'Gaze'
45x45cm Mixed Media on Canvas
$2500
Gaze is a contemplative meditation on place and the ways in which the landscapes we inhabit shape who we are. Conceived during a walk through the Western Australian bush in search of wildflowers, the work captures the sensory richness of that experience—birds calling, flashes of purple, blue, and orange blossoms emerging unexpectedly from dense undergrowth, each discovery a moment of delight.
The painting unfolds across a richly layered surface, where textures and patterns interlace to echo the delicate complexity of the Australian landscape. Striking purple flowers and luminous red orbs establish a visual rhythm, guiding the eye in a looping journey across the canvas before returning to the work’s central motif.
At its heart, a bird rests quietly, nested with other birds, locking eyes with the viewer. This steady exchange - bird to human - becomes the emotional centre of the painting. The gaze it offers is not passive; it holds us in the present while alluding to movement, transition, and the cyclical nature of life and beauty.
Each section of Gaze carries its own rhythm and resonance, designed to reveal itself gradually as the viewer lingers with the work. It is a painting that unfolds over time, offering layers of discovery and reflection.
'Glance'
51x61cm Mixed Media on Canvas
$3800
Glance is a luminous meditation on place—on how we inhabit, sense, and are shaped by our surroundings. Evolving from the conceptual foundations of Glimmer, this contemporary mixed-media work deepens the enquiry into our emotional connection to environment, offering a quiet celebration of the subtle yet profound bonds we form with the world around us.
The canvas reveals a layered visual terrain, alive with textures, forms, and patterns inspired by Australian flora. Striking red orbs guide the eye through the composition, tracing a gentle path from the centre-left to the upper edge, across to the right, and back again to a glowing central sphere. There, a solitary bird waits—its human-like gaze meeting the viewer’s in a moment of arresting stillness.
This visual rhythm echoes cycles of reflection and change. The bird’s glance becomes a mirror for the viewer—an intimate, silent invitation to pause and consider one’s own experience of place and transition.
Every inch of Glance is rendered with meticulous brushwork and layered texture, forming a constellation of self-contained visual moments. It is a surface meant to be explored slowly—rich in detail, emotion, and the poetic logic of pattern. As with life, it invites lingering attention and reveals more with each return.
'Wisp'
30x30cm Mixed Media on Canvas
SOLD
Wisp emerged as a natural continuation of its predecessor, Glimmer, inviting the viewer into a radiant world shaped by wonder, curiosity, and the quiet thrill of new beginnings. At the heart of the work, a soft golden glow creates a sanctuary—a luminous centre where a fledgling bird rests, its gaze gently meeting yours in a moment of stillness and connection.
This enchanted realm is inspired by the vibrant flora and fauna of Australia, layered with texture, colour, and fine detail that reflect Nadine Blythe’s signature mixed-media style. The composition celebrates beauty in all its forms—from the delicate to the whimsical, from the perfectly imperfect to the joyfully peculiar.
Wisp is a meditation on transformation and sanctuary, a feminine and nature-infused artwork that honours the emotional resonance found in the Australian landscape. It offers not just an escape, but a return—to a place where softness, curiosity, and beauty are given space to shine.
'Glimmer'
51x61cm Mixed Media on Canvas
$3800
In Glimmer, a richly adorned bird takes centre stage—its feathers alive with intricate patterns and luminous colour. But it is the eye that captivates: a single, strikingly human eye gazing outward, meeting the viewer with quiet, unflinching intensity.
This surreal fusion of bird and human form becomes a vessel for perception, memory, and emotion. The creature is both observer and participant—a symbolic figure that gently unsettles even as it enchants. The human eye, serene yet uncanny, invites deeper reflection. It reveals the beauty of the unconventional and challenges us to reconsider how we see, what we see, and who is doing the seeing.
The canvas flows with abstract shapes and floral motifs, guiding the viewer’s eye in a rhythmic arc across the surface—only to return, again and again, to that unblinking gaze. This visual cycle echoes the act of introspection: wandering, noticing, questioning, and returning to self.
