by incorporating Piet Mondrian's geometric background, characterized by the use of primary colors—yellow, red, blue, and green—alongside white. Mondrian's iconic style, known for its simplicity and balance, serves as a stark contrast to the emotional and chaotic realities depicted in the foreground, thus emphasizing the structured yet vibrant backdrop of volunteerism.
Positioned at the upper right of the canvas, individuals are depicted, with one standing out as a volunteer extending assistance to the refugee community at the IUC Hub, an Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support Group. Their presence radiates the joy of helping those in need, showcasing the selfless dedication of individuals eager to make a positive difference in the world.
At the lower left of the canvas, an ibis bird perches atop a garbage bin, gracefully engaged in its natural behavior of scavenging. Yet, this seemingly ordinary sight carries profound significance. Much like refugees, ibis birds have adapted to urban environments out of necessity, their natural habitats having been encroached upon by human development. In their plight, they mirror the challenges faced by displaced individuals seeking refuge in unfamiliar lands.
The treatment of refugees often mirrors our treatment of the ibis bird in the streets. Just as some may view the ibis bird as a nuisance, unwelcome in urban spaces, many individuals and communities harbor negative attitudes towards refugees, viewing them as burdens or threats rather than fellow humans in need of compassion and support.
Embedded within this painting is a powerful commentary on the need for empathy and understanding towards both human and non-human beings. By recognizing the parallels between the treatment of refugees and the treatment of wildlife like the ibis bird, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to uphold the principles of compassion and dignity for all living creatures.
Through "True Pro Bono: Heartfelt or Obliged?" I invite viewers to contemplate the interconnectedness of social and environmental challenges and the collective responsibility we bear in creating a more harmonious world. Each act of kindness, whether toward refugees or humble ibis birds, contributes to the tapestry of compassion and empathy that binds us together as a community.
Artist Name: LI LOH
Artwork Title: A CANVAS OF HOPE
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
My unexpected journey from dentistry to art was shaped by the life-changing diagnosis of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). Art became my lifeline, a way to navigate hEDS's challenges. My work captures life's fleeting moments, reflecting resilience and vulnerability. Through art, I aim to inspire and connect, celebrating beauty amidst adversity.
Artist Statement:
"A Canvas of Hope" captures New Year's Eve fireworks over Brisbane, symbolizing resilience and new beginnings. Painted during my recovery from a debilitating injury, each brushstroke represents perseverance. This work reflects the power of hope and the promise of renewal, inspiring viewers to embrace the future with optimism
Artist Name: NAOMI DOWNIE
Artwork Title: MOON RISING OVER BALMAIN WEST
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I have been exploring belonging through a series of exhibitions on Waterways. How my inner life has an intersection with our local natural places of beauty.
I intentionally spent hours by the river at different times of day & night, absorbing the spirit of the place, observing changing tide, moon rise & sun sets & how this affects colours & moods of the space. This was mesmerising & helped to attune to my new home.
'In our heart is a home, in this home is the whole universe'
Artist Statement:
The Moon casts her light and mysterious glow over 1950s redbrick apartments in Balmain.
Artist Name: JANNO
Artwork Title: SMALL SQUARE UMBRELLA
Medium: mixed media on wood
Size: 20 x 20cm
About the Artist:
The guts of it is that I paint for life, hope, colour, love, optimism, peace, nature, and inclusion. Like thousands of women I have had a couple of run ins with breast cancer so I treat each day as a precious and as if it is my last.
My artwork is a defiant celebration of life.
I studied a masters of Contemporary Art at VCA, Melbourne University and need my art to incorporate multiple facets ...Layers of academic thought process, secret marks, personal reflections…. work that speaks with optimism, hope, strength, braveness, and sensitivity… works that are joyous in colour, that emanate heart and beauty. I want my work to outlast me and mean something in the storyline of art beyond the obvious, beyond today.
Artist Statement:
This little work celebrates my quirky, upside down live and was part of my recent exhibition- ' Unsprung' at 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. It is part of a larger body of work that celebrates identity, inclusion, nature, safety, nurture, peace and love .
Artist Name: GLEN GANTE
Artwork Title: BOXED IN
Medium: Photography on Brushed Metal
Size: 30 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Glen is a Navy Veteran and creative photographer based in Brisbane who has worked with professional artists in the international fashion and film industries. Glen was named an exhibition finalist in the 2021 Clayton Utz Art Award with his "Go at your own pace" seascape of the iconic Bondi Icebergs.
Artist Statement:
"Boxed In" captures the Southport Boxing Club a boxing establishment has training professional champion boxers and the fitness conscious since 1971 on the Gold Coast. "Boxed In" connects the progressive urban landscape surrounding the Southport Boxing Club with its famed history creating that feeling of grit, guts and glory.
Artist Name: MICHAEL ABBOTT
Artwork Title: YELLOW LIGHT
Medium: oil
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
All our lives we are surrounded by nature. We get to know the changing of the seasons, the different times of the day, and the night. I am engaged by my observations and develop an emotional connection to my surroundings. From a young age this occurs forming a sense of nostalgia. I try to convey a sense of this through my paintings.
Artist Statement:
Taking a formalist approach, I am arranging colours on the canvas, using different shapes and textures. I aim to create a harmonious agreement that causes an aesthetic response in the viewer. This painting was inspired by the memory of a late afternoon. I like to think it both vast and intimate, inviting the viewer to reflect.
Artist Name: MICHAELA JAMES
Artwork Title: ORDINARY THINGS
Medium: acrylic on paper
Size: 21 x 26cm
About the Artist:
I am committing to discipline of approaching painting as a way to push boundaries. Working through this commitment, my challenge is to move away from too much harmony between each object. Instead of picking up on the default of figuration (form, shadow, weight etc.,) I find instead what the painting itself needs. So rather than applying the ‘logic of the form’ instilled from formal training, looking at the work as a transition from one state to another.
Artist Statement:
Focusing on the beauty that can be found in the most prosaic domesticity - bgeing inspired by the beauty in the everyday. This are the ordinary objects found on my dining table. By challenging the customary, more formalist approach to painting still life, my work has morphed into something intentionally more abstractly complex, no longer ‘still’.
Artist Name: ANNE-FRANCE FULGENCE
Artwork Title: CURRARRONG CK
Medium: oil
Size: 41 x 41cm
About the Artist:
Anne-France was born in Morocco, studied in France, and migrated to Australia in 1989. She attributes her sense of drama and place to her French ancestry,
When she is not holed up in her studio, a converted dairy in Kangaroo Valley (NSW), A-F teaches art classes in Bowral, or leads artist expeditions to far-flung locations.
Artist Statement:
I like to paint the serene, the tranquil qualities of wild places. Australian landscapes are so unique.
I go for solitary exploration; I sketch and take pictures.
Currarrong Ck, is special, the strong tannin water reminds me of the outback red dirt.
In sunshine or dark weather, it is always spectacular.
Artist Name: ELISE JUDD
Artwork Title: COLONIAL SCARS
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 61 x 45cm
About the Artist:
I like to weave hidden meanings and elements of my own history into each artwork. My practice delves into personal and collective narratives, inviting viewers to explore deeper themes and uncover the subtle stories embedded within my art.
Artist Statement:
A stark charcoal landscape within a bold red circle against delicate lace is my interpretation of the impact of colonialism in Australia. The contrast symbolizes the intrusion of white settlement on the natural environment, highlighting the fragility and disruption of Australia's native landscapes.
Artist Name: TIANNI FAZIO
Artwork Title: JACARANDA ROUNDABOUT
Medium: Oil on Board
Size: 20 x 25cm
About the Artist:
Tianni Fazio is a full time Artist from Brisbane. Professionally a House and Garden Illustrator, creating original commissioned portraits. Also Tianni has been a painter all her adult life, with her first solo exhibition over 25 years ago. Stepping in and out of various approaches to painting full time over the years, she has worked in the Art material retail and education industry, taught Art to all levels and ages and always been involved in creativity. All Tianni's artwork display her love of colour, gardens and especially flowers.
Artist Statement:
This artwork is a street view of the roundabout leading into the Tennis center at Tennyson, from Graceville. It depicts Brisbane's beautiful Jacarandas and a Flame tree tangled in greenery. The yellow elements in foreground, clearly show the warm yellow light that Brisbane is so known for.
Artist Name: NOEL MILLER
Artwork Title: MADAM NATURE
Medium: Collage
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Twenty two years ago, Noel Miller unexpectedly walked out of a job as CEO in a large not-for-profit organisation to take up his lifetime dream of being a full-time artist. It was a move he has not regretted.
Based in Brisbane, Noel Miller is an artist and tutor with experience in the areas of landscape painting, mixed media on canvas, print making & drawing.
Miller has been a finalist in the Norvill Prize, Blake Prize, Jacaranda Drawing Award, Kedumba Drawing Award and the Marie Ellis OAM Prize for Drawing, and a winner of the Warwick Prize. Since 2002, he has held 33 solo exhibitions as well as being in numerous group shows.
Noel has twice been an artist in residence in Gothenburg, Sweden (in 2012 and 2008). He is resident artist for the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve and guest lecturer on painting and photographing the landscape in the Antarctic.
Over the past 20 years he has taken groups of people to paint en plein air in outback Australia. He regularly teaches workshops on colour and drawing and multi-media in Brisbane and regional settings.
His work is included in collections both nationally and internationally.
Artist Statement:
In this work, I wanted to show the seriousness of Nature combined with her frivolity. I have expressed the chaos and the order of Nature.
Artist Name: JANE ALEXANDER
Artwork Title: BUSHWALK
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
New Zealand born artist, Jane Alexander is a 2020 graduate of the National Art School where she won the Ann Pata Memorial Drawing Prize. She is currently in "Emergent Artists 2024" at Stella Downer Fine Art Gallery Sydney.
Jane works across various disciplines and is interested in the use of colour and light to convey emotion in the landscape.
Artist Statement:
A sense of solitude is captured in the dappled bush light. Where to now? I wonder.
Artist Name: RALPH COLES
Artwork Title: SNOWY FAWN
Medium: OIL
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
84 YEAR OLD RALPH COLES STARTED TO PAINT WITH OIL WHEN HIS LATE BROTHER, MAX, GAVE HIM A SMALL SET OF OIL PAINTS IN 1970.
RALPH PREFERS OIL AS HIS MEDIUM AND ENJOYS PAINTING SUBJECTS FROM HIS EXPERIENCES DURING TRAVEL WITH WIFE JILL THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, AND TOGETHER THEY HAVE CRUISED EXTENSIVELY AROUND THE WORLD.
WITH FIVE MARRIED CHILDREN AND THIRTEEN GRANDCHILDREN, FAMILY GATHERINGS AND SHARED EXPERIENCES ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM.
FROM EARLY DAYS SAILING SMALL BOATS ON GEORGES RIVER AND BOTANY BAY, RALPH HAS ALWAYS BEEN CLOSE TO THE SEA, AND HIS SEASCAPES ARE A REFLECTION OF THIS.
Artist Statement:
THE YOUNG FAWN LOOKING AT THE ARTIST IN THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS
Artist Name: EBEN WHEELER
Artwork Title: LEADLIT POWERLINES
Medium: Ink on watercolour paper
Size: 30 x 21cm
About the Artist:
I have become obsessed with the quality of light at dusk and dawn. I make a point of running errands or going to the park at this time purely to see how shifting light turns the most banal of subjects into something quite special.
Artist Statement:
An attempt to capture something of the magical qualities imbued on everyday subjects at dusk and dawn.
Artist Name: KAREN STANDKE
Artwork Title: LOST LIMB #5
Medium: Oils on Linen
Size: 61 x 51cm
About the Artist:
Karen Standke is a contemporary Landscape Artist who has worked and exhibited internationally for over two decades.
Her paintings are informed by thorough research into the changing face of the landscape and the impact of climate change, introduction of weeds and non native fauna and flora.
The signs of these impacts can be subtle and beautiful in themselves.
Karen’s paintings focus on the change in the environment -and thus the work questions how we respond emotionally? how do we respond practically to these challenges?
It is this juxtaposition that the artist is most interested in, informed by psychology, politics, religion and science.
Born 1973 In Munich, Germany and based in Australia since 2000, Karen has exhibited work nationally and internationally. Awarded the Pollock Krasner Foundation grant in 2008,
Standke’s work has been a finalist in several of Australia’s most prestigious painting awards, amongst them the National Capital Art Prize, the John Leslie Art Prize, the Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, the Albany Art Prize and the Glover prize.
Standke was awarded the Noel Counihan Art Award in 2018, and her winning work “Now selling” was acquired by Moreland City Council for the public collection in 2020.
“Road to Maralinga II”, an early work of Standke’s, painted in 2007,was part of the nationally touring exhibition Black Mist Burnt Country, which included work by Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd and Rosemary Laing, amongst many other notable contemporary artists.
Standke’s works are held in private collections in Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, France, Norway, Japan, Singapore, India, UK and USA.
Public collections include Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon, NSW, The Pollock Krasner foundation, NYC, USA, and Counihan Gallery Public Art Gallery in Merri-bek, Brunswick, Victoria.
Artist Statement:
Lost limb # 5, a depiction of our beloved eucalyptus trees in Australia, a continuation of my obsession with these beautiful trees, and a metaphor for life as I find myself in middle age, contemplating life experiences. The lost limb, a symbol for grief and loss of friends and loved ones, loss of innocence, loss of youth
but also, most importantly, resilience, as life goes on, scars remain but the tree survives nevertheless.
Out of this grows wisdom and strength.
Artist Name: ROSE IRON
Artwork Title: THE PERFECT NASTURTIUM FOR A MUD PIE
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 46 x 46cm
About the Artist:
Rose is an emerging artist and GP from Noosa. Predominantly working in acrylic and oil paint she explores capturing a transient moments. After studying at Art School Co, Maroochydore for the last 3 years, Rose has taken the next step and commenced a Bachelor in Visual Art at QCA.
Artist Statement:
Childhood is fleeting. It is made up of small moments such as finding the perfect ingredient for a mud pie. Children are exemplars of mindfulness and curiosity. Two virtues that we all would benefit from practicing more often.
Artist Name: AMY STAPLETON
Artwork Title: FOR A SHORT TIME, IT WAS JUST HER
Medium: Charcoal, soft & oil pastel on linen
Size: 30 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Amy Stapleton is an emerging artist who draws inspiration from the natural environment to create contemporary, mixed media landscapes. She regularly explores and sketches en plein air, to then come back to the studio where she focuses on experimenting with media and pushing her art practice.
Artist Statement:
This work is simply about observing and taking in those moments of stillness within an environment. On a recent trip to Girraween National Park on a drizzly day, whilst my family walked back to the car, I made the most of being the only person there, it was bliss.
Artist Name: JEN HSIEH
Artwork Title: NONE OF IT HAPPENED BUT IT IS ALL TRUE
Medium: Acrylic on chiffon
Size: 40 x 40cm
About the Artist:
In her contemporary narration, Canadian-Australian artist Jen Hsieh tells tale of vast wilderness and inherent beauty. Her paintings possess a bewitching elegance, suggest and engage viewers to seek more and join in on the journey.
