Photography: @sourwhat
Beyond adding pure decorative colour, art brings life and soul to a home. An original artwork is a heartfelt, handmade expression of a deeply personal process. Displaying pieces you love imparts the artist’s story and tells the world about who you are. The question becomes, where do you search for art that speaks to you?
Join us as we step into the studios of some of our favourite contemporary Australian artists, uncovering their unique creative journeys and inspirations. From clay sculptures informed by bodily curves to exquisite wall-hung weavings made with upcycled fabrics, it’s an exciting showcase of bright talent whose work will splash meaning and glorious tones and texture across your home.
1. Nicole Nelius
Upbeat and skillfully composed, Nicole’s paintings, photo prints, and assemblages are happy affirmations about the beauty in everyday life. The multifaceted artist also works as a stylist and has a honed intuition for colour and composition.
“Everything I do, from styling to photography and painting, ends up feeling connected without being intentional,” says Nicole.
To find Nicole on Instagram visit @nicole.nelius.
2. Natalie Uhrik
Natalie’s abstract landscapes are studies of spirituality, connection, and the universal search for meaning. “I use art as a tool to calm me,” the Sydney-based painter shares.
“I allow myself to channel whatever emotions I have at the time into my work. It’s all intuitive, and I walk away from it in a state of calm.”
To find Natalie on Instagram visit @natalieuhrik_artist.
3. Mitchell Cheesman
When Mitchell was in high school, not that long ago, teachers would endlessly reprimand him for sketching instead of studying.
Now pursuing his art practice full time, the young Queensland-based creative produces impasto paintings of still life settings, with thickly applied oil paint adding dimension to the work.
To find Mitchell’s art visit @curatorialandco.
4. Lucas Wearne of Neighbourhood Studio
Creating in the realm where traditional craftsmanship meets contemporary design, Lucas established Neighbourhood Studio in 2020 and quickly garnered acclaim for his Australian limestone sculptures.
“I start with sketches to get a sense of shape and concept. But once I start working with the limestone, it becomes more of an intuitive process,” he shares.
To find Lucas on Instagram visit @neighbourhood_studio.
5. Kirsten Perry
“I am attracted to flaws and vulnerabilities,” says Kirsten, a ceramicist who lives and works in Melbourne. Her designs echo geometries in nature, with tactile surfaces bearing evidence of her process.
“The objects have an unusual beauty,” she says. “What I imagine to be some sort of living organism from a planet far away.”
To find Kirsten on Instagram visit @kirstenpp.
6. Emily Raubenheimer
As radiant celebrations of Australian bush botanicals, Emily’s paintings feature fluid, energetic lines and playful colour combinations. Before living rurally in northern Victoria, the artist resided in Melbourne and painted abstract compositions. The tree change crystallised Emily’s artistic focus on native flora and her relationship to the wild landscape.
“I enjoy painting flora in situ in nature and then again as still life, switching from the grandeur of landscape to the more intimate home setting.”
– Emily
To find Emily on Instagram visit @the.colour.keeper.
7. Jacob Sarra
“The overarching theme of my art is the journey taken, the different pathways throughout life and the connections made with people,” says Jacob, a Goreng Goreng painter from Ipswich, Queensland.
His artworks are deeply personal explorations of his past, present and future, and his recent introduction to fatherhood has been a powerful creative muse.
To find Jacob on Instagram visit @jacobsarra_art.
8. Karen Napaljarri Barnes
Karen employs flat planes of bright colour and simplified forms to create joyful paintings of wildlife, with a focus on cheeky birds.
The young artist was born in Lajamanu, a remote Aboriginal community on the edge of the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory. Her bold, graphic style has captivated art collectors globally.
To find Karen’s art visit artmob.com.au.
9. Maria Watson-Trudgett
Maria is a proud ‘freshwater’ girl of the Wiradyuri people. The First Nations consultant and self-taught artist paints to strengthen her connection to her Country and culture. Her painting style is contemporary and abstract, using flowing lines and groups of Aboriginal symbols to narrate a story and preserve cultural traditions.
“It’s the way my old people communicated with me, via line and symbol drawings in the ground”, says Maria.
To find Maria on Instagram visit @mariawatsontrudgett_.
Beyond dot painting
Aboriginal art holds deep cultural value and has stylistic diversity. Painting styles and themes are unique to specific communities and regions and may reflect ceremonial designs, symbols of the environment and people, and stories of the ‘Dreaming Time’.