Glimmer conjures a dreamlike space where nature and humanity entwine, where identity dissolves into pattern, and where the act of seeing becomes both invitation and inquiry. It is a layered and intimate work that rewards close attention—not only for its beauty, but for the quiet provocation it offers: to look closer, feel deeper, and connect.
'Glimpse'
61x1231cm Mixed Media on Canvas
SOLD
Glimpse marks a natural evolution from its predecessor, Peek. At its heart is a budgerigar-like bird, confidently, yet delicately taking centre stage. She is encircled by radiant golden rings, as if stepping forward to invite the viewer to take a glimpse into her vibrant, layered world. A world so intricate, multidimensional and alive, it takes your breath away. Detail is the true protagonist here. Every section of the canvas is a tapestry of delicate patterning, rich with Australian flora and fauna. Blue wrens drift down the composition, alighting softly on gum leaves, guiding the viewer’s eye downward. There, at the base of the painting, a flock of ethereal, translucent birds beckons us to look beyond—into a deeper, more complex realm infused with colour, light, floral motifs, and feminine symbolism.
This world is tender yet strong, intricate yet harmonious—brimming with life, optimism, and quiet power. Underpinning it all is a subtle geometric rhythm, reminiscent of wallpaper design, which anchors the viewer and offers a sense of order amidst the ever-shifting beauty.
'Peek'
Sold
Peek is a joyful exploration of new beginnings, a glimpse into uncharted possibilities and fresh ways of engaging with the viewer. It plays with the playful essence of "peek-a-boo," inviting a sense of wonder and curiosity. The painting delves into space, environment, colour, feathers, and intricate floral patterns, celebrating the beauty of texture, ornamentation, and feminine iconography.
Layered floral motifs create an ethereal, almost three-dimensional space where budgerigar-like birds appear to emerge from the background, peeking through circular openings and giving the composition a sense of movement and depth. These birds seem to float between worlds, adding a playful dynamic to the piece. The main figure floats confidently in this realm, existing independently from the viewer, without the need for connection. The viewer’s gaze shifts between the three subjects, never quite invited to settle, but rather to observe the interconnected world they inhabit—an invitation to explore and wonder without the need for intimate connection.
‘Spread your wings’
46x61cm Mixed Media on Canvas
AUD $3600
Spread Your Wings is a vivid exploration of flight, transformation, and the strength found in feminine identity. A young girl stands as the focal point—her white face and torso forming a strong visual axis that draws the eye diagonally across the canvas, leading the viewer into a horizon alive with possibility.
Her body is adorned with simple black-and-white floral forms, a quiet contrast to the intricately textured jacket she wears—composed of feathers, native flowers, and richly layered patterns. This garment connects her to the realms of fashion, femininity, and the natural world, evoking symbols of womanhood and personal power.
Surrounding her, Australian flora blooms in full colour while native birds move through the composition with an energy that is both light and elusive. The girl’s direct gaze holds a focused intensity, anchoring the viewer in the present moment, while the birds appear detached—inhabiting a freer, more instinctive realm. Together, they conjure a balanced tension between grounded presence and ethereal motion.
This mixed-media portrait offers an invitation—to explore transformation, to celebrate beauty in both strength and softness, and to consider the ways nature and identity intertwine. It is a work that looks forward, gently urging the viewer to do the same.
Sweet Dreams #2
91x121cm Mixed Media on Canvas
SOLD
Sweet Dreams #2’ invites the viewer into a realm teeming with movement, beauty, and limitless potential. The subject is immersed in an environment brimming with growth, transformation, and renewal—a sanctuary where there is ample time and space to reflect, reimagine, and reconnect. Flowers flourish and bloom around her, from delicate seed pods to full, vibrant petals and flowers, a multi layered natural beauty which sparks encouragement. Nature is in its purest form.
A colony of different birds surround her, they shimmer with a delicate translucency and mirror her essence—ethereal yet grounded. A large bird sits nestled in her hair atop her head, it is at once adornment and decoration but also grounds and connects her back to nature. A serene stillness surrounds her, standing in contrast to the vibrant colours and dynamic movement around her. With a quiet determination, she gazes directly out from the canvas, inviting the viewer into her world with a soft but unwavering invitation to join in the beauty and wonder that she inhabits.