Her love of the land led her to explore the outback and remote Australia. Humbled by the rugged and desolate beauty of the land, Hsieh yearned to re-tell the tales of the Country and share the allure of the wild.
In addition to traditional canvas, Hsieh illustrates her artistry by painting on unconventional mediums such as translucent silk chiffon and soft velvet where there is no room for error or possible correction. The conscious choice of these mediums adds another layer to the tale being told.
Artist Statement:
None of It Happened but It is All True invites the viewers to question “what happened?” while recalling in the aftermath. This painting captures the paradox of memory and perception. It depicts a Victorian coastline featuring a wooden staircase weaving through rugged coastal vegetation, leading to an unclear destination. The misty background and the sun-lit foreground play with light and shadow, adding a dreamlike quality to the scene.
Memories are often fragmented, subjective, and influenced by emotions. One can suggest that our memories are less about accurate documentation and more about the narratives we construct. Much like the left-behind red ribbon marking what has been, memories are often tangled, intertwined, and sometimes leading nowhere. In an interview on memories in her books, author Ann Patchett remarked, "none of it happened but it is all true." This resonates with the painting's theme on how memories shape our understanding of reality, even if they are not entirely accurate. The ethereal quality of the scene emphasizes the hazy nature of memory, reminding us that what we remember is as much a creation of the mind as it is a reflection of the past.
The use of two layers of translucent chiffon, instead of conventional cotton canvas, adds an additional sense of depth and complexity to the piece. This technique creates a layered visual experience, where elements of the image shift and change depending on the viewer's angle. As one moves around the artwork, different aspects come into focus, mimicking the fluid and dynamic nature of memories. This interplay of translucency and perspective enhances the viewer's engagement, making the act of seeing the painting a personal journey through layers of remembrance and perception.
Artist Name: KIRSTEN
Artwork Title: DAILY COMMUTE
Medium: Mixed media
Size: 39 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Kirsten Bresciani Artist's Statement.
My art practice revolves around photographic captures of the world around me focusing on subjects of interest including architecture, objects of beauty, flora and landscape. Utilising layering and printmaking techniques, I compose images with symmetry and balance in mind to create depictions of past recollections, present feelings and future desires.
Artist Statement:
Daily Commute is from the series of work titled 'Memory Rooms' - The series is an exploration into the relationship between object and memory, specifically examining the formation of episodic memory in which objects become linked to a specific moment, place, person, and time. The work is represented with the object, in this instance a happy cat, floating above and embossed impression of my own memory trigger. The accompanying story of memory for this work follows.
Daily Commute - When I see a happy cat I cannot help but smile. My first experience of the happy cat was at my grandmother’s house in Toowoomba. She had a large ceramic cookie jar in the guise of a happy cat which she kept sat high on a shelf above the fridge. At the end of our visits grandma would lift it down, remove the cats head and invite us to lucky dip a biscuit out of its bulging torso. It was when I moved to London that I was reacquainted with the happy cat in the shop window of a favourite Italian eatery I passed each day on my walk home from the London underground. The shop had five or six battery operated metallic happy cats lined up along the windowsill waving their arms in an air-punching motion. Each day I passed them I would smile and be reminded of my grandmother who had long since left us. It was the perfect antidote to any feelings of home sickness.
Artist Name: JAMES RANDALL
Artwork Title: FALLING FIGURE
Medium: gouache
Size: 297 x 21cm
About the Artist:
James Randall is a Brisbane artist and member of the Royal Queensland Art Society.
After a corporate design career, he began focusing on art in 2020.
James has been short-listed in the Kilgour Prize 2021 and the Brisbane Portrait Prize 2021 and 2023.
Artist Statement:
There is so much in the world that feels out of control. This falling figure is a manifestation of that. The location is a deserted beach in Tasmania with a storm coming in. I had to include the out of control birds that were screeching in the wind over head.
Artist Name: KIRSTEN PERRY
Artwork Title: SPROUT
Medium: Porcelaine, celadon glaze
Size: 30 x 39cm
About the Artist:
My objects are initially carved from disposable materials such as foam and cardboard, then translated into ceramic. Something is gained in this translation, such as evidence of process, textures, and exaggerated imperfections.
My works are composed usually of modular units arranged in a harmonious form. Like building blocks, the units have a playful tone that build a narrative. The soft glaze colour palette, references colours found in nature.
Artist Statement:
In August 2023 I was in Jindezhen, China on a 3 week ceramic residency. For me it was unknown territory and I often felt out of my depth with the language, food, culture and new ceramic materials I had at my disposal.
Jingdezhen is known for its porcelain and celadon glaze. I don’t use porcelain as it requires high firing temperatures that my kiln in Australia is not capable of. So I was excited to use porcelain in reduction firing with celadon glaze.
Porcelain is tricky material to work with - it cracks easily, warps and collapses when you add too much water. I was attracted to the collapsed look and tried to replicate it with hand made cones that were then slip cast. I can kind of related as sometimes I feel like I was melting in the Summer Jindezhen heat.
I made a series of cones that were cast and assembled on a vessel in an upwards circular motion that are inspired by plants and fungi.
Artist Name: BIANCA YRURE
Artwork Title: REACHING FOR THE MOON
Medium: Banksia, oil paint, copper
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Bianca Yrure is a visual artist, born and living on Dharug Country (Sydney) Australia. Her practice is multidisciplinary, encompassing painting, drawing, photography and most recently sculpture. Since
graduating with a Bachelors of Visual Arts from The University of Sydney in 2017, she has been involved in numerous exhibitions.
Bianca's subjects revolve around nature as a sacred space for contemplation and reflection, her art alludes to the sanctuary nature beholds. Her interest lies in presenting a visual language that speaks to the interconnection and oneness of all living things. She responds to environments through walking and immersing herself in landscapes, observing and connecting to nature's shifting essence and form. Various techniques and materials are used to invite the viewer to reconnect with nature as a reflection of self, as a gentle reminder that we are part of a collective body.
In 2023 Bianca produced her solo exhibition whilst in residence at Eramboo Artist Environment, creating an extensive body of 24 new works, programming a weekend of music and workshops inline with her show. Prior to this, her debut solo exhibition was at GalleryONE88, Katoomba in 2019. She has been highly commended in the Camden Art Prize in 2019 and Art Edit Magazines Self Represented Artist Award 2022.
Artist Statement:
As I am enveloped by the bushland living on the land of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park I watch the trees speaking to the cycles of the moon week in, week out. Movement and change are ever present here; decay, death and new life. I attempt to preserve the conversation of the landscape on to Banksia wood, a native that dominates this bushland environment. A discarded Banksia from a neighbours garden, the pigments that make oil paint and precious metal - these are materials made by nature and crafted by man. All are gifts from the earth, re-formed and imagined as an offering back to Earth through the ritual of my art making.
Artist Name: WAYNE TALBOT
Artwork Title: THE POET
Medium: Iron, charred wood
Size: 36 x 12cm
About the Artist:
Wayne Talbot is a Brisbane artist whose full-time studio practice involves drawing, sculpture, installation and painting. At the core of his work is human connection to the natural environment - that eternal cycle of reciprocity. His research into the biosphere feeds his daily practice.
waynetalbot.com
Artist Statement:
Our creative existence relies on the use of the planet’s resources, elements being repurposed for the sake of aesthetics. This work stands proud, offering itself for poetic consideration. Eventually it will honor this natural cycle, returning to the earth, becoming another page of its cosmic story.
Artist Name: MARIANNE URTH
Artwork Title: CANDY FLOSS
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
I have always had a passion for sailing. I love the ocean, the waves and the wind and the first thing I do every morning when I wake up, is to check the weather app on my phone. What is the wind going to be like today? Are the waves going to be monstrous?
I grew up surrounded by the Baltic Sea (Denmark) and started sailing from a young age. I had a dream of one day conquering the South Pacific and with my husband we are right now doing it. Two weeks ago we arrived in Vanuatu.
Artist Statement:
I paint the wild, effervescent ocean, a colourful abstract interpretation of the powerful movements of the waves with their shifting shapes and shades of blue and green. The presence of a colourful sail and a heeling mast suggest the state of the seas and the rapidly changing conditions or the excitement of an animated race. With bold brush strokes combined with pools and eddies of acrylic paint, frothy white sea spray and lines of black charcoal. I aim to give my art multiple layers and invite the viewer to discover the elements within the painting.
Artist Name: REBECCA AUSTIN
Artwork Title: THE RED HANDBAG
Medium: oil paint on canvas
Size: 60 x 40cm
About the Artist:
My artistic journey is an exploration of introspective human experiences, captured through the medium of oil painting. Deeply influenced by personal experiences and the serene beauty of natural landscapes, my work reflects an inner world filled with joy, peace, and meaning.
Recent visits to my sister in inland country Queensland have profoundly shaped my latest series. The expansive horizons and tranquil settings of this region inspire paintings that convey empathy and tranquility. Drawing from photographs, magazine images, and collages, I create compositions rich in narrative and emotional depth.
Art has always been my retreat—a sanctuary where I can ground myself and engage in a dialogue with my inner voice. This introspective process allows me to translate feelings into visual form, bringing a sense of calm and clarity to my work. These internal conversations guide me through the artistic process, helping to capture the subtleties of human emotion and experience.
In my work, I strive to refer to the flatness of the canvas and the creation of depth through perspective of a landscape background. I enjoy the between these elements and aim to highlight the significance of clothing and objects within my compositions to enhance the narrative quality of each piece. This interplay between flatness and depth, coupled with detailed depictions of everyday elements, forms the crux of my artistic exploration.
My background in Fine Arts, with a degree from Queensland College of Art majoring in drawing and printmaking, has been highly influential on my practice. Although initially uncertain about my artistic direction post-graduation, I have since embraced painting as my primary medium. By focusing on what I love to paint and trusting the process, I have found renewed purpose and fulfillment in my work.
Creating art has opened my eyes to moments filled with color, light, and movement and emotion, ensuring that I will never be bored. Through this continuous process of creation, I find a deep connection to the world and to myself, translating my feelings into a visual language that speaks to the universal human experience.
Artist Statement:
"The Red Handbag" is inspired by the serene and expansive landscapes of inland Queensland, where my sister resides and my visits to see her have significantly influenced this work. The natural beauty and peaceful atmosphere of these landscapes are woven into the fabric of the painting, providing a backdrop for the emotional and psychological exploration within. This painting draws inspiration from the Impressionist and Symbolist movements, particularly the works of Mary Cassatt and Gustav Klimt, who depicted intimate, introspective moments with deep empathy and symbolic richness. "The Red Handbag" is a poignant exploration of introspection, tranquility, and the symbolic nature of personal belongings. At the heart of this painting is the enigmatic presence of a woman standing in a field at sunset, her eyes closed in peaceful contemplation. The vibrant red handbag she holds close symbolizes cherished memories and personal identity, serving as a focal point amid the expansive, tranquil landscape. This piece delves into themes of reflection and the intimate connection between our inner lives and the objects and places we hold dear.
Artist Name: JANETTA
Artwork Title: ARTILLERY ROCKS
Medium: ceramic
Size: 14 x 34cm
About the Artist:
Interconnections between landscape, atmosphere, mood and memory are at the heart of Janetta Kerr-Grant’s ceramic practice.
Career highlights include being awarded artist residencies at The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan and the Fiskars Artist Collective in Finland. In 2018 she won the Klytie Pate Ceramic Award. She has held several solo exhibitions and exhibited in group exhibitions across Australia. Her work is held private and public collections including the Bluestone Collection of Contemporary Craft, the AIR collection, Finland and Manningham Art Gallery.
Janetta graduated with 1st Class Honours from RMIT University in 2012, after being awarded a Trudie Alfred Bequest National Scholarship. In 2013 she received an Australia Council Grant to establish her practice.
Artist Statement:
This interconnected pair of porcelain tiles capture the exhilaration of standing on a rocky outcrop on a stormy summer’s day. The foaming whitewash continually, rhythmically breaking over the wet slippery rocks. Thin washes of colour create a layered, textured surface distilling my memories and evoking a strong sense of place.
Artist Name: CATHERINE SCHOCH
Artwork Title: HUM
Medium: Manipulated photographic print
Size: 55 x 35cm
About the Artist:
As a multidisciplinary artist I am concerned with social, cultural and environmental discourse and commentary. An important focus for my practice investigates how intrinsic qualities of media have evolved by asking the viewer to look beyond the obvious.
Artist Statement:
Nature walks provide objects out of context for the observant eye. Here spinning seeds become hummingbirds layered into the landscape to feed upon a yellow banksia.
Artist Name: MARK SEARLE
Artwork Title: VIEW THROUGH THE TREES
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 22 x 28cm
About the Artist:
Working with oil on panel, my gestural images explore the flow and interconnectedness of the landscape. Through the rendering of the image, my own relationship with the land deepens. Painting is a hollowing process through which I understand myself as existing within the landscape, rather than separate and looking in.
Artist Statement:
'View Through the Trees' was painted in a secluded spot near Upper Colo. I was concerned with portraying the sense of tranquillity amidst the perpetual movement of forms. The swaying branches, drifting shadows and flowing water were never static but yet joined together to form a steady armature of feeling.
Artist Name: BELLE ARTI
Artwork Title: LYSIANTHUS
Medium: Oil
Size: 46 x 36cm
About the Artist:
Belle Arti favours a classical approach to her art, focussed on beauty and what captures, not just the eye, but more importantly, the heart. She paints a diverse array of topics, from portraiture to still life and landscape. A Brisbane based artist, she sources inspiration from local friends, family and landscape as well as ideas and experiences from afar. Her work will continue to mesmerize and inspire.
Artist Statement:
Lysianthus - a natural beauty. I chose to paint these flowers because they are one of my favourites - blousy, soft and delicate with such an array of colours. I love the pinks and greens that become an ivory. Here in the sunlight, they are gloriously resplendent, yet their character remains still a demure flower. The glass bottle is simple so as not to detract from the star performer.
Artist Name: STARR
Artwork Title: EXPENSIVE
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Starr is a contemporary Australian Magical Realism artist.
Graduating from the Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 1996, her career has gone from strength to strength ever since. Her work has been exhibited and collected in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States, including an exclusive permanent display in the foyer of La Nouvelle Eve, Paris. Her unique style is linked with the Magical Realism movement, but with a modern expressionist twist.
Imbued with a sense of youthful innocence through her energetic pops of colour, Starr caresses the canvas with her fluid brushstrokes. Her style compliments the warmth and fervour of the people and places that she represents in her works, along with her own restless passion. With a focus on the subtle interplay of light and movement, Starr’s works are created with a sense of immediacy, encouraging the viewer to recognise the importance of every moment. Her work incorporates elements of inter-textuality, creating oblique layers of meaning.