'Sweet Dreams'
61x91cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3800
Sweet Dreams invites the viewer into a dreamlike world shaped by movement, beauty, wonder, and the quiet possibility of renewal. The central figure is fully immersed in a richly layered environment that speaks to growth, change, and emotional regeneration—a place where there is space to contemplate, reimagine, and simply be.
Flowers bloom abundantly in and around her form, weaving through the composition from seed pod to full blossom. These botanical elements represent healing, encouragement, and the transformative power of nature—rendered here at its most generous and alive.
Delicate blue wrens, partially transparent yet anchored by their vividly painted tails, emerge as extensions of the figure herself—symbolic messengers of freedom, curiosity, and inner strength. Her voluminous dark hair mirrors their form and movement, reinforcing the connection between the human and natural realms.
Amidst the vibrant palette and swirling floral forms, the figure remains still—her quiet presence a stabilising force. She gazes directly at the viewer with an expression of calm determination, issuing a silent invitation to enter her world. Sweet Dreams is a meditation on femininity, transformation, and the subtle interplay between vulnerability and resilience.
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'Backyard Princess 4'
36x46cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$2500
Backyard Princess 4 evokes a languid, introspective freedom. The background shifts seamlessly between loose, expressive brushstrokes and soft floral patterns, before giving way to a delicate black blossom motif overlaid with fine vertical lines in gold. This layering builds a quiet sense of depth and movement—fluid yet intentional.
The subject’s pose contributes to the atmosphere of ease and interiority: her head tilts gently under the weight of a richly adorned crown of birds and flowers, while the arch of her neck adds a graceful tension to the composition. She appears wholly immersed in her inner world—self-contained, imaginative, and distant.
Unlike other works in the series that invite viewer engagement, Backyard Princess 4 creates a subtle boundary. Her gaze does not reach out—it turns inward. The viewer is placed at a respectful distance, witnessing but not participating in her private reverie. It is a portrayal of feminine presence that celebrates self-possession, contemplation, and the quiet power of disengagement.
Through its fusion of delicate patterning, symbolic adornment, and restrained expression, this mixed-media portrait offers a nuanced meditation on imagination, beauty, and the unseen interior life of its subject.
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'Backyard Princess 3'
36x46cm Painting on Canvas
SOLD
Delicious detail abounds in every corner of the canvas. In the darkest depth of the background, black blossom flowers can be seen underlaying the explosion of confetti dots along the central diagonal axis of the painting, the flowers falling through space and the spirals of colourful dots and lines coming out from her crown. Backyard Princess 3 is multi layered and multi dimensional. Golden rings help to create a space for her and the little blue wren to inhabit. Backyard Princess 3 exists in the most beautiful of worlds. A world filled to the brim with colour, flora and fauna exploring questions of place, femininity and identity. She appears regal with her golden gown of native Australian flowers and rich red climbing roses floating through the painting, yet despite her grandeur she is totally connected to her world. The tilt of her head, the relaxed, partially open mouth and the quiet, contemplative gaze speak to a sincerity and vulnerability. A desire and willingness to communicate with the viewer. A quiet desire to share her world, to share who she is.
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Backyard Princess 2
41X55cm Painting on Canvas
SOLD
Backyard Princess 2 sits centre stage, comfortable and at one with her crown of waratah and banksia flowers and a regal air. She stares directly out of the canvas at the viewer, self possessed. She invites the viewer to communicate directly with her but on her terms. The gold colours in her headdress and her clothing help create a magical quality. As do the negative spaces in the background, in particular the gold ring sitting behind the Princess identifying a depth of space, a space the banksia tree appears to grow from. The myriad of coloured confetti like spots and ascending dots also help to create this magical, other worldly feeling. Two beautiful galahs are the crowning glory in her headdress. They sit comfortably nestled in her hair, at one with her, instantiating her oneness with nature. Backyard Princess inhabits a multi layered world, one that the viewer is invited to explore.