An incurable romantic, Starr cites love as one of her greatest inspirations. Whether it is iconic cityscapes such as the Eiffel Tower, the ballet, or the fluidity of the female form, this is a recurring theme throughout all her work. She also draws upon her love of the whimsical and the fantastical, intertwining fairytale elements with modern technology and
sci-fi pop art references. This is evident in her recurrent Alice in Wonderland series, where the central female character journeys through an ever-changing utopia, while struggling to hold on to her traditional values.
“My paintings are my ultimate fairy tale splashed across the canvas, capturing my freedom and passion as an artist in the brightest and boldest colours imaginable.”
Artist Statement:
By utilising a contemporary up-cycled MOMA gift bag, adorned with the provocative label EXPENSIVE, this work seeks to infuse the mundane with a sense of luxury and intrigue. The artistic process involved meticulously gathering a diverse selection of local blooms from around the actual MOMA gallery. This scavenging the hillsides, provided me with many stunning wildflowers, which helped create this intense floral arrangement. This piece unfolds against the backdrop of a newly discovered and carefully traversed Tasmanian landscape, the result of an invigorating hike that helped fuel my creative intensity. The integration of this atmospheric locale imparts profound depth to the composition, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the intersection of natural beauty and man-made commercialism.
Artist Name: ALICE WEST
Artwork Title: SYNCHRONICITY
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
As an Artist and owner of a gallery in Buderim, on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, I draw inspiration from the world around me, finding beauty in the often overlooked details of life. My painting style is naive, but sometimes more realistic with a touch of whimsy. When I paint, I am transported to a peaceful place where time seems to disappear. My love for creativity has been with me since childhood, spending a lot of time creating but also outdoors climbing trees, gardening, exploring creeks and playing tiggy. While I have a vision for my work, it often evolves along the way, resulting in layers of vibrant colours and intricate details that often bring out the inner child of the viewer. I am committed to using the highest quality materials, as I believe it is crucial to the longevity and impact of my art.
Artist Statement:
This artwork depicts the sense of tranquility and happiness you feel when life flows beautifully, when meaningful occurrences often lead to moments of delight. My passion for birds and flowers stems from my father's love for them. Nature is often the subject of my paintings, as I draw inspiration from the beauty and joy it brings. Using a whimsical style, I aim to captivate viewers and evoke feelings of joy and wonder.
Artist Name: NISHA RAMI
Artwork Title: INFINITE LOVE
Medium: Oil Painting on Linen
Size: 31 x 31cm
About the Artist:
Over my art journey, I've developed the love for creating the beauty of nature around us. My art medium primarily consists of oil paintings on canvas. I aim to continue my artistic journey by challenging myself and creating artwork that hopes to connect all of us.
Artist Statement:
"Infinite Love" is a painting of the Anthurium flowering plant holding divine feminine with its bright red, any act pouring your heart will bloom out a beautiful flower garden called "Mother Earth".
We all are different but connected by infinite love which is full of compassion.
Artist Name: DAVID K WIGGS
Artwork Title: DRY CRESCENT HEAD-FOOTBRIDGE AND CARAVAN PARK FROM THE BEACH-PLEIN AIR
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 25 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I'm a Sydney based artist with a studio at North head near Manly. A lot of my work is produced in the landscape. I've spent my life in and around the water or the bush. Painting and drawing in Nature. Connecting and responding to what's around me and the different energy of that time. The Bush,the Ocean and the Life that we are part of.
Artist Statement:
I did this painting on the beach at Crescent head. I've been going to Crescent head since I was a kid. The landscape was very dry this time. The colours were like dry sheep country. There hadn't been rain for months. Crescent is a famous surf point. This painting shows the footbridge to the caravan park that goes across Killick creek with a surfer and people on the beach. The colour of the sand and the colour of the land merge.
Artist Name: DIAMANTA CONTOLEON
Artwork Title: TUTTI FRUTTI
Medium: Acrylic on board
Size: 32 x 32cm
About the Artist:
I am Diamanta. I create art, and I’d like you to enjoy it.
I have developed my style over many years and through many iterations. The themes that always follow me are colour, layer and pattern. I play with many mediums on many surfaces including pencil, watercolour and acrylic on paper, canvas and wooden board.
My process is driven by experimentation, I work through the style over many iterations and while each work is unique, it is part of a greater series and has a connection and relationship to my other creations.
I use colour and shape to produce flow and rhythm and layers to bring depth. I develop complexity and cohesion in each artwork by setting up rules, which I often break, which leads me to the final piece.
Artist Statement:
A collection of colourful summer fruits, Tutti Frutti brings the colours, textures and visual flavours of the Mediterranean, with a contemporary twist, evoking the feeling of walking through a fresh, lush summer garden. Configured as a quadriptych, the coloured motif on each panel changes to signify how the flavours and memories from there regions have travelled across the world.
Artist Name: RHIANNON POWER
Artwork Title: DANCE OF THE LOST AND FOUND
Medium: Oil paint, ochre and acrylic on canvas
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Layering styles and imagery (figurative, gestural and botanical) with inclusions of material sourced from my local natural environment, I practice to create a work of unexpected or accidental beauty, built, like our lives, accumulatively, and to dispel a myth of separation.
Artist Statement:
Layers of gesture and ochre, skin and mud, the abstract internal setting of the dancer performing for no one.
Losing herself to something that moves her. Finding herself through a feminine practice of flow in resistance to the hussle culture of the patriarchy.
Artist Name: PAULA KOS
Artwork Title: THE LINEN COUCH (II)
Medium: Oil on Linen Canvas
Size: 61 x 51cm
About the Artist:
I am drawn to observing people in their unguarded, relaxed moments and capturing these moments in paint. It is the thoughts within the subject and a point in time that will never be captured again that I desire to depict on canvas.
Artist Statement:
The Linen Couch provides continual comfort and a cocooned space to disappear for a while and just ‘be’. The kitchen is usually considered the soul of the home. In our home, it is the linen couch where we congregate to relax and recharge.
Artist Name: ALISON KENNY
Artwork Title: MY GIRL LOLLIPOP
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 46 x 46cm
About the Artist:
After a 30 year hiatus from Graduating with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Photo Media in 1992, I would call myself a "slow" emerging artist. Applying my creativity to my personal and working life. In the last couple of years I have reconnected to explore all facets of mixed media.
Artist Statement:
"My Girl Lollipop" was painted in response to a dream I had during the challenging period of the early 2000's. Depicting a Candy Wonderland of lollypops, ice cream and flamingos. Symbols of playfulness, love, colour and joy. Allowing the viewer to escape and reconnect to simple pleasures of childhood.
Artist Name: DEBBIE MACK
Artwork Title: AUTUMN SKY
Medium: Oil on Board, Framed
Size: 33 x 33cm
About the Artist:
I create colourful expressive oil paintings that capture the essence of nature and convey its energy and vitality.
Painting en plein air I am surrounded by the environment that inspires me. My paintings then become a collection of memories and reflect how I feel about a place rather than a geographical representation.
Artist Statement:
My favorite place on the river for early morning coffee, greeting the day as the sun peeks through the trees. I was mesmerized by the low swirling clouds on this cool autumn morning. The moody sky silhouetting the trees on the New Farm Riverwalk.
Artist Name: MARLYN RADLEY
Artwork Title: FOREST BATHING
Medium: Ceramic
Size: 22 x 38cm
About the Artist:
As a ceramic artist, I revel in the tactile nature of clay. Drawing inspiration from my local bushland, I weave elements of nature and of my Dutch heritage into my creations using wheel throwing and hand building techniques.
Through my art, I hope to draw attention to the delicate beauty of the natural world around us.
Artist Statement:
Forest Bathing is the practice of soaking up the sights, sounds and feelings of nature to find inner peace.
I created this vessel as an interpretation of my own experience Forest Bathing in my local bushland, aiming to bring the tranquillity and mindful appreciation of nature indoors.
Artist Name: TISH WILLO
Artwork Title: NIGHT MOVES
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I am an intuitive abstract artist who believes in the healing power of art.
Art has the power to transform not only a space, but also a soul. Through music, sound and dance I create raw and honest abstracts that reflect a moment in time.
Artist Statement:
Night moves is an intuitive artwork created late at night while listening to Night Moves by Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band.
Leaning into the tune, the lyrics and the sounds the canvas was able to capture my vision, my feelings, my soul. My interpretation of the music.
Honest. Raw. Reflective.
Framed in Tasmanian Oak.
Artist Name: CHRISSIE HOGAN
Artwork Title: LEGACY LANDSCAPE
Medium: Oil, wool and mesh on canvas
Size: 21 x 26cm
About the Artist:
With early beginnings in Fine Art, Chrissie Hogan mixed her first pallet of oil at the age of 10 and continues her practice as a multi disciplinary artist with skills acquired through different career paths.
Starting with a Art scholarship at Applecross SHS, Chrissie has a BA in Design from Curtin University and a Dip of Applied Science in Fashion design from TAFE, contributing to a practice of different art forms that create the basis of her art.
The elements of design, fashion/textiles and colour are evident in different
series of Chrissie’s work which cover still life through to landscapes and pottery.
“The subjects become the tool for development in colour, composition and texture. Different themes continuously feed the desire for fresh and interesting subjects and technique's.”
Chrissie’s involvement in art continues with a strong move to introducing art with the everyday environment.
Artist Statement:
This artwork combines 2 skills of my multi disciplined art practice. Sentiment has become a large influence recently in the combination of oil painting and Needle work used in this piece. The knife worked oil paint of a childhood art teacher and the needlework of my grandmothers are skills that are ingrained in me and inspire artistic practice from women I hold dear.
The combination of these forms are laid in a landscape of memory that represent to me the muddy shores of the Swan River. Our local shores were a source of inspiration for myself and my mentors in my youth. This artwork created, ties the connection I have to my practice and my roots with appreciation of all I have been taught. In memory of Malamati Andritsos, Chrisafina Papalazaros and Dorothy Siggins.
Artist Name: GILLIAN ASHTON
Artwork Title: HELLO SUNSHINE
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 45 x 45cm
About the Artist:
My continuing fascination with all of nature's amazing beauty is the driving passion as I attempt to translate what I see around me. Whether it be landscape, seascape, or portrait. My style is basically realist, although recently I am enjoying a somewhat looser approach.
I am largely self-taught, but have benefited trhough may tutorials & workshops over the years, and still do. Your learn something new every day;
My hope is to project the ambience and mood I feel when approaching each subject. A challenge for every painting!
Artist Statement:
'Hello Sunshine'
When the sun lights up the world around you it makes your heart sing.
The majestic gumtrees & the undergrowth in this painting seem to smile in the warmth of the sunlight. And we smile with them.
Artist Name: SAM J LARDNER
Artwork Title: THE MISSING HUMMINGBIRD
Medium: Painting
Size: 60 x 50cm
About the Artist:
As a self-employed graphic designer for over 25 years, I have now picked up a brush and paint full-time.
Graphic and still life topics in impasto acrylics are my choice of style and medium. The beauty and lifestyle of my seaside, Gold Coast home provide an array of inspiration for my work - as does my ancestry of northern France Delft pottery painters. I love the Chinese ginger jars and the blue and white Delft style and like to depict them in my paintings.
Colourful, bright, and happy subjects are most important in my work. I love creating positive and happy feelings through art bursting with colour. My paintings lack seriousness and I aim to avoid stressful topics. I have been learning French for a number of years and use this as my language to communicate but also love that the language is spoken in many countries located in the sunny tropics.
Artist Statement:
I'm from the Gold Coast and am fortunate to live near the beach, enjoy a great laid-back lifestyle & have a garden full of tropical plants. I aim to brighten viewer's days with art that conveys happy and positive subject matters. Quirky, bold, abstract themes, with a tropical twist & subjects lacking all seriousness is what I love to paint. Coming from an ancestry of Delft pottery painters in northern France, I love the idea of following on this family tradition.
Artist Name: CARISSA KARAMARKO
Artwork Title: SPIRIT BRIDGE
Medium: Oil & Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 51 x 46cm
About the Artist:
My practice has been defined by a relentless pursuit of exploration and evolution. Through my work I investigate cultural narratives, history, the complexities of interpersonal relationships and the intangible aspects of human nature.
Initially focused on traditional still life painting, my practice has naturally journeyed into abstraction in recent years. Primarily working with oil paint, my recent exhibitions have seen the integration of a wider range of materials and processes, allowing me to add depth and variety to my pursuit of storytelling.
Heavily influenced by Abstract Expressionism, I have worked to incorporate the use of generous mark-making and a language of colour in my practice. The performative approach to painting, synonymous with the ideals of this genre also resonates deeply with the relationship music has to my studio practice.
Artist Statement:
Some of my earliest memories are of my grandparents playing the card game šusta, surrounded by friends at their dining room table. It was loud, full of laughter, arguments and strategy all combining into a chaotic sensory experience. At the heart of this game playing is a story of migrants, who used these games as a way to connect with friends and remain connected to their homeland.
As I got older, I was brought into the fold and taught to play by my parents. As we played, my parents would share stories of my grandparents as they reflected on similar nights, something about the mindless shuffling of cards transported their minds back. An experience both spiritual and historical. I learned so many of my family’s stories through this card game whilst simultaneously creating new memories to be filed away awaiting their moment to be shared. 'Spirit Bridge' explores the unique power held in these card games, unlocking the doors to ancestral stories and fostering a profound connection to my heritage.
Artist Name: EMMA ANDREWS
Artwork Title: BLOOMS IN THE BUSH
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 53 x 53cm
About the Artist:
Emma Andrews is a 23 year old emerging artist from Brisbane. Working with acrylics on canvas and drawing inspiration from Queensland's local flora. Emma paints Australian native botanicals in a colourful contemporary style. Through her work she aims to draw attention to native flora and their unique character and charm.
Artist Statement:
This artwork is a celebration of Australian native flora. Featuring Waratah, Hakea, banksias, flowering gum and Australian butterflies. The painting’s composition is inspired by the layout of classic English floral vintage fabric patterns but recreated with a twist to showcase Australian native florals.
Artist Name: COCO ELDER
Artwork Title: RIVER OF BUTTERSCOTCH AND LIME- THE NEVER NEVER
Medium: Carved synthetic polymer paint on board
Size: 43 x 53cm
About the Artist:
My greatest inspiration for my work is the light and energy I find in the Australian bush. I resonate with the spirit of place & delight in finding symbiotic configurations in nature. The reductive process of engraving into the paint with textured gestural marks, reveals light and irradiates the atmosphere.
Artist Statement:
This river bend captures the last of the Winter light, illuminating the trunks of the ancient river gums and rich sub-tropical canopies, reflected in rhythmical patterns as the water gestures to synchronously shimmer.
Artist Name: MERI J ROBSON
Artwork Title: NORTH HOBART TOMMIES
Medium: Oil
Size: 46 x 46cm
About the Artist:
Light and colour brighten my world and as a painting 'toddler' I am continually learning to build on my understanding and illumination of both. My few works, although limited, bring me joyful moments of deep pleasure and connection throughout the process; and allow a greater sense of inner peace among the uncertainties of daily challenges.
Artist Statement:
This still life oil painting is produced from a photograph I took of a friend's tomatoes lying as depicted on a rustic pottery plate. I enjoyed working out the tonal variations of different tomatoes. I have no idea what these varieties are but my friend is Italian by heritage and uses these and other produce from his carefully tended garden to create wonderful gastronomic fare for guests. Just as home-grown produce is the basis for creative culinary pleasure, I hope this vision of simple tomatoes tickles your visual pleasure.
Artist Name: DEBBIE MACKINNON
Artwork Title: WE'LL LIE IN GOLDEN MEADOWS
Medium: acrylic and mixed media on panel
Size: 33 x 27cm
About the Artist:
Walking and drawing are fundamental to my creative practice outside in the landscape. Wild and remote places attract me, and finding a sense of awe about the natural world. Turning on my observational eye is a conscious choice – finding unexpected glimpses of colour, the effects of rapidly changing light and weather on land and sky and constantly shifting around to find interesting perspectives. I am a landscape painter, but with an abstracted edge. My works are not ‘views’, but a combination of elements that I have observed, challenging the conventional notion of realism. Nothing remains static for long in the landscape.
Artist Statement:
I immersed myself in the vibrant chaos of a wildflower meadow, drawing from a low view point. Through mixed media and collaged monoprints, I abstracted the essence of the meadow, to capture its untamed beauty, rhythmic energy and the sense of space between the plants and the sky. Multiple layers of colour and texture mimic the spontaneity of growth; a world where chaos and harmony converge, inviting contemplation of the fleeting yet eternal dance of life. In this piece, I hope the meadow sings, and through it, something resonates with that wild melody of existence.
Artist Name: MELANIE MANUEL
Artwork Title: TINDER TRAP
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 53 x 43cm
About the Artist:
SuperJelly Studio is the private workspace of acrylic artist Mel Manuel.
A former film student, her works are deeply influenced by film theory and pop culture, with hints of sci-fi and anime. The studio aims to continue producing acrylic works while further exploring other mediums, thought processes and art theories.
Artist Statement:
Personal rhetoric on modern dating.
Artist Name: LUCIA MIG
Artwork Title: NEIGHBOURHOOD STRUT
Medium: Oil
Size: 51 x 46cm
About the Artist:
LUCiA has been focused on her art practice since 2020 and last year saw her as a finalist in the Portia Geach MemorialPrize and a winner in the LTAP.
LUCiA finds her subject matter in life around her inspired by a sense of wonder and playfulness found in the everyday.
Artist Statement:
Little Fritz the strutting mini schnauzer is my shadow, always by my side.
So I delight in the days when the sun is shining and I walk concrete coloured Fritz, camouflaged in the footpath, and his own distinct schnauzer shadow appears strutting along the neighbourhood beside him.
Artist Name: TERESA DURIE
Artwork Title: THE TRANSFORMATION OF GISELLE
Medium: charcoal
Size: 39 x 39cm
About the Artist:
My art practice is to combine movement and ballet.
I have been exploring this using pastel and charcoal, as it allows me to have the feeling of dancing on the paper, blurring, smudging, erasing and defining areas as needed to tell my story with light and shade.
Artist Statement:
Giselle is one of my favourite ballets. I wanted to capture the illusion of her otherworldly story. Is she human or a trapped spirit?
Using a limited palette of black and white charcoal only with the stark contrast of electric blue paper to create the scene.
Artist Name: JESSIE BEARD
Artwork Title: BLINK AND THEY’RE GONE
Medium: Acrylic, wax pastel, posca on polycotton framed in blackwood
Size: 40 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Jessie Beard is an abstract landscape painter using colour, movement, layers and fine detail to compose euphoric interpretations of place and her experience within it. Jessie has an Associate Degree in Creative Arts & Design, Diploma of Visual Arts and has work in private collections across Australia and overseas.
Artist Statement:
A couple years ago post bush fires, I caught the elusive abundance of flannel flowers in local national park land. They have lingered on my mind ever since. Their ephemerality, their presence a result of nature's resilience and the knowledge we may not see them like that again for decades.
Artist Name: WENDY PETERS
Artwork Title: WILDFLOWER HARMONY I
Medium: oil
Size: 60 x 50cm
About the Artist:
As a self-taught arCst who began exploring painCng in 2019, I find myself drawn to the raw beauty and endless variety of nature's forms. From the delicate textures of a flower petal to the rugged strength of a weathered rock, I am fascinated by the way light interacts with these shapes, creaCng a kaleidoscope of colour and depth.
In my work, I strive to capture the essence of these natural wonders, using a variety of mediums and techniques to experiment with light, shadow, and texture. Whether I'm working on a canvas, paper, wood, or aluminium panel, I am always searching for new ways to express the awe and wonder I feel when I am surrounded by nature.
With each piece I seek to bring the beauty and magic of the natural world into people’s homes, creaCng a sense of joy and meaningfulness.
Artist Statement:
I am fascinated by the challenge and beauty of creating a rich and vibrant painting with a limited palette. Burnt sienna and turquoise are opposites on the colour wheel, creating a strong visual tension. I’m interested in exploring how these seemingly contrasting colours can be mixed and layered to create a harmonious and captivating effect
Artist Name: DEBBIE BENNETT
Artwork Title: QUANDARY
Medium: Ceramic
Size: 19 x 15cm
About the Artist:
I am currently enjoying the freedom of being able to express and create art from my over active imagination. I have a renewed thirst of learning and experimentation. which shows through
in my recent collection of diverse art works in Ceramics.
Artist Statement:
The perplexed look of Quandary on the face is what we strive to sometimes understand.
The creamy matt texture finish of this Porcelain Ceramic piece, adds to the question.
Artist Name: ANDREW K (MEASHAM)
Artwork Title: THE TURKEY NEST
Medium: Oil and Charcoal on Canvas
Size: 44 x 54cm
About the Artist:
Andrew K is a self-taught artist based in Brisbane, Australia. He creates vibrant and expressive paintings that explore the beauty and diversity of people and nature. Inspired by the colours and shapes of the natural world, as well as the stories and emotions of the human experience. Social and environmental issues feature strongly. Oils, charcoal and pastels capture the mood, movement, and texture of Andrew’s subjects. His paintings are a reflection of his passion for life, his hopes and fears and the stories he hopes connect with others.
Artist Statement:
View of a turkey nest in the Northern Territory scrub (north of Daly Waters). These little oasis dams feed out to a network of troughs and keep the cattle watered.
Artist Name: CHRISTINE STONER
Artwork Title: THE RUMINATE DISEASE
Medium: Mixed
Size: 34 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Artist Statement – Christine Stoner
My work is about the human condition, materiality and colour. I work experimentally across a variety of water-based media on canvas and paper.
The work speaks to the complexity of the individual’s experience especially from an emotional standpoint. Layers of my own personal experience are often inspirational to themes of quiet discomfort, brashness, bold statements and tender vulnerability.
When making a work, I bring what I know - my feelings and relationship to the world.
Artist Statement:
“The Ruminate Disease” – Christine Stoner
The emotion of uncertainty has driven the response I have communicated here. This work was inspired by our teetering and fragile relationship with our place here on the Blue Planet. We are aware of our uncertain futures. My intention was to show the quiet discomfort and vulnerability of a human under continuous duress.
The drawing commenced as a monoprint and was taken further with mixed media materials such as gouache, coloured pencils and pens.
I would like viewers to place themselves within the work and resonate with their own burdens of uncertainty and vulnerability.
Artist Name: NATALIE WARD
Artwork Title: ADORN
Medium: Stoneware clay, porcelain clay, glaze
Size: 10 x 14cm
About the Artist:
Natalie Ward is a ceramic artist currently residing in Townsville. Working primarily with wheel-thrown ceramics, her practice explores the intersection between functional forms and artistic pieces. Since moving north, she has drawn inspiration from the diver landscape of Northern Queensland, particularly the rocks and the earth. Natalie’s current practice explores the local region through foraged materials, wild clays, and recycled materials.
Artist Statement:
Ceramics is such a dynamic art form, and “Adorn” captures some of the inherent contrasts that exist within it. Taking a fine, soft porcelain chain and draping it around an angular, rough vase made of recycled clay shows that ceramics can be delicate and hard all at the same time. The most lively surface of this piece is inside the vase, the only surface with glaze, inviting the viewer not only view from the sides, but also from the top. The chain has been fired separately to the vase to allow it to be repositioned in and around the vase to further highlight this dynamism.
Artist Name: TASHI COLUMBRO
Artwork Title: ABSORBED AND PROUD
Medium: Oil on Linen
Size: 22 x 22cm
About the Artist:
Tashi Columbro is a multi disciplinary artist working and living on Gadigal land. Her colourful work explores memory, fragility, storytelling and the beauty and connects humanity.
Artist Statement:
A boy enters another world and his mother stands at the door, watching him and wanting to join him there.
Artist Name: HARRIET
Artwork Title: I AM
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 28 x 23cm
About the Artist:
Harriet Links is an emerging artist residing in Hobart, Tasmania. She draws inspiration from a profound curiosity shaped by global travels and diverse life encounters. Her artistic journey seeks to unravel the complexities of identity and explore the contemporary female experience. Delving into the intricacies of the human condition, Harriet's work is a visual testament to ongoing self-discovery. Her current practice explores the juxtaposition of stillness and movement, featuring the equine form as a symbolic reference to the struggle within every individual. Using acrylics and mixed media, Harriet transforms these equine figures into vibrant reflections of her inner self, inviting viewers to contemplate their own journey within the shared human experience. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a full-time dedication to painting since 2023, Harriet's work has graced exhibitions across Tasmania and mainland Australia. She held her first solo show at the Social Gallery, Salamanca, Hobart in April 2024. Harriet was recently selected as a finalist in 'The Next Big Thing' Art Prize 2024, at The Toowoomba Gallery, Queensland and is a finalist in 'Petite Pieces' Art Prize 2024, at Aspire Gallery, Brisbane.
Artist Statement:
I Am enough and I can do whatever I like. A celebration of freedom and a coming of age. This painting has me at the centre feeling grown up and confident now. A new sense of self and purpose has come to fruition. It is never too late.
Artist Name: VICKI STAVROU
Artwork Title: NIGHT NIGHT AT THE STARLITE
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
My paintings are based on narratives from the 1950's mid century modernism, in and around Palm Springs, California.
I find the architecture appealing in it’s spaciousness and connection with the desert. On looking back to this era, I try to capture the naivety and joy in my colours and compositions.
Artist Statement:
I have a fascination for mid century modern motel night scenes, with brightly lit neon signs cutting through the dark. And what are the couple up to in this painting, is she wishing him a goodnight or is she inviting him in.
Artist Name: LINDIE TRELEAVEN
Artwork Title: PORT JACKSON FROM NORTH HEAD, MANLY - PLEIN AIR
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 14 x 24cm
About the Artist:
Lindie is a Sydney based artist, who previously worked as an Accountant, Business Analyst and System’s Accountant. She holds degrees in Finance & Administration, as well as Genealogy, although her alter ego has been painting since childhood.
She was a long-time student of the former Ffocus Arts (1996 – 2019) and currently paints with the Manly Art Precinct Group (2022 to present). She has worked in a variety of mediums, but now prefers oils and plein air painting.
Artist Statement:
This is a small plein air oil work, painted alla prima at North Head, Manly, Sydney, NSW.
On a windy but pleasant spring day, positioned high above Port Jackson at North Head, the 2km wide entrance to Sydney Harbour is in all it's splender.
I wanted to evoke a sense of majesty in this painting of imposing cliffs, stunning views and rugged coastal flora that seemed to glow with a welcoming aura.
In contrast, the city skyline in the background is subdued and of little significance compared with the glory of the natural elements.
Artist Name: CLARE LACANAU
Artwork Title: RADIANT - DANCING FREESIAS
Medium: Photography
Size: 58 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Clare Lacanau is a Brisbane based artist and professional photographer. Inspired to create gentle, soothing, joyful artwork, featuring soft romantic flowers and botanical elements. Using light as her paint brush, often with a soft pastel palette. These art pieces are created using photographic, in-camera techniques, light and movement.
Artist Statement:
Radiant - Dancing Freesias. Petals all aglow, swaying as if dancing to the sweetest music. Photographic art piece using in-camera techniques, light and movement. Bringing a sense of calm and contentment, offering respite from the busyness and stresses of life. Original, stretched canvas 58cmx40cm with an oak box frame.
Artist Name: SUSAN ZELA BISSETT
Artwork Title: EGRETS AT LAKE TUGGERAH
Medium: Acrylic on board
Size: 40 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I am an educator, writer and artist with a long involvement in environmental education and advocacy. Born in 1954 on Butchulla Country, I have worked as an educator, artist, designer, permaculture gardener, studio potter and sustainability consultant. I am passionate about living simply and nurturing the creativity in humans of all ages through workshops and studio practice. In my artwork, I aspire to share the beauty of the outdoors and the natural world.
Artist Statement:
In this work I aim for convey the supersensible bond that can sometimes be sensed between birds and their habitat. The egrets seem totally nestled within their habitat of water, reeds and trees. Loose brushwork and vibrant colours are used to produce a work of freshness, spontaneity that can convey a feeling of abundant lush growth of the wetlands which supports a great variety of birds and other wildlife.
Artist Name: HOWARDARTHUR TWEEDIE
Artwork Title: PRENTICE LANE 3
Medium: oil and egg tempera on linen
Size: 38 x 3cm
About the Artist:
I work mainly in oils, pastels and egg tempera –particularly in plein-air landscape, portrait and figure studies. After four year’s formal studies in Australia, France and Spain, I have exhibited widely in prestigious art prizes. My work combines contemporary neo-post-impressionist realism, with subtle colour and solid and expressive gestural drawing.
Artist Statement:
This is our studio factory laneway. I wanted to show the light on the dirty brick wall, plus the workers, - “urban mayhem”, one said! It’s always a challenge to make roadways and pavements pictorially interesting. It’s mainly plein air with some studio work later to enhance the warm-cool balance.
Artist Name: CLAIRE ENGKANINAN LOW
Artwork Title: A PREVENTABLE EXTINCTION
Medium: Acrylic paint on scrap bovine leather
Size: 32 x 26cm
About the Artist:
Claire Engkaninan Low is a visual artist with a sustainability-focused practice based on Cammeraygal land (North Sydney). Claire won the Reused/Recycled Materials Award in the Reimagine Art Prize 2023 and was a finalist that year in the National Emerging Art Prize. She exhibits with the Wet Paint Collective.
Artist Statement:
The Pipistrellus murrayi, an Australian microbat, went extinct in 2009. Illustrated in the manner of Victorian era scientific lithographs, it contrasts with insets of iconic events of 2009 to underscore how shockingly recent this extinction was. If we continue as we are going, will the next extinction be our own?
Artist Name: SHARON ROSS
Artwork Title: A NEW DAY
Medium: Watercolour
Size: 30 x 42cm
About the Artist:
In her watercolor paintings, Sharon captures the essence of the built environment. With a fluidity and connection, she immerses viewers in the beauty of everyday scenes. From the quiet moments before the hustle and bustle of daily life takes over to vibrant urban scenes. Pause and appreciate the environment or immerse yourself as part of everyday life.