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'Backyard Princess'
76x101cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3800
Backyard Princess was conceived during daily walks through native parklands—shared moments of quiet observation, where flora, insect life, and the song of local birds offered a living, evolving canvas. It was during these walks that two curious galahs took up residence nearby, their presence becoming central to the work’s development and emotional tone.
This portrait is deeply grounded in a distinctly Australian environment. The colour palette evokes the local landscape—earthy olive greens, smoky greys, soft mustards, and dusty pinks—all woven together with a gentle intensity. Galahs nestle around the central figure, while large abstracted leaf forms and native flowers encircle her, creating a protective, sensory-rich space.
Stillness defines the subject at the centre. While nature moves around her, she appears cocooned, emitting soundwaves of presence and calm. A crown of native waratah blooms rests atop her head, and a deep red mask frames her gaze—confident, direct, and quietly inviting the viewer into her world.
Through its layers of symbolism, Backyard Princess becomes more than a portrait; it is an immersive meditation on connection to place, the beauty of local ecology, and the interior strength of feminine stillness within movement.
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'Girl Connected'
117x76cm one work made up of five paintings on canvas.
AUD$4200
Girl Connected is a painting comprising of one large and four small canvases. Conceptually Girl Connected is depicted on the first canvas, her hair flows onto the other four smaller canvases. She is fragmented, stretched, torn apart, but ultimately, she is restored, reconnected through nature. Blue wrens and banksia branches and flowers painted from one canvas to the other help to connect her back together. Girl Connected inhabits a beautiful world, rich with colourful pinks, magenta and deep reds, lace-like shapes and patterns help to create an atmospheric background landscape. There is a darkness and depth to her world, yet she appears to glow, there is a distinct luminous quality about her. She is surrounded by Australian flora and fauna. Waratah flowers, both coloured and black and white, cover her body, cloaking her in nature. The galah looks out at the viewer, mimicking the direct gaze of Girl Connected. They both seek to commune, to share something of themselves, something of the world they inhabit. Girl Connected has an open gaze yet the delicate turn of her body and the eye-mask seem to suggest a privacy, a quiet vulnerability.
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'Green Eyed Girl'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
SOLD
Green Eyed Girl is a riot of colour, movement and pattern, juxtaposed against the stillness and odd proportions of Green-Eyed Girl herself. She dominates the canvas and the viewers' attention. She stares out at the viewer from a world of her choosing, a place infinitely personal, filled to overflowing with feminine and natural iconography. She is almost luminous. Her hair is made of colour, chains, ribbons and intricate patterns. Gum leaves and ribbons adorn her ear lobes and hummingbirds float and dance amongst them. She wears a jumper made of lace, and Australian gum. Native flowers and birds float all around her, ribbons and patterns connecting them together. She is unashamedly Green-Eyed Girl, living in a world of her making, inviting you to join her there if you dare.
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'Blue Girl'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$4200
Blue Girl’s vulnerability is palpable, instantly recognisable in the set of her mouth and the watery indirect gaze of her eyes. She doesn’t engage with the viewer but peers past them, into a world beyond their reach. She is a creature of nature with leaves and birds nestling around her chest and shoulders, however, her skull cap of wavy hair transforms her and places her in an aquatic world. It is as if she is surrounded by blue rivers, we see a bird's eye view of the river system surrounding her and the red earth landscape beyond. The pallet is intensely Australian, yet climbing roses float through the painting connecting her to another time and place. Blue Girl is a picture of feminine beauty. Rose highlighted pale skin, blood red lips and endless intricate detail help to create an infinitely feminine world for her to inhabit. A world however, where part of her hair is depicted curled and entwined with an almost snakeskin/reptilian pattern and texture. Hinting at the duality of her existence.
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'Girl with Kangaroo Paw'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$4200 ETH1.61
Girl with Kangaroo Paw is as unusual, beautiful, majestic and as unapologetic as the kangaroo paw plant itself. Just like the velvety textural beauty of the plant, Girl with Kangaroo Paw has deep, blood red lips, beautiful lace like skin, moodily textured eyes and a crown of wild, feather like hair. Ribbons entangled in her hair reach out and connect with the Western Australian wildflowers floating through the painting. The kangaroo paw, endemic to Western Australia, is connected to her with ribbons and together they provide sustenance to the honey eating birds. Girl with Kangaroo Paw is painted with delicate, beautiful skin, intensely detailed and intricate hair, an elongated yet symmetrical face and a beautiful, strong, direct gaze that communes directly with the viewer. The viewer is openly invited to engage with her and the world she inhabits.