Artist Statement:
"A New Day" transports us to a serene morning in Varanasi, India. Where the stillness of the moment holds the promise of what the day may bring. With each brushstroke, Sharon conveys a sense of anticipation and peace. Inviting us to embrace the unknown with open hearts and minds.
Artist Name: KATRINA PENNOCK
Artwork Title: THIS WOMAN'S PLACE
Medium: oil on linen
Size: 50 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Katrina Pennock is an Australian painter based in the Noosa Hinterland Queensland.
Surrounded by her rainforest home Katrina is inspired to make emotive atmospheric works of the Noosa Hinterland and the places that most inspire her practise.
Katrina’s work has been exhibited locally and internationally in France, Sydney and Qld.
Artist Statement:
This Woman’s Place
In a recent visit to a city I found myself feeling vulnerable. The pull for the sense of safety from familiar landscape and it’s fragility and strength had me longing for home and my place in it.
Artist Name: HEIDI HOUGHTING
Artwork Title: IN THE BEGINNING
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 50 x 40cm
About the Artist:
My paintings delve into mythological realms and subconscious connections to other worlds where landscapes transcend the boundaries of space and time. I paint dreams and work from my imagination, I am interested in depicting mysterious connections and invisible dialogues in nature imagining worlds beyond a human gaze.
Artist Statement:
Before we inhabited the earth it was covered in a dark, timeless, womb like sea where submerged creatures glided through the warm depths erupting to glimpse the land pouring down from the sky.
Artist Name: MICHELLE GRAY & RAELENE BOCK
Artwork Title: THE END OR THE BEGINNING?
Medium: Hand sculpted glass and metal
Size: 25 x 25cm
About the Artist:
Michelle Gray and Raelene Bock have been collaborating in their art since 2016. Michelle is a glassblower, mostly working in flamework glass over a mixed gas torch. Raelene is a recycled metal worker and painter. Together, we combine our mediums to contrast the delicate nature of glass in its bright luminous colours to the flexible nature and an infinite range of patinas in various recycled metals to create mostly large installations, often around botanical themes. We love the viewer to feel they are part of the art, or that our art is a tangible part of their world. We have exhibited works locally, nationally and internationally since 2016 as a collaborative project.
Artist Statement:
“For a seed to achieve it’s greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, it’s inside comes out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth it would look like complete destruction”….
but it’s just beginning. Cynthia Occelli
Artist Name: JOSIE ENTWISTLE
Artwork Title: BOUNTY MOFFAT BEACH
Medium: Watercolour
Size: 14 x 20cm
About the Artist:
Josie is an emerging Brisbane based artist, working primarily in watercolour, and with a focus on landscape. Josie seeks to capture her natural surroundings and their essence, drawing on her local environment and travels.
Artist Statement:
Nestled in a quieter section of the Caloundra coastline, is the bounty of Moffat Beach, offering opportunities for contemplation and action alike.
Artist Name: ALINA SHIRLEY
Artwork Title: PRETTY IN PINK IN AMSTERDAM
Medium: Oils on Canvas
Size: 32 x 32cm
About the Artist:
I am Alina Shirley, an emerging storyteller, artist, writer and Illustrator.
I create meaningful stories with colourful, bright, and beautiful artworks with a signature magical swirl that sets people free into a fantasy or surreal memory where their dreams are real.
Artist Statement:
Pretty Pink Flower Bike enjoying the sunset on the canal’s in Amsterdam.
Artist Name: CHARLES GRIFFITHS
Artwork Title: THE GUARDIANS OF THE MARSH
Medium: Digital Photography
Size: 21 x 44cm
About the Artist:
As a photographer, I specialise in capturing life's quiet, unseen moments, revealing the subtle beauty often overlooked. My work focuses on the simplicity and depth of ordinary scenes, guided by my motto: "There's beauty in the obvious." Through my lens, I strive to highlight the extraordinary in everyday life.
Artist Statement:
"The Guardians of the Marsh" portrays a stately pelican with outstretched wings, offering protection among shorebirds, framed by ancient, twisted trees. This serene scene reflects the tranquillity and unity of nature, emphasising the interconnectedness of all living things and the delicate harmony and beauty of wetlands.
Artist Name: ILEIGH
Artwork Title: MOTHER
Medium: Oil on board
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Ileigh’s work dances between being influenced by the natural world around her inner world. Dreams, imaginary creatures, memories of her favourite places, abstract motifs, are all things that she collects to inform her work.
Artist Statement:
Mother
Nurturer
Whispering
Whistling
Bird
To nest
To egg
To bird
Artist Name: DOODIE HERMAN
Artwork Title: RIVERGUMS
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 27 x 35cm
About the Artist:
I was born in WA next to a vast swathe of untouched bush. Day long explorations there and in the
surrounding ranges resulted in a lasting love of and connection to nature. Inspired by my own photographs, memory and imagination, I use traditional, home made and found tools and a variety of palettes to keep my works fresh and immediate.
I work across several genres and my approach to an individual painting evolves as I explore the music and rhythm of each landscape.
Artist Statement:
Ephemeral rivers are dotted all through the centre of Australia, nourishing eucalypts that seek out the deep water, invisible from the surface. It's a little miracle.
Artist Name: BARBARA GAIL NANSHE
Artwork Title: MORPH MEDITATION
Medium: Copper, Zinc, Enamel Coated Copper, Stone, Brass
Size: 25 x 19cm
About the Artist:
Using sculpture and jewellery as my creative vehicle allows me to realise my environmental and feminist ideals and beliefs in 3D. Stories, animals, earth forms, feminist ideology and spiritual principles all have bearing on the subject matter; choice of recycled materials and final outcome of the piece.
Artist Statement:
Transformation from grounded energy to higher plane energy makes connection to all things possible.
This higher vibration point allows the creative power of the feminine to exist, potentially healing the past ways of thinking and being. The realisation that everything is connected enhances the possibility for positive change.
Artist Name: JOZSEF ZSOLTI
Artwork Title: “JUST DO IT.”
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Size: 100 x 80cm
About the Artist:
Post modern painting; popular art.
Artist Statement:
Just Do It.
Artist Name: MELANIE KILBY
Artwork Title: PAPER HOUSES
Medium: Oil
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
I am a multidisciplinary, full-time Brisbane artist and illustrator. My work is mostly figurative with the majority of my work coming from commissioned portraits of pets and people. I predominantly work in pencil, charcoal and oil paint.
I have been fortunate to be a finalist in the Lethbridge 20,000 (in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 (Commended) and 2023) and have also been amongst the finalists in the Brisbane Portrait Prize and BPP Salon Des Refuses (multiple years).
Artist Statement:
While working as a Graphic Designer for many years, I witnessed the destruction of tonnes of superfluous printed material. It was upsetting to think of all the wild habitats that had been cleared to grow trees for this paper that was going straight back into recycling. This frustration was reignited on a recent road trip where I was sickened to see how much deforestation was occurring off the backroads and out of sight. How do we save a koala's home if we value what is harvested in its absence more?
Artist Name: SILKE RAETZE
Artwork Title: SCHOOL LUNCHES- VEGEMITE SANDWICH
Medium: wood, paper, linen, ink
Size: 55 x 20cm
About the Artist:
Themes from childhood are used as inspiration in my work. I like to be reminded of the playfulness that these themes bring. Working the surfaces to reveal nuances in the material and then stitching in places adds to a visual dance between the worn and repaired.
Artist Statement:
In this work objects are brought together on a chopping board to give an abstract representation of a school lunch, in this case, the vegemite sandwich. I enjoy reducing the elements of the school lunch to limited forms and shapes to create something beautiful and balanced.
Artist Name: ABBIE WHITE
Artwork Title: COUNTLESS ROAD TRIPS AND PICNICS TO NOWHERE
Medium: Acrylic on raw canvas
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
My work explores our memories of the world using raw canvas, paint and charcoal. These mediums create dreamlike marks with their watercolour-like movement. My paintings become a heartfelt poem that connects the viewer with their own unspeakable emotions.
Artist Statement:
Do we ever really remember things clearly? The Tasmanian landscapes of my childhood seem to lack colour. Replaced instead by moody skies and spacious land that may or may not really exist. Countless road trips and picnics to nowhere.
Artist Name: ANNETTE T RAFF
Artwork Title: SPACES BETWEEN
Medium: Mixed media
Size: 52 x 52cm
About the Artist:
I divide my time between teaching art and cultivating personal artistic pursuits, giving me opportunity to hone traditional art skills while indulging in my own exploratory approaches. My interest is in my natural surroundings, observations of plant growth and natural forms. I enjoy the process of spontaneously fusing visual information and imagination.
Artist Statement:
A mosaic-like technique, of hand-coloured tissue and intricately prepared drawings create a rich tapestry of textures. I would like the viewer to feel as it they can escape into the layers of crevices, go behind and between. I hope to highlight our innate shared connection to nature and the intrigue of small things;
Artist Name: AMANDA LOWJEN
Artwork Title: DON'T BE HOWLING
Medium: Photographic encaustic
Size: 45 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Amanda Lowjen is an artist and arts educator based in Central Queensland on Darumbal country. Working in photographic mixed media, printmaking and ceramics, her work explores the broad narrative of people and place. Her most recent work explores the techniques of merging photographic images and encaustic wax. Themes revolve around interpretations of human experience and personal histories, to shed light on the complexity of the human condition.
Artist Statement:
The work explores the intricacy of human experience, weaving layers of emotion and recollection into a tapestry of the past. It delves into the fragility of memories, revealing the delicate interplay of light and shadow in our personal histories. There is beauty in the mundane, the everyday moments that often go unnoticed, in these unassuming fragments of life the true essence of our existence is hidden. It confronts the themes of loss and grief, a testament to the trials and tribulations that we endure throughout our lives. The aim being to shed light on the complexity of the human condition, where the layers of our past serve as both a burden and a source of resilience.
Artist Name: INEL DATE
Artwork Title: WINTER PADDOCKS
Medium: Mixed media
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Inel Date is a contemporary artist with a studio based in rural NSW. A move to full time studio practice in recent years has allowed the expansion of her practice. Always a geographer her practice is grounded in place. Initially working en plein air she then moves into studio practice to create works that swing between still abstracted landscapes with pared back seasonal colours or otherwise richly layered exploratory surfaces. Initially working en plein air to understand and document place. She then moves into studio practice to create works that swing between still abstracted landscapes with pared back seasonal colours or otherwise richly layered exploratory surfaces that focus on mark making, serendipitously creating patterns and making sense of place. Her 2024 series continues to explore the intersection of geography and place, with a focus on riparian environments and "seasonal paddocks".
Artist Statement:
Inel Date is a regionally based landscape artist constantly capturing and exploring a sense of place. Winter paddocks is part of her "Seasonal Paddock” series. Abstracted sculptural totems that emerge in the landscape. Each tree holds a story and marks a place. These mythological shapes become anthropomorphic extending their limbs and dancing in the landscape. This series allows for rebuilding of the surface exploring the relationships of colour, line and pattern. Pushing abstraction and a graphic quality. Landscape as a sign or a code.
Artist Name: LISA BELL
Artwork Title: CAMELLIA POT
Medium: Oil on Linen
Size: 41 x 35cm
About the Artist:
I am drawn to the genre of still life as a way of exploring colour, pattern and emotions.
My still life paintings express my love of colour and pattern. My subjects hold memories of a time and place and the people in my life. My still life paintings usually have reflections which hint at the emotionally reflective nature of my subject matter.
Artist Statement:
This painting is a continuation of a series of still life paintings that express my love of colour and pattern. This painting is a personal record of one of my favorite ceramic pots that I bought in Macau over 30 years ago. The camellia flowers in the pot are home grown.
Artist Name: KIM SHANNON
Artwork Title: NOT DONE YET
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
During my career as a painter I have always enjoyed the intimacy and immediacy of working in front of a subject, where ideas arise and grow in meaning, through odd juxtapositions and unexpected co-existences. I strive for a quality of aliveness within the painted surface because in the end, a painting is about the paint and its potential for creating tactile and visceral surfaces and the ideas they evoke.
Artist Statement:
Not Done yet
Painting has been my life. The passing of another decade is confronting but a love of painting has always sustained me.
I enjoy the challenge of self-portraiture, just for practice, confronting the marks of passing time and marking the time, and attempting to say something about life along the way.
There is a fear of reaching my ‘use by’ date, but I don’t think I’m quite there yet, there is still more road to travel, as long as I keep enjoying the journey.
Artist Name: BARBARA BOLT
Artwork Title: CRESCENT HEAD
Medium: watercolour
Size: 50 x 43cm
About the Artist:
Barbara Bolt is a Professorial Fellow at the Victorian College of the Arts. She is an artist and art theorist whose work engages in a dialogue between theory and practice, between light and matter and between digital and analogue painting seen through the lens of New Materialisms. Barbara has been a finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, the Portia Geach Memorial Award, The Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing and the Swan Hill Print and Drawing Prize. She has recently returned to Western Australia to pursue her passion for the unique light and colour of WA.
Artist Statement:
Western painting uses the terms “figure” and “background”. In this tradition the focus is on the figure and the “background” becomes the secondary and unacknowledged element. This watercolour of the seaside town of Crescent Head reverses this tradition and prioritizes the ground. The figure of the “houses” emerges through and out of the ground.
Artist Name: TIKA ROBINSON
Artwork Title: REACHING FOR LIFE
Medium: Glazed ceramic, adhesive
Size: 58 x 59cm
About the Artist:
Tika Robinson grew up on a cattle and truffle farm in rural NSW. She attended UNSW completing a Fine Arts degree with Honours. Tika is currently focused on her ceramic fungus sculptural, and wall works. Through her work she explores ideas such as life and death, and decay and growth.
Artist Statement:
The regeneration of the natural world is a cycle of death and life. Fungal bodies break down organisms to produce their visible mushrooms. This highlights the connection of organisms within a mycelium network. This work visualises the connection between us as humans and connects us to the mycelium world.
Artist Name: JEFF SKEWES
Artwork Title: DISORDER
Medium: painting
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
My interest is painting, often with non-traditional materials & techniques, words and the visual image. I aim to suggest, trigger and push visual art ideas, with a social context and culture. That said I hope my artworks remain aestetic icons.
Artist Statement:
DISORDER, is a play with words, suggesting a wide range of contemporary social issues. The black perpex under surface with paint, plaster and binders scraped over it, contrasts the negative cut distressed letters, spelling the title and the disorder theme. The very disruption of these elements here expresses disorder. Additional found objects, including a small computer mother board and gold seal are also present, pointing to the collapse of technological order and stamps of authority. The shinny black nature of the perspex allows for light to reflect and glint as one looks at it and goes past, enhancing the whole fugitive notion of disorder.
Artist Name: BETHANY SPLITT
Artwork Title: FLEDGLING
Medium: Graphite
Size: 59 x 42cm
About the Artist:
I use graphite as a tool to illustrate my environment and the figures that take residence within it. Animals’ interaction with their surroundings and kind reflects our own navigation of life. Through the layering on strokes on white space, I aim to create a strong focal point and visual impact.
Artist Statement:
As Spring commands rejuvenation and budding life, the kookaburra fledgling explores its wooded surroundings. The use of the mechanical pencil allows me to achieve details through shape and density of fine strokes. The absences of background and space surrounding the subject guides focus and visual impact.
Artist Name: MELISSA LUJAN
Artwork Title: ROCK STAR
Medium: Mixed
Size: 53 x 53cm
Artist Statement:
"Rock Star" celebrates bringing attention to the rocky walls of the bush. I hope that viewers will focus on the silhouettes created by the paper folds, which gives the artwork a three-dimensional appearance. The result is an interplay of light and shadow, and the metallic paint will provide a subtle reflection that evokes curiosity in the viewer.
The artwork is in a box frame.
Artist Name: ANNE SCANLON
Artwork Title: THE BEDTIME DANCE
Medium: OIL AND OIL PASTEL
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Anne Scanlon is Brisbane artist drawn to expressing the quirky, the colourful, and joyful moments of her surrounds and imagination. Her use of oil pastel is a dynamic blend of a precise approach with an imprecise medium. Connection to the pastel, the subject, and the viewer, is her motivation.
Artist Statement:
It's dusk, and a male blue banded bee clamps onto a carefully chosen stalk. A lengthy bedtime dance of stretching and preening ensues before he finally sleeps. As our urban landscapes come under increasing pressure, this work highlights the need to support our native bees in their role as vital pollinators.
Artist Name: PEPIJN THIJSSE
Artwork Title: CITY LIGHTS, RAINY NIGHTS
Medium: Photograph
Size: 31 x 46cm
About the Artist:
My photography focuses on contrasts, interesting points of view, and the small things often overlooked in everyday life.
Artist Statement:
Abstract photograph made in Brisbane during a rainy evening.
Artist Name: ALICE BLUE
Artwork Title: FLOWERS IN A VASE
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 61 x 51cm
About the Artist:
Growing up in a creative family painting and drawing was the norm and so art is at the core of my being. As Artist in Residence at in an Early Childhood Centre I find children’s creativity a constant source of inspiration for my work. My philosophy is that making or viewing art is fantastic for wellbeing.
Artist Statement:
A bright bunch of fresh garden flowers on a patterned tablecloth reminiscent of my granny’s warm and welcoming London home. That’s how it was with flowers always to brighten the day. Painted in layers in acrylic from imagination, I like to delve into memories and moments for inspiration.
NB
I have touched up the painting since this work in progress photo but due to moving I cannot get a photo today but can send that next week. (It is the same but with thicker paint added).
Artist Name: VALENTINA PALONEN
Artwork Title: A SHEDDING SKIN LEAVES NO SCARS
Medium: Watercolour and gouache on paper
Size: 21 x 15cm
About the Artist:
I channel every subtle impulse without forethought in a manner of automatic painting. These aesthetic impulses come to me and my hand conveys them directly to the surface. Swathes of rich, fluid colour are corralled into tendrilled forms while estuaries of paint are allowed to spill, thread and flow organically.
Artist Statement:
This work foregrounds the intuitive and spontaneous aspects of my recent painting practice.
Teetering on the borderlands between this world and the next, pools of colour and emerging patterns invite the viewer to contemplate the numinous and the eternal.
Artist Name: MICHAEL GROMM
Artwork Title: NOT A SAFETY DEVICE
Medium: 40
Size: 40 x 2cm
About the Artist:
My paintings are neither purely abstract nor figurative, I prefer they sit at the cusp, becoming and disintegrating. I progressively grow and destroy until the work is nearing completion - leaving more open ended questions than any concrete answers.
Artist Statement:
'Not a safety device' has two planes- the natural grains of the plywood substrate and the painted, abstract formation over the top. Both are exercises in the passing of time.
Artist Name: ALEJANDRA GARCIA-CATTANEO
Artwork Title: MOTHER
Medium: Ceramic
Size: 25 x 16cm
About the Artist:
My art explores the profound connection between nature and society, focusing on how natural phenomena and human interactions shape each other. Within my practice, I also examine the contradictions and dualities within women's lives and how they intersect with societal expectations and human relationships. Through my work, I aim to capture the complexities and nuances of our shared human experience.
Artist Statement:
“Mother” was inspired by my experiences in motherhood and rediscovering myself through art. Working with clay allows me to unfold my unconscious into it. It's a collaborative process of engaging with and responding to the material, which enables me to communicate something deeper within myself. The organic, uneven shape with delicate stance and strong marks tells, in an abstract way, my story of motherhood.
Artist Name: JANICE EDWARDS
Artwork Title: REACHING UP
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 30 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Through art I clarify and depict interactions within and between the natural world and humans. By foregrounding interconnections and fascinating beauty l hope viewers may cease detrimental human disruptions contributing to climate change. Coral imagery is based on personal exploration of the Great Barrier Reef. I aim to bring to the surface the fascination of the overlooked and cultivate compassion and care.
Artist Statement:
This artwork privileges interconnections of coral within its underwater ecosystem. Beauty is evident in its physical form and while reaching up and out in strong yet delicate threads, it interacts with other species in a beautiful collaboration. This fragile balance is the basis of networks interconnecting all systems throughout the ecosphere. My own observations use the richness of oil paint to capture the elegance of the reef.
Artist Name: SOROUR FATTAHI
Artwork Title: MAKING THE PATH
Medium: Mixe Media
Size: 46 x 52cm
About the Artist:
As a migrant woman and artist, my work is a testament to the resilience and perseverance inherent in the feminine spirit. My journey from Iran to Australia has been fraught with challenges, both personal and socio-political, profoundly influencing my artistic practice.
I am a mixed media artist exploring themes of identity and womanhood. Hair in my work holds significant personal and cultural symbolism. In my homeland, women's hair carries socio-political connotations, making its inclusion a statement of selfhood and defiance.
The use of plants in my artwork symbolises growth and the natural flow found within us. Patterns draw inspiration from architectural features, adding cultural richness and continuity to my work. These elements are not just decorative but serve as metaphors for the persistence and beauty that can emerge from hardship.
Through my artwork, I strive to convey messages of hope and resilience, encouraging others to keep moving forward, no matter the challenges they encounter.
Artist Statement:
‘Making the Path’ is a personal exploration of my life journey, created during a period of overcoming depression and self-discovery. This piece reflects my struggles as I navigate life's challenges, drawing strength from my resilience and femininity.
The central figure, a woman with flowing hair, embodies determination. She carries a climbing axe that transforms into a comb, symbolising femininity and self-care—a reminder that even amidst challenges, we can cultivate beauty and self-acceptance. It speaks to our power to carve our own paths, requiring both resilience and self-nurturing.
‘Making the Path’ is a testament to the strength and perseverance inherent in the feminine spirit. It reminds us that even as we confront obstacles, we hold the willingness to forge a path toward healing and wholeness.
My art is deeply personal yet universally relatable, speaking to the power we possess to carve our own paths.
Artist Name: COLLEEN GUINEY
Artwork Title: SHE LOOKED PARTICULARLY BEAUTIFUL TODAY
Medium: mixed media
Size: 62 x 62cm
About the Artist:
Colleen’s paintings represent the physical act of painting and the inner calmness that occurs when she paints. In the making of her paintings, she expresses something that is felt rather than observed and has developed a methodology through layers of texture, colour and intuitive marks and shapes that reference the natural landscape around her. Colour is the most important element of her work and getting it right is key to knowing when a painting is working, or when it is finished.
Artist Statement:
I find myself spending more time in nature than ever before and it has become the ultimate inspiration for the work. Here I share the trees through my interior landscape.
My painting process began with quiet contemplation, experimenting with colours and as my palette evolved, these trees appeared and it felt like I was collaborating with nature and the trees found where they belonged within the artworks.
While I painted, thoughts were fleeting as I contemplated life with an air of calm
Artist Name: FEBE ZYLSTRA
Artwork Title: IT’S A JUNGKE OUT THETE
Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas (white wooden floating frame)
Size: 52 x 42cm
About the Artist:
I am a Brisbane based artist proudly represented by Feather and Lawry Gallery since 2005. During my 25 years of art practice, I have exhibited and sold my art both in Australia and overseas. I predominantly use mixed mediums and my work is a recognition that every artwork is a living breathing narrative of my immediate surroundings, life, my emotions and ongoing battle with Bipolar Disorder!
Artist Statement:
Our youths innocence, mental health and well being is suffering as they try to navigate their way through life and social media! The constant deluge of sexual imagery, messages and influences which have the power to mould their perceptions, behaviours and foster unrealistic expectations of perfection, further fuel insecurities. As adults we need to remind them it’s ‘OK’ to NOT be perfect!
Artist Name: ROSALIE STREET
Artwork Title: SISTERS BEACH AT DUSK
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 40 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Rosalie is a contemporary artist who predominately paints landscapes /cloudscapes. She finds comfort in natures rhythmic and orderly balance, looking for connections when the clouds and land marry together. Rosalie’s artworks are an emotional response, she often creates abstracted landscapes focusing on form and light to capture the energy of the landscape.
Living on the Mornington Peninsula she is inspired by the beauty of her surroundings.
Artist Statement:
Sisters Beach in Tasmania is a place I love to revisit, it has a raw and ancient energy with its aboriginal cave and secret clifftop views. Here I have painted the sunset holding the cliff top like a mother's hand and glowing onto the rugged, cold and windy beach, transforming it for a moment in time. I purposely gave the texture of shoreline a rough hardness and some soft transparent depth to the sky. I didn't want a twee sunset, I wanted to be reminded of the energy and force of nature I felt in this spiritual place.
Artist Name: SOPHIE BARWICK
Artwork Title: SHELTERING SKY
Medium: Watercolour
Size: 19 x 28cm
About the Artist:
I find watercolour to be the most freeing and expressive of mediums. And my happiest times are spent being playful with pigment on paper.
I have an emotional response to colour and am drawn to strong, often dark hues.
My work is inspired by landscapes I have visited or walked through.
Artist Statement:
On a cold, wet Autumn day, I was sitting with my mother looking out at her every-day view and was struck by the colours I could hardly perceive but knew were there.
I found a warmth from my family and great comfort under that Sheltering Sky.
Artist Name: EMBER SATYN
Artwork Title: PERCEPTIBLE LEG
Medium: blown glass
Size: 290 x 240cm
About the Artist:
Ember Satyn is an emerging artist who is currently a finalist in the Fuse Glass Prize and was a recipient of the Harry P Gill Memorial Medal for excellence in glass. Through her practice, she investigates the texture and distortion of the human form through glass.
Artist Statement:
Perceptible explores the human form, abstracting it through glass to create uncanny familiar forms. These textured lifelike pieces are created by blowing glass into casts of the artist’s body. By transforming the body into an invisible object, the unusual shapes and irregularities of the human body become more visible.
Artist Name: LOUISE WALDER
Artwork Title: COMPLEXITY IN MOTION
Medium: mixed medium on linen
Size: 41 x 51cm
About the Artist:
I create contemporary artworks, representational of the time we currently live in. My attention is drawn to the rediscovery of the ordinary in the everyday. I’m inspired by textural differences between nature and artifice and the spatial relationships and forms created.
Artist Statement:
I am currently investigating the process of painting, through the formal elements. In the exploration of gesture, brushstroke, colour and the materiality of paint, I want to convey the relationship between painter and painting, and I hope the audience can sense the balance between tension and harmony in the work.
Artist Name: JULES FARRELL
Artwork Title: GENTLE TEMPEST
Medium: Oil on gessoboard
Size: 34 x 34cm
About the Artist:
Jules Farrell is a contemporary Australian painter born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland. Growing up, Jules was immersed in art. His father, Lindsay, was a landscape painter and his grandfather, Tom, a sculptor. Early exposure to art-making at home had a profound impact on him.
For Jules, painting is more than capturing the physical beauty of the world. It is a way to reflect on the transcendent joy of creating and capturing the essence of the subject, and our connections to it. He primarily paints with oil paint and loves the tactile nature of the medium.
Artist Statement:
‘Gentle Tempest’ captures the rugged beauty of Australia’s coastal headlands. As the Pacific Ocean crashes into vertical rock formations, I aimed to convey the raw energy of the water in contrast to the resilient geology of the headlands. Palette knives and scraping tools were employed to create thick impasto areas celebrating the structure of the headlands.
Artist Name: SUE
Artwork Title: IN THE LIGHT OF DAY
Medium: Oil, ink, cold wax on panel
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Sue Leeming is an Australian resident born in Taranaki, Aotearoa, New Zealand and is of New Zealand Maori (Te Atiawa, Ngamotu, Ngati Te Whiti), English and Scottish descent. She attended The University of Auckland, Elam School of Fine Art graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and Post-Graduate Diploma in Fine Art in 1995. Sue immigrated to Perth, Western Australia in 1998 and is currently living and working from her home studio on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar, Byford.
Her current practice is primarily based around painting and drawing mediums and extends ideas of abstraction, landscape, identity and spirituality. She experiments with the physicality of paint and process, allowing the imagery to spring from process. It’s in this place of painterly freedom that a unique space is created calling forth the subconscious world of the artist to connect with her external lived experience.
Underlying Sue Leeming’s work is an innately indigenous relationship to the land, waters and mountains of her homeland Aotearoa resulting in evocative responses to her experience as a visitor (manuhiri) living and working on the unceded lands of the Noongar people.
Living in the Peel region has had a significant effect on her sense of place and belonging, the displacement triggering a curiosity to understand how and why the local landscape influences her, particularly in her everyday, and how that resonates with the ‘places’ that inhabit in her mind.
Recent Exhibitions include: Summer Salon, Stala Contemporary Art Gallery, 2024, Thinking Hands, Stala Contemporary Art Gallery, 2023 HERENOW|2023: In-between-ness, Spectrum Gallery, ECU, 2023, Solo: Coalescence, Stala Contemporary Art Gallery, 2022, Asian Art Biennale, National Gallery Bangladesh, 2022, The Perth Royal Art Prize for Landscape Finalist, 2022, The Mandorla Art Awards 2022 Finalist. Sue is represented by Stala Contemporary Art Gallery
Artist Statement:
Memories coalesce to form meditative works expressive of Leeming’s intuitive approach to the language of paint and respond to the unseen, felt experience of belonging to the land. The paintings are like internal landscapes incorporating memories, connections to time and place and personal experiences.
There are the in between places, the ‘non spaces’, the gaps in my local landscape, I pass by these spaces as I go about my daily life. Sometimes I pause; my attention has been captured by a quiet presence. Something is familiar, the sun on the hilltops, mangroves that glisten with the promised rains, dead trees in the paddock, horses graze in the distance, winter clouds clothe the land, cars rush by.
I stand still and simply breathe as memories wash over me, quietness restores, and insignificant details become imbued with meaning and trigger memories of home.
As I reflect on where I have come from and where I am going, I am aware something has stirred those memories, something I can’t quite put my finger on. An invisible presence permeates the land. It feels like life and love and all who have stood here before me, all those who have passed through.