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'Girl at Home'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$4200
Girl At Home was painted upon returning home to Australia after four years living in Virginia USA. She is a celebration of connectedness. An expression of that all power feeling of ‘being at home’, at one with place and nature. She is fully surrounded, ensconced by Australian flora and fauna. Birds, hair, ribbons, leaves and a riot of delicious detail create a luscious world . The colour palette of the painting reflects the Australian landscape. Branches of gum appear to grow out of her body, gum leaves entwine with her feathery, almost kelp-like hair. A bird nests atop her head becoming a centre piece to her wild crown. Birds hang from her ears as adornment. She peers out from a world that welcomes her but also has the capacity to overwhelm as she discovers what is it to live in this place. Girl At Home doesn’t invite the viewer into her world, she shares a glimpse of what it is to live there.
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'Girl with Birds in Her Hair'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$4200
Girl with Birds in Her Hair is luminous in a dark, gold accented background. The background reads as a space that she is floating in rather than a place that she is connected to. Girl with Birds in Her Hair is isolated, alone, untethered in a world without connection. Apart from the birds in and hanging from her hair she is alone. Even then the birds are not communing with her, there is not an obvious connection or relationship. The birds in her hair are looking to each other and the green birds hanging form her hair are floating in space rather than connecting with her. There is an intensity to her gaze, she displays a weary strength. She looks directly at the viewer but there appears to be a question in her eyes. There is a rawness to her skin which speaks to her isolation while at the same time the delicate lace overlay helps to highlight the duality of her state of mind, the questions she is asking.
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'Girl with Flowers and Feathers'
91x121 Painting on Canvas
SOLD
Girl with Flowers and Feathers has a deep and primal connection to nature. Her feathery hair moves and floats around her, akin to a Tasmanian underwater kelp forest. The lace markings on her skin, the pattern color and texture of her eyes and the colors used to paint her hair and body help to create a watery impression, encouraging us to wonder is she of the water or the land? Birds nestle in her hair, the colors of the Australian Blue Wren merge with the background enabling them to coexist in and not dominate her world. She is surrounded by natural beauty, entangled in it, spring flowers bloom all around her. There is an optimism about Girl with Flowers and Feathers. Color and beauty embolden her, connecting her to a positive future. Confetti floats through the canvas, little diamond shapes adorn her sweater and the background. Delicious detail abounds on every inch of the canvas.
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'Black Swan'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$4200
There is something ethereal, something nymph like, perhaps a little other worldly about Black Swan. She emerges from the water, ensconced by nature and beauty. Her skin glows with watery, lace like patterns. Her hair is a tangle of feathery strands, adorned with beautiful Australian flowers; birds nestle and roost in her flowing, fiery locks. Five black swans share her world, they float in the dark water, surrounding her, part of her. Her hair gently caresses, and weaves in and around them. None of the birds appear to desire a connection with the viewer, they are there for Black Swan, they help to describe her personality, the story of her existence and identify her Southern Australian origins. Black Swan gazes out at the viewer. She invites the viewer to use all five senses when engaging with the painting. She doesn’t appear to challenge, she stares out as if to simply state ‘here I am, I exist’. The black swans in the painting are referential. They speak to the idea that black swans were once thought not to exist, and were used as a symbol of the impossible, their presence evokes questions of identity. The colours, patterning, Australian flora and fauna and the abundant detail are used in the work to create movement and to foster a connection to beauty and nature, to leave the viewer with a feeling of optimism.