Artist Name: SHARON HUNJAS
Artwork Title: THREE PINES
Medium: Acrylic on board
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Sharon Hunjas is Brisbane based artist. She loves exploring urban, beach and rural landscapes finding homes, natural elements and shapes the provide inspiration, whether it be a 60s fibro shack, run down workers cottage or a fabulous old frangipani.
Artist Statement:
This is a tribute to those little houses that you pass when driving in the country. They are sitting pretty, possibly in need of some TLC, a collection of trees in the front yard with beautiful layered hills behind them to complete the scene.
Artist Name: KYLIE BRICE
Artwork Title: WHALE SHARK
Medium: acrylic on board
Size: 60 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Brisbane artist Kylie Farrelly is a Secondary Art Teacher. For the past 21 years she has made Art her career by establishing her Art Business. Kylie exhibits regularly and conducts weekly art classes for students of all ages. She facilitates a variety of corporate art workshops and also creates special commissions for business and private clients. She has created numerous murals for schools and local government projects.
Kylie works mainly in acrylic, with which she incorporates a variety of media to enhance the textural outcome of her work. She uses a bold colourful palette to capture the energy she draws from her subject. The images are not always meant to be realistic but are easily recognisable. The paint is applied in layers of pure colour often using colours that have little resemblance to the real structure.
Artist Statement:
The incredible majestic whale shark is a popular tourist attraction in Western Australia. My daughter moved to Exmouth last year and I was lucky enough to visit her in this beautiful part of the county. She gets to swim with these amazing animals just off the coast of her home town and her partners job is as a pilot spotting Whale sharks for tourists. They are living the dream.
I wanted to capture their beauty and gorgeous pattern as a contrast ,yet familiar spotted pattern against my newly mastered splat dot painting technique. I love the contrast of black and white against the multitude of colurs in the background. Such a fun piece to create.
Artist Name: GRACE BENTLEY
Artwork Title: THE MALLEE
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
As an Australian artist, my work is inspired by the raw beauty of nature and our connection to it. Fascinated by light and reflection, each painting aims to capture the feeling of transcendence that comes when you happen upon a moment in nature that is other-worldly.
Artist Statement:
In the hot brief hush of dusk, the Mallee gums glow with an ethereal light that show off their majesty, moments before night transforms them into ghosts. I painted this piece fast and loose, letting the bold strokes translate the zing and pop of nature in all her glory!
Artist Name: ANA YOUNG
Artwork Title: LOOKING OUT
Medium: Acrylic on linen
Size: 33 x 43cm
About the Artist:
My recording of the world is a response to the process of isolating myself in the landscape in order to slow and separate from the continuous distractions and noise of our daily lives. During the past years of isolation and restriction due to the world heath epidemic the process was reversed.isolating was centred in our domestic and interiority of our restricted world. I questioned the idea of how
Landscape can operate. A window, room could be become the frame for the world beyond, landscape brought to me and framed from the interior looking out.
Artist Statement:
I interpret the sensation of looking through and questioning what constitutes a view from an interior space to the outside world. can a landscape be the view from an enclosed world . I record what I see that is beyond my capability of being there in the world.
Artist Name: JEANETTE GIROUD
Artwork Title: SWEET SORRENTO MOON
Medium: Mixed Media
Size: 61 x 51cm
About the Artist:
Having taught in the Visual Arts for many years, my work demonstrates the passion I have for painting and textiles. As a child my grandmother taught me to sew on discarded hessian bags. I am currently creating new works rather than sending my textile collections to landfill.
Artist Statement:
Homage to Tina Arena
We all ‘get swept away’ remembering the good times growing up under a Sorrento Moon. ‘I remember’ looking up into the night sky dreaming. In our naivety we fail to contemplate the hardships that beset us as life echoes the waning moon. But ‘I remember’.
Artist Name: CYNTHIA COPLEY
Artwork Title: DARE MIGHTY THINGS
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Cynthia Copley lives and works as an artist in Ipswich/Tulmur, Queensland. Her visual language is an expressive interpretation of her interactions and connection with the natural world. Working in oils, Copley captures the intricate patterns, the entangled beauty and the shifting light on the landscape.
Artist Statement:
With a march of perseverance, the hiker pushes forward. The looming expanse of white is anything but innocent.
Artist Name: JACKALINE MCPHIE
Artwork Title: WOMAN WARRIOR
Medium: mixed
Size: 61 x 61cm
About the Artist:
I am a teacher, world traveller and artist when I can be. I’d rather th is be in reverse, but we do what we can.
Artist Statement:
I have known so many Women Warriors, as each falls, those of us left behind fall too.
Artist Name: PHILLIP JOHNSON
Artwork Title: ENLIGHTENED
Medium: CERAMIC
Size: 27 x 29cm
About the Artist:
Phillip is a ceramic artist who sculpts in clay as well as in mixed-media, creating unique and highly individual works of art.
Artist Statement:
'ENLIGHTENED'
HAND-BUILT WITH RAKU CLAY & STRESSED ENGOBE
FINISHED WITH TINTED OIL STAINS
Phillip Johnson is currently exploring the boundaries of raku clays encased within stressed engobe slips to develop themes of human expression juxtaposed with literal and figurative aged and weathered stone as firing returns the clay to its primal state.
The sculpting process encompasses hand-built forms, expanded and repeatedly heat-stressed, creating fracture lines and the weathered stone-like surface.
Artist Name: NATALIE SPAIN
Artwork Title: QUIET WEEKEND
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 76 x 58cm
About the Artist:
Natalie Spain is a Sydney-born contemporary still life painter with a passion for tea parties, libraries and amazing chairs. Inspired by her love of French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, her bright, colourful Pointillist works feature sprays of colour and light, with a focus on simple, everyday objects and their beauty.
Natalie is a graduate of Sydney College of the Arts and also holds Masters degrees in teaching and teacher librarianship.
Artist Statement:
Quiet Weekend embodies the most elusive of weekend luxuries - quiet time with a stack of wonderful books to page through. I spend so much of my time with books; working in a library, reading with my family, and voraciously reading whenever I can. It is a simple pleasure, and a lifelong obsession.
Artist Name: HUILAN XUE
Artwork Title: ECHOES OF HOME
Medium: Oil
Size: 40 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Through this artwork, I aim to evoke a sense of longing and connection, inviting viewers to reflect on their own roots and the places they hold dear. "Echoes of home" is more than a mere landscape; it is a heartfelt tribute to the beauty and complexity of home.
Artist Statement:
"Echoes of Home" captures a group of white buildings which evoke a deep sense of nostalgia for my homeland. The houses, painted in different sizes, introduce variety and complexity, mirroring the multifaceted nature of memory.The rhythm in the composition is achieved by juxtaposing electric poles.
Artist Name: LEANNE PURINS
Artwork Title: RETREAT - HARDWICKE BAY
Medium: Oil
Size: 20.3 x 20.3cm
About the Artist:
Leanne is an artist and professional medical scientist in Adelaide. She began painting in 2020 to fulfil her creative ambition. From simple pencil drawings and architectural house designs in primary school, to the discovery of oil pastels and Impressionism in high school and then more recently to tuition in oil painting from local professional artists, she is now developing her own painterly impressionistic style, aiming to capture the essence of her subject with energy, colour and texture. Leanne has been a finalist in the 2023 bluethumb art prize, the 2023 Gallery One Self Portrait prize and has exhibited in group exhibitions and sold her work to collectors across Australia.
Artist Statement:
A moment, away from it all… looking over the dunes and through the bent trees to the bay.
Artist Name: CHELLE DESTEFANO
Artwork Title: COT STORY
Medium: Wire, wood, paper, paint, Perspex boxes
Size: 15 x 30cm
About the Artist:
I’m Victorian-based and I’m focused on drawing, printmaking and painting at present, alongside performance art, video work and sculpture and the sculptures entered are part of stories I tell about my experiences and today’s issues that are relevant.
Artist Statement:
Even though it happened 23 years ago to me, it is even more relevant today with too many women being attacked or dying at the hands of men. The chair and mirror appear from the 1900s where patriarchy was the norm but today the fight for womens’ rights continue.
Artist Name: JUD KERESZTESI
Artwork Title: “WHERE WE MEET”
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 48 x 48cm
About the Artist:
I am Australian born with Hungarian heritage. I have been painting professionally for 19 years. My trademark specialization is palette knife work throughout most of my paintings, using a brush on parts of the canvas. Some of my paintings have another strong trademark, genuine English bronze powder. This is not gold pigment it is a real bronze which is ground up to make a powder. The bronze is mixed with a special oil medium to create liquid gold which is then applied. I studied art and design at Swinburne technology. I have also completed a diploma of interior design at RMIT. My inspiration comes from many sources. My love for the bush, the love for water, the beach, the power of the ocean and how it makes me feel. I love lakes and rivers. I grew up on the Yarra Boulevard in Kew and spent many days playing with my siblings by the river. My paintings are often based on feelings, personal stories of family, love and other life experiences that blend into a painting. I always paint with music playing in my studio which has a huge impact on my mood, therefore the results of how the paint moves and rests on the canvas is what makes my paintings resolved. In 2015 I was a finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art prize at the Caloundra regional art Gallery judged by Chris Saines the director of the Queensland national Art Gallery.
Artist Statement:
My painting is oil on canvas. I have used genuine English ground up bronze which I liquify with a special oil medium and have added small amounts to the painting. My beautiful late dad gifted me the real bronze 30 years ago.
My painting is titled “where we meet” it is a heavenly place that I picture my late parents meeting. The image derives from my imagination and emotions coupled with photos of Lake Eildon where my parents would love to spend time boating. My dads ashes are also scattered at this place “where we meet”
Artist Name: ESTHER BENTLEY
Artwork Title: BLUE TOWERS
Medium: Gouache on paper
Size: 15 x 21cm
About the Artist:
My work serves as a visual autobiography, reflecting the diverse experiences and influences that shape my life. A celebration of exploration and observation, my art is inspired by my passion for travel and deep connection to nature. Finding beauty in both the smallest of details and the grandest of adventures.
Artist Statement:
‘Blue Towers’ captures the sacred silence of a Patagonian sunrise bathing the granite towers of Torres del Paine. A moment of quiet splendour, a stunning conclusion to four days of hiking. This image has become symbolic of profound gratitude and hopeful anticipation at the dawning of a new season.
Artist Name: GRANT QUINN
Artwork Title: VOGUE
Medium: Photography
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
A self taught award winning photographer, Grant has always had a love and appreciation for the arts. He believe that this passion has given him the knowledge, the ability and the desire to create beautiful and professional artwork. Grant has grown to look at the world through artist’s eyes. Learning to experience life with such insight, has given him a different perspective of looking at everything he views, now seeing shapes, shadows, light, colour and beauty, in things he never really noticed before. This has resulted in Grant turning to photography as his medium of choice.
Artist Statement:
Fashion never goes out of style, it just goes around to be adorned by the next generation and the next and the next, showcasing an era of feminine refinement. The 1950's was an era of rock and roll, poodle skirts and wiggle dress's and wide brimmed hats. Black and white fashion photography is more than technique, it's a form of art that stands the test of time. The ability to transcend trends and evoke emotion through contrast, drama and composition making it a staple in the fashion world.
Image 30cmx30cm / Framed 50cmx50cm
Artist Name: MARGARET HADFIELD
Artwork Title: HIGH OVER THE SNOWY RIVER
Medium: OIL
Size: 51 x 61cm
About the Artist:
It was freezing but I could see such beauty in the misty,snowy conditions. I enoy painting the different moods of a landscape.
Artist Statement:
The landscape location is Charlottes Pass and on this day, it was snowing unseasonally in April of 2023.
Artist Name: MARK GOWING
Artwork Title: LANGUAGE SYSTEM OF COUNTER OBLONGS (DON'T HOLD ON)
Medium: Acrylic and graphite on book covers mounted on board
Size: 30 x 45cm
About the Artist:
Gowing’s practice centres around the conceptual understanding of languages – graphic, written, oral or cultural. He employs rhythmic and textural interventions to elegantly abstract our agreed visual dialects. His works often feature gestures of recontextualised form that create tensions in frequency and suggest alternatives to inherent narratives.
Artist Statement:
Books are utilised as containers for compositions of formally abstracted parts. In combination with his written inner narratives, these formally abstracted language systems expose visual rhythms and geometric relationships that relate to the nature of the written word, and show us the relative nature of our agreed language systems.
Artist Name: ANDIE MCGOVERN
Artwork Title: COST OF LIVING
Medium: Mixed-media: Brass, Found objects
Size: 4 x 25cm
About the Artist:
Andie McGovern, a Filipina-Australian multidisciplinary artist, is known for her conceptual explorations of human experience, objects, and movement. Her work delves deep into narratives that reflect the complexities of the human condition and the world around us. In 2024, Andie's academic achievements were recognized when she was accepted into the prestigious Golden Key International Honour Society, showcasing her dedication to excellence in her studies. She has also received acclaim for her art, being named a finalist in the Carol Duval painting prize in 2021 and the Tom Bass Sculpture prize in 2018.
Andie's art has reached audiences across the globe, with exhibitions in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Australia. Her works have found homes in private collections worldwide, a testament to the universal appeal of her artistic vision. Beyond her exhibitions, Andie is deeply involved in community arts programs, sharing her passion for creativity through workshops, art auctions, and publications. Her diverse talents extend to various mediums, including painting, sculpture, jewellery, drawing, videography, and graphic design. She is sought after for her large-scale murals and has been commissioned for a wide range of artistic projects.
Andie's current body of work serves as a poignant reflection of the pressing issues facing our world today and the profound impacts they have on society at large. Through her art, she invites viewers to contemplate and engage with the complexities of our modern reality, igniting meaningful discussions and cultivating a heightened awareness of one's surroundings.
Artist Name: CATHERINE NGUYEN-HOANG
Artwork Title: WALLFLOWER
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Catherine Nguyen-Hoang is a self-taught emerging contemporary artist with a focus on painting and drawing. She approaches her art through a story-first tactic, with a purpose of creating inspiring works that many people can relate with. She paints metaphors and imagery that tells her story and her lived experiences. Recently, Catherine was shortlisted as a finalist in the 2024 Ravenswood Art Prize for Women, 2023 National Emerging Artist Prize and the 2023 Revival Emerging Art Prize.
Artist Statement:
Wallflower is a personal painting that exposes my emotions growing up as a minority in Australia. My family overcame great challenges to escape the Vietnam War; building the very boat they escaped with, to start from nothing in a foreign country. My siblings and I grew up with nothing, but we also grew up with everything. We grew up navigating cultural traditions, but we also just wanted to fit in. Like many others, the cards we were dealt with in life naturally made us feel like outsiders. Such challenges interplayed with the beauty of life, the solitude and the façade of a wallflower.