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'Birds of a Feather'
181x91cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$4900
Birds of a feather flock together! The girls are linked together by branches of Australian gum. It grows from and through them, joining and uniting them to the sisterhood and to nature. Forty-two birds adorn the girls. Australian wrens for the girls on the left and right of the painting and Virginian cardinals for the large imposing figure in the centre. The girls engage with the viewer differently, they share different stories, some are more open and direct others less so. The choice of birds helps describe and reinforce the personality/story of each girl. The birds flock to them in large numbers, nesting and settling on and in their hair. The birds speak to a duality. They provide a beautiful connection to nature, to a particular place, to an optimistic future. But the sheer number and the confronting gaze of the cardinals, also introduce an unsettling element, of being overwhelmed by their multiplying presence. Once I started painting the birds I just couldn’t stop. A rich green and gold background is alive with subtle texture, pattern, movement and colour. Creating a depth and intricacy to the space/place they inhabit. The girls have a delicate glow about their skin, they are tattooed with lace, pattern and colour. Delicious detail abounds in every corner of the painting.
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'Girl with Blue Wrens'
76x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$4000
Her delicate body rotates away from the viewer, moves inward, yet at the last minute she chooses to turn and face the world. Does she address the viewer or look straight past to another reality? She stares out with a heady mix of vulnerability and bravado. She wears the bird of pray like a head piece. In contrast little blue wrens float whimsically upon falling flowers, surrounding her with their playful beauty. At first she appears to inhabit a dark and turbulent environment. The darkness of the background, the fiery depth of her eyes, the unusual posture and scale of her body and the lace markings on her skin invite us to unravel her story. Upon further inspection, the beautiful feathery hair, the movement of the Blue Wrens balancing upon falling flowers, the lace detail in the background and on her skin and the deep connection with nature are darkly optimistic.
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'Girl with Lace and Feathers'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
SOLD
Girl with Lace and Feathers appears out of the darkness, she glows and almost floats in a landscape of lace, feathers, flowers and femininity. She inhabits a dark world and fills it with light and beauty. Despite the strangeness of her world, and the quirky talisman-like bird growing out of her feather adorned head, she stares out at the future with confidence, strength and optimism. She appears to have a defined and satisfying place within it. She is open and questioning but also portrays a sense of contentment. She challenges the viewer with her golden stare to engage, to hear, to question and to know her.
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'Girl in Feathers'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
SOLD
The tilt of her head, the turn of her chin, her posture and the unusual proportions of her face and the heavy weight of her head atop her little shoulders gives an intense feeling of vulnerability. Is she a girl in feathers or a girl in tatters? Are the feathers, flowers, gum tree branches and patterning part of her essential feminine being or are they helping to keep, bind her together? Natural beauty surrounds Girl in Feathers, grows from her body, floats around and across her, rooting her to nature, ultimately connecting her to a positive future. Her eyes speak to a sadness, she looks to be pondering life’s many questions. A deeply personal exploration that she shares with the viewer. She looks directly at the viewer and invites them into her heart.
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'Girl with Gum'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$4200
The colours speak to an Australian landscape, the pallet of home. She is aflame with yearning. Her eyes are an external connection to the internal place she inhabits. Her eyes, her gaze almost issues a challenge to the viewer: 'I stand before you bold and open, engage with me if you choose.' Her full voluptuous features help to create that openness and transparency, an honest and frank account of what she is thinking and feeling. She is adorned in feathers, bird-like. The feathers represent a choice, an ability to take flight. They also connect her to her femininity, her beauty, to her base and primal nature. Gum sprouts and grows from her inner most thoughts, like insects or spiders legs it grows and creeps from her subconscious. There is no choice, no conscious decision, the Australian gum simply is part of her. Little transparent Australian blue wrens rest in the tree, becoming part of her flock. Her quiet co-conspirators.
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'Birds'
91x121 Painting on Canvas
AUD$3500
The magical bird nests upon the woman’s head. It is a representation of the complexities of the world and time she lives in. The bird appears to warm her, it could be hatching and giving her life or conversely, overpowering and dominating her. The bird almost becomes a second skin, a hat or hair piece. Its feathers caress her neck while the body of the bird becomes part of her. The woman’s nose and open mouth speak to a sensuality, an openness, a rawness of emotion. The interior of her mouth provides a depth to the painting, a hint at what she is feeling and experiencing. While her eyes appear melancholic, accepting of her fate there is also a desire, an intent to express the reality of her existence. Life, colour and patterning fall from her eyes. There is a stillness to the bird-woman contrasted with the movement of the top wing and patterned background.
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'Virginia with Birds'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3500
A celebration of what it is to be a ‘bird’! In Australian vernacular, females are often referred to as ‘birds’. The title of the painting and the subject matter explore this concept. Virginia’s posture and hand gesture speak to a quiet contemplative character, yet the vibrant colours, patterning and detail in the painting suggest another truth. Her eyes are gentle, slightly vulnerable yet full of intent. She desires an intense and true connection with the viewer. Is she a young girl in her prom dress or is she an aging ‘bird’? She is adorned, surrounded by birds. Ribbons bind and entwine them together. The wrens form a head piece while the pheasant engages more dynamically. The pheasant’s stance, direct gaze and the movement created by the feathers and background dots remind us that he is of the same temperament as Virginia, the same ilk. He is an expression of the multiplicity of her personality. The rich floral dress, the ribbon, dots, feathers and stripy patterning all help to create delicious feminine detail.
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'Little Virginia Blue'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3500
Little Virginia Blue is youthful, she confidently and unapologetically engages with the viewer and the world around her. She exists in a watery, ethereal environment, yet she appears ever-present and direct. Her stance is relaxed and quietly confident, secure…even in this underwater environment. Is she standing still or does she approach the viewer? The water lilies are rooted in the water but ascend up into the air to create an encircling, slightly magical space for her to thrive in. A place that is both of the water and of the air, like her eyes. Her eyes resemble both seascapes or sky scapes, rooting her in both worlds. The pheasant floats atop the Lillie pad conspiratorially sharing life with Little Virginia Blue.
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'Virginia Green'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3500
Virginia Green appears waifish and fairylike, there is a delicacy to her soft gaze. The colours, textures, intricate patterning and floating movement in the painting help to reinforce these ethereal qualities. She quietly commands the viewers attention, gently asks for an interaction, shares her vulnerability and her strength. Her stance is open to nature and place, arms outstretched, she is entwined, almost lifted up by ribbons and flowers. Her gaze and her physicality speak to an openness. The background dots and circles set in water colour halo her body, giving her a quiet majestic quality……queen of her own beautiful domain. The birds are in a state of limbo, visible and present yet disappearing into the background. There is an intimacy between the birds and Virginia Green represented through their combined gaze and the delicate holding of ‘feet’ as they sit on her shoulder. The corset and ribbons and detailed patterning speak to her femininity. The bared breast alluding to Virtus of the Virginian flag.
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'Virginia'
91x121cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3500
There is a delicacy and Amazonian strength about Virginia. Her luscious mouth and rose like breast, the red Waratah flower and the red ribbons help to create an exterior view of her interior sensual self. The title and painting reference the Virginian flag. The Roman goddess Virtue/Virtus is depicted on the flag bare breasted and holding a sword and a spear, the tyrant she defeated is lying on the ground holding a chain and a whip. Red Virginia creepers and green leaves surround the scene. I like the semantics of the name Virginia, the ideas and images that spring to mind upon hearing it. Virginia’s proportions are slightly strange, her head is a little large for her delicate body. Virginia’s eyes have a watery depth to them that invite the viewer to dive in. She asks for an exchange with the viewer in contrast to the owl who does not! There is a strong connection with nature, ribbons, bees and flora and fauna are all entwined together. Do the bees on the her forearms inoculate with sweetness, are they adornment or something all together different? Ive continued to explore the idea of delicious feminine detail. I like the idea of each small section of the canvas having its own beauty. Detail is everything!
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'Bee Keeper'
121x91cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3000
The bee becomes the lens through which she views the world. Does it provide a veiled private, concealment or is it more ominous? The bee represents all of natures potential. Life-giving but also deliciously dangerous. It helps to create a beautiful sense of unease in the painting. The intensity of the owls' stare, coupled with that of the girls, also aims to engage the viewer in this dialogue. There is an interplay between the viewer and the various eyes staring out in the painting. All of these eyes help to create movement and connection in the painting. Australian flora is represented by the gum tree laden with gum nuts before they blossom. The Lillie adorning her hair spurts forth feminine iconography; ribbons and confetti entwine everything together ending in the white poppy, a symbol of peace.