Artist Name: ALEKSANDRA KOSTIC D
Artwork Title: SPIRITUS WHITE BREATHING 2024
Medium: Acrilyc on watercolour paper 300gr
Size: 21 x 29cm
About the Artist:
Aleksandra works across several mediums, incorporating installations, paintings, drawings, video works, and mixed mediums into her practice. Her works explore our relationship with sacred geometry in nature and our ways of knowing and perceiving the divine in the environment. Her expressionistic approach to the work describes her as an intuitive artist.
Artist Statement:
Usually, I work in an oversized format. But somehow, this vision quickly finds its reflection in a small format. But this time, the vision was entirely spiritual. I promptly put it on watercolour paper. This is a scene that describes waiting and welcome; there it's a blink of an eye, and for us here, it's a whole stormy life. Gold and white are pure and clean colours; I love to use them in my newest collection of artwork, SPIRITUS, WHITE BREATHING 2024.
Artist Name: GLENIS GRAY
Artwork Title: COUNTRY LIFE2
Medium: watercolour /ink
Size: 46 x 46cm
About the Artist:
I paint in oil, acrylic or watercolour but am currently excited by watercolour offering the fluidity necessary for loose, organic and free-flowing strokes,its bright colours acting as a counterpoint to the dark ink detail, while collaged pieces of fabric or paper present the opportunity for marvellous textures and contrast.
Artist Statement:
This work references the colours and shapes of easily recognizable landscapes.
Environments experienced over many years have influenced me greatly, playing a huge part in my painting and contributing to an amazing repertoire of imagery. From the past to the present, elements are brought together, to celebrate our surroundings.
Artist Name: SHARON SMITH
Artwork Title: WALK ON THE WALL
Medium: Oil on Canvas Panel
Size: 21 x 29cm
About the Artist:
I like to paint the beauty of the natural world around me, as well as simple scenes from around my house and neighbourhood in a modern impressionist style. I live on the Coffs Coast (east coast of Australia) where the mountains meet the sea. This is an area with rich natural beauty and high biodiversity value, that is a recognised world class ecotourist destination. This beautiful environment offers a variety of subjects, from the world heritage Dorrigo rainforest in the west to the islands of the Solitary Island Marine Park in the east. Much of my art is referenced from here and elsewhere on the NSW north coast.
I studied a Diploma of Visual Arts (Fine Arts) in my 20s and I use a wide variety of mediums. My favourite form of expression is oil painting. I generally paint alla prima with a limited palette, and sometimes plein air.
Artist Statement:
Almost daily, I do my best to get down to the beach. I watched with woman walking along our local breakwall at Coffs Harbour. What a swagger she had under her Bunnings umbrella. It was lovely seeing her get so much joy in her day, that I couldn't help but paint her and her glorious shadow.
Artist Name: CORPSE VERONESE
Artwork Title: SPECTRE
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 30 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Undead artist
An obscure lonely figure
Lost in a fog
Reflecting the hidden face back on itself.
Artist Statement:
Silent.
Expressionless.
Androgynous.
The spectre is chaos given form.
Within which we see ourselves.
Artist Name: KERYN MCMARTIN
Artwork Title: TRANSCENDENT
Medium: soft pastel
Size: 40 x 30cm
About the Artist:
Keryn McMartin, a Sunshine Coast based artist, is fascinated with the theory of creativity. She loves experimenting with diverse mediums, as she believes this enhances one’s ability to think creatively. She also enjoys colour mixing and the power light can have to transform subject matter.
Artist Statement:
The portrait captures a moment of tranquillity as the sitter emerges from a shadowy background and bathes in a stream of light. The interplay of light and shadow adds a layer of depth and mystery around their identity. Relishing the light, the sitter embraces their authentic self.
Artist Name: OMILEE
Artwork Title: OVER TIME, WE BECOME
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 20 x 25cm
About the Artist:
OmiLee is an Australian artist who works with acrylic and palette knife to create distinctive layered images and sculptures. In depicting nature, she regularly uncovers similarities and connections between the physical world and humanity through her process. Her practice awakens the opportunity to analyse metaphors and find meaning in life.
Artist Statement:
Just as Pandanus trees progressively thicken as they grow and tides slowly deliver material to shape the sandy coast, this work focuses on the layering of paint over time to create form.
Artist Name: LANA ALSAMIR-DIAMOND
Artwork Title: FACE
Medium: Acrylic
Size: 42 x 27cm
About the Artist:
Alsamir-Diamond's work is graphic minimal yet bold, work that is very personal and reminiscent of the Artist’s life, packed with cultural influences and references.
Silhouettes and composition are the primary interest of the work, a sensitivity for negative space, creates the perfect ground work for colour, that is almost a distraction to the artist but a very welcome one.
"I feel my work is very intuitive and involves a fair amount of restraint, for that reason I sometimes find myself producing work that involves more figurative elements, it is almost an instinctive need to be in control."
Artist Statement:
Face by Lana Alsamir-Diamond is part of the "Faces I have seen" Series.
Abstract portraits born through a continuous interest in themes of closeness, and an exploration of space.
Forms from nature and Architecture are a constant in the artists work and they are evident in this series. These faces are a reflection of the environment and architectural landscape around them.
Artist Name: ANAMICA KUMARI
Artwork Title: THE FORGOTTEN FRUIT
Medium: Wooden sculpture with dimensional paint and markers
Size: 19 x 15cm
About the Artist:
The Forgotten Fruit: Embracing the Moldy Apple
It's a common sight we've all encountered - that solitary, forgotten apple at the back of the fridge, slowly succumbing to the ravages of time and neglect. It’s a silent reminder that nothing in life is permanent.
For just as that apple once held the promise of sustenance, so too do we hold the potential to make the most of each day, each interaction, each opportunity that presents itself.
The moldy apple in the fridge is a gentle nudge, a call to slow down, to appreciate the small things, and to cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude for the abundance that surrounds us. In its own quiet way, it invites us to be more present, more mindful, and more compassionate - not just towards the world around us, but towards ourselves as well.
The dimensional acrylic paint and markers meticulously applied to the carved wooden apple, coupled with the jute straws protruding from its base, The graffiti-esque design adorning the decaying apple serves as a poignant metaphor for the transient nature of existence, where even the most vibrant creations are susceptible to the ravages of time and neglect. The enclosure within the transparent glass box further amplifies this notion, encapsulating the artwork within the confines of a finite space , yet allowing it to be observed from all angles. This thought-provoking piece invites the viewer to ponder the cyclical nature of life, where creation and decay are inextricably intertwined, and the fleeting moments of beauty are ultimately bound by the inexorable march of time and the constraints of the physical realm.
Artist Statement:
With a soul ignited by the vibrant tapestry of cultures that have woven my identity, I am a passionate explorer of life's boundless possibilities. Born in the heart of Zimbabwe, nurtured by the warmth of Botswana's embrace, and now a proud citizen of Australia's rich diversity, my journey has been a kaleidoscope of experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today.
As a qualified physiotherapist, microbiologist, and public health advocate, I approach my professions with an analytical prowess and problem-solving tenacity that are matched only by the unwavering determination that burns within me. But it is when these skills unite with my profound passion for art that the true flame of creativity is ignited, allowing me to thrive in my chosen fields with an intensity that knows no bounds.
Through artistry that transcends borders and cultures, I strive to bring together a fusion of influences that speak volumes about the world we inhabit. My work is a tapestry woven from the threads of my travels, human interactions, upbringing in multiple places, and various spiritual beliefs and experiences. Each piece tells a story, intertwining emotions from different aspects of life, creating a resonant tapestry that connects with viewers from all walks of life.
Artist Name: DEBRA BYRNES
Artwork Title: APRIL LIGHT, MIDDAY
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 32 x 32cm
About the Artist:
My work is a response to the places we inhabit, remember and conceptualise. Occasionally the place I explore is the home environment. I have a particular interest in places of transition and the passing of time.
Artist Statement:
‘April light, Midday’ is one work from a small series painted alla prima from the same arrangement at different times of the day. It captures the passing of time and changes in light and shadow on a group of white objects on an early afternoon in April.
Artist Name: CAMILA PAZ
Artwork Title: THE FIRST KISS
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 50 x 60cm
About the Artist:
As a Chilean artist who has journeyed to Australia, my art is an exploration of identity, and the bonds that unite people across borders. The transition to Australia not only expanded my artistic horizons but also ignited a profound journey of self-discovery and empowerment as both an artist and a migrant woman.
My artistic journey took a major stride forward when I became a finalist for the Southern Buoy Studios Portrait Prize in 2021. Additionally, I was awarded a grant from the Sustaining Creative Workers Initiative in 2021, and had the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at Brunswick Street Gallery. These acknowledgments provided me with the encouragement and resources needed to explore larger formats and delve into new materials and techniques, further advancing my artistic practice.
I am a self-taught artist who finds solace and expression through watercolors, and acrylic on canvas. My aesthetic is distinctly modern, characterized by simplified shapes and a vibrant pop-art palette. Through flattened pictorial planes, I strive to push elements forward, creating dynamic compositions that exude energy and optimism.
My art aims to uplift and engage viewers, inviting them into a world of vibrant colors and mood-boosting imagery. Each piece is a reflection of my journey, my culture, and my aspirations for a more inclusive.
In essence, my art is a testament to the power of creativity as a catalyst for connection, understanding, and transformation. Through it, I hope to inspire others to embrace their unique identities and find strength in unity, just as I have on my own journey as an artist and a woman.
Artist Statement:
The central theme of The First Kiss is the tension between two people on the verge of an intimate connection. The space between them is charged with potential and uncertainty, representing the uncharted territory of new relationships. When two people meet and feel an inexplicable pull towards each other, a unique and palpable tension forms—a blend of curiosity, desire, and apprehension. This painting aims to encapsulate that charged atmosphere, focusing on the raw, unfiltered emotions that surface in these moments.
Process and Technique:
To bring this concept to life, I used acrylic paint for its vibrant colour and quick-drying properties, which allowed for dynamic layering and strong contrasts. The process began with a detailed underpainting to establish the composition and the figures' positions. Gradually, layers of acrylic paint and gold leaf were applied, building up textures and tones to depict the interplay of light and shadow. The figures are rendered with careful attention to their expressions and body language, highlighting the magnetic pull between them.
Invitation to the Viewer:
This artwork invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences of anticipation and the powerful emotions that accompany the threshold of intimacy. By focusing on this universal moment, I hope to evoke a sense of shared humanity and the timeless nature of human connection.
Artist Name: DAVID GRIFFITH
Artwork Title: PRESTON SUNSET
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 25 x 50cm
About the Artist:
David completed art school in 1999 but spent the following two decades in a different pathway and profession. However, he kept drawing during that time and in 2023 embarked on serious and sustained studio-based practice.
He works in oils, watercolour and acrylics. Drawing is fundamental to his painted mark.
He is interested in slow looking and exploring how we see, perceive and make sense of the world around us.
David lives and works in Melbourne, Australia
Artist Statement:
This work is part of a series looking at sunrises and sunsets. It started as a quick sketch in an A5 sketchbook which in turn becomes the subject of the painting. Drawing on a combination of memory, perception, and quickly drawn marks the painting is an examination of colour, form and space. But more importantly it’s about moments and experience, looking and then responding, and the process of drawing and painting itself.
Artist Name: KERRITH GIESE’
Artwork Title: THE BROLGA WHISPERED SOFTLY, ‘WHAT’S YOUR IKIGAI?’
Medium: Polymer and ink on linen
Size: 91 x 61cm
About the Artist:
Practicing Artist for over 40 years. Self taught, not self disciplined. I have had exhibitions with galleries, produced large public art pieces, used resin, leather, porcelain, copper, paint, wire, chainsaws, brushes, needles and threads.
My art tells my stories, as my voice often fails me.
Artist Statement:
The Brolga Whispered softly…..
what’s your Ikigai ?
To my dear friend Sue,
You posted me a small book, Blue,
Teak beside my bed,
A frightened Canary that had fled,
To the Brolgas’ State to be alone,
Inside my room, inside my home,
My sculptures talk, now my paintings listen,
I know now what I’ve been missing,
The months, no, years, are a pie in the sky,
At long long last I’m finding my Ikigai.
This painting begins a series ‘finding your Ikigai’.
The Brolga, Queensland’s Bird
The Canary, my childhood Avon bottle
The Hare, one of my hand built porcelain sculptures from my ‘plague works’
My bedside draws, my paint brush and cherry blossom that has jumped off the books cover to inspire me.
The book, Ikigai.
My world moving back to Queensland, dealing with PTSD.
Artist Name: KATIE TOOTH
Artwork Title: VELVET NEON
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 53 x 53cm
About the Artist:
Katie, a Gold Coast/Sunshine Coast native now in Brisbane, explores "Technical Abstractions" through structured geometry and free-flowing brushwork. Her art harmonizes precision with fluidity, inviting viewers to contemplate the interplay of order and chaos. With captivating compositions, Katie's work reflects a narrative of depth and emotion, pushing artistic boundaries.
Artist Statement:
This vibrant artwork, created in the style of "Technical Abstractions," captivates with bold fluoro colours on a circular canvas. Electric blue textured lines add depth and movement, inviting viewers to explore the interplay of structure and chaos.
Artist Name: ALETA FAE
Artwork Title: STAMEN & PISTIL
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 60 x 60cm
About the Artist:
Aleta Fae is a self taught artist of Papua New Guinean and Australian ancestory. Her praeternatural dreamscapes delves deep into the fractal realms of the subconscious, exploring perceptions, dream states, and the unseen energetic forces that draws us to a person, place or time, expounding the notion that everything in existence is intimately interconnected.
Artist Statement:
The sensual dance of flowers at dusk, fluttering in the breeze.
Artist Name: JORDACHE GAGE
Artwork Title: SECRET GARDEN PARTY
Medium: Synthetic Polymer
Size: 50 x 50cm
About the Artist:
Jordache Gage (b. 1989, Brisbane) is a self-taught Abstract Surrealist Artist with over a decade of experience in both the public art and gallery realms. With a multicultural heritage encompassing Maori, Asian, and English roots, Jordache’s family migrated to Australia from New Zealand, enriching his artistic perspective in a multitude of ways.
Artist Statement:
I had the pleasure of experiencing my first time abroad last summer in the UK. I couldn't help but notice the beautiful lush gardens that I had watched in movies as a child. I wanted to revisit this time now that I am back home appreciating the opportunities I was able to fulfil through a painting.
Artist Name: JENNIFER STUERZL
Artwork Title: DRAGONFLY
Medium: acrylic on paper
Size: 60 x 40cm
About the Artist:
Jennifer Stuerzl is a contemporary visual artist. She works from her studios in Sydney/Gadigal and Muswellbrook/ Wonnaruah NSW.
Australian’s unique and ancient ecosystems inform her work.
Her work is held in public collections including Muswellbrook Council Collection, Brisbane City Collection, State Library of Queensland, Redlands Art Gallery, Sunshine Coast Collection.
Artist Statement:
This painting seeks to evoke and celebrate the dragonfly which have evolved over a long history from ancient times.
The dragonfly hovers over a wetland pool close to the shore. It is a positive symbol of life and in Celtic lore the dragonfly symbolises transformation and self -realisation.