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'Little Bee'
Painting on Canvas
SOLD
Little Bee is a multifaceted character. She is painted with long flowing hair which helps to create an impression of youthful beauty and vulnerability. She is open to, and embraces the place and the environment she finds herself living in. Her world largely exists of flora and fauna-from Australia and the USA. The Australian blue wren sits atop her head and a wood pecker sits near her shoulder, the Australian protea flower is also entangled in her femininity. She is set behind, yet apart of the landscape in the foreground. The bees are pivotal to the painting. They represent life, rebirth and the potential complexities of nature. There are too many of them! They are on her chest, moving, crawling through and under her hair, perching like little sparking jewels atop her hair. When you look closely you see there are hundreds of bees in the background. They have almost become a contagion. Her gaze I like to think is open, vulnerable and a little perplexed by her surroundings. She is youthful but there is still a topography to her face, a history of experience that needs to be shared.
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'Woman with Birds and Bees'
91x121 Painting on Canvas
SOLD
She commands the canvas with her size and facial expression yet there is something distinctly sensitive about her. She is strong and vulnerable, breakable, but she will not break. She engages directly with the viewer, the viewer is seen by her. The woman represents the complexities and wonder of the human condition and the impact place has on our being. She inhabits a world made up of Australian and American flora and fauna. Her hair is a tangle of Australian waratah flowers, two woodpeckers sit in her hair, they appear to add complexity to her world. She has topographical line work all over her face and body representing time passed and the mapping of place. She wears a large bee broach, it is over sized and represents the complex relationship between life force, natural beauty and threat.
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'Place'
121x91cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3500
Place is an exploration of place, femininity and the sisterhood. Each girl engages differently with the viewer and with the place they inhabit. The central figure gazes out with a quiet and determined strength. Her ornate, Elizabethan-inspired hair style is made up of hundreds of tiny feathers in the colour of the Australian kookaburra. A wren bows down and adorns the top of her head like a little jewel. Two girls flank either side of her, entwined together by their femininity and by their shared experience. The two girls appear to be more eccentric and vulnerable. The figure on the right is covered in Australian vines, flowers and gum leaves. An Australian wren sits in her hair, just above her ear, becoming part of her adornment. The figure on the left is covered in American woodpecker feathers and has two birds nestling in the intricate feather patterns of her hair. All of the girls have one breast exposed, referencing the Virginian flag and their femininity, their connection to the potential optimism of nature.
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'Birds and Bees'
Painting on Canvas
SOLD
She sits regally, cloaked in owl feathers, looking out at the world with a steady confidence. One breast exposed, a reference to the Virginian flag where the goddess depicted represents liberty, eternity and agriculture. She is past, present and future. Her Elizabethan hair style appears to be slightly transparent like the bees wings it is made from. A bird nests in her hair, surrounded by gum connecting her to nature. Gold chains and ribbons run through and around her, some with tiny bees hanging from them. The bee representing a positive life force. She is surrounded by delicious feminine detail. The girl delicately holds a Virginian wild flower, the roots entwine around her fingers, almost drip into the honeycomb floating amongst the Australian gum leaves below. The gum, ribbons and gold chains wrap themselves in and around the figure, uniting, restraining, containing her.
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'Birds Eye View'
121x91cm Painting on Canvas
AUD$3500
The girl appears to inhabit her world with aching vulnerability. She engages directly with the viewer and the world around her. She is enveloped by Australian gum, the kookaburra whispers the worlds secrets to her, while birds, bees and flora abound. The bees adorn her like jewels, her coat is a honeycomb pattern of bees wax. The bees appear as jewelry, a slightly sinister life force. The direct gaze of the owls help to accentuate the complexity of the girls feelings. Her mouth is sensual, beautiful, plump and youthful. While at the same time her eyes speak to a life time of experience.
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