“Some people have a preconceived idea that dot painting is the traditional and the only true form of Aboriginal art,” says Maria Watson-Trudgett, a First Nations artist and consultant. “But that is not the case and is flawed thinking. Our traditional art was drawing in the sand, body painting for ceremony, carving into rocks or trees and marking tools for identification”. According to Maria, “Dot painting is contemporary and emerged in the 1970s with the Western Desert Art movement from Papunya, north west of Alice Springs.”
There are many styles that Aboriginal artists use to convey their stories and cultures, such as dot work, cross-hatching, dub-dub and naïve style. “Aboriginal art is anything an Aboriginal person paints that connects them to their Country and culture and creates for them a sense of belonging,” explains Maria.
For more on First Nations art and how to buy ethically, visit aboriginalart.org.au or indigenousartcode.org.
10. Hannah Lange
Growing up in Sydney’s Blue Mountains on Darug and Gundungurra Country attuned Hannah to the natural environment and her ancestral heritage. The proud Wiradjuri woman captures the fragile intricacies of nature that often go unseen.
“I try not to limit myself to a particular style and just stay true to who I am and what feels right at the time.”
To find Hannah on Instagram visit @hannahlange.art.
11. Christina McLean of Trade the Mark
Trade the Mark is Christina’s evolving creative studio, currently focusing on hand-built and painted ceramic vessels, bespoke art pieces and textile design. Mark-making and clay have been a constant in Christina’s career, as has her dedication to the handcrafted.
She has collaborated with top Australian fashion labels and lifestyle brands, producing unique pieces that sing with her signature style.
To find Christina on Instagram visit @tradethemark.
12. Hannah Cooper
Hannah’s handwoven works represent countless hours of a slow and methodical process that begins with the artist naturally dyeing her thread using foraged botanicals and natural ephemera.
The self-taught weaver works on a large loom from her studio in the Southern Highlands of NSW.
To find Hannah on Instagram visit @sundaywoven.
13. Ash Holmes
Ash is a fourth-generation artist who paints layered abstracts informed by colour psychology, nature, and notions of home. “Its interpretation is open to the sensitive eye and imagination of others,” says Ash, also a co-founder and creative director of Hake House of Art on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. “People often feel or see different subjects in my work that I haven’t considered.”
“I’m conscious of the energy that goes into my work, as it reflects outwards like a mirror. I’d like to offer the most authentic energy I can.”
– Ash
To find Ash on Instagram visit @ashholmesart.
14. Emma Sheehan
Beautiful domesticity and poetic tablescapes are core themes in Emma’s lavish paintings, reflecting her formal training in art curation and interior design.
“I deliberately use a wild harmony of bright colours and pattern mixing in my works to instil a sense of joy within the viewer and to bring a space to life,” she says.
“Art can be seen as a vital layer of colour, pattern and texture that brings a space to life.”
– Emma
To find Emma on Instagram visit @emmasheehanartist.
15. Annie Hawkins
When Annie walks into her Sydney studio, the scent of oil paint fills her with immense pleasure. The self-taught painter captures the Australian landscape’s breathtaking light, texture and tones in a realistic, soulful way.
“I spent most of my younger years trailing behind my grandparents through the bush and soaking up all that nature could offer,” Annie shares.
To find Annie on Instagram visit @annie_hawkins_ah_interiors.
16. Rachel Rae
Rachel’s vivid ocean-themed paintings speak of her reverence for the Australian coastline, where lush colour and sunny memories swirl in harmony.
“I want to transport the viewer to smell the salty ocean, feel the breeze, hear the waves, and to want to dive into the artworks,” says the Sydney-based artist.
To find Rachel on Instagram visit @rachelrae_art.
17. Kerryn Levy
Kerryn’s clay sculptures are organic expressions created by the traditional hand-building processes of pinching, coiling and slabbing. “When working on new designs and forms, I will often refer to images of the human body – particularly in states of movement like dance – interesting shaped trees or rock formations, and even fruit or vegetables,” says the Adelaide-based artist.
To find Kerryn on Instagram visit @kerryn.levy.ceramics.
18. Jennifer Rosnell
Jennifer’s painterly sunbathers, vintage ferries and fish market vignettes are a response to her surroundings on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The graphic designer and art teacher also explores portraiture and life drawing and is regularly recognised in highly regarded art prizes.
Regardless of the medium or subject matter, Jennifer’s creations radiate a quiet kind of joy.
To find Jennifer on Instagram visit @jenrosnell_art.
19. Kass and Lauren Hernandez of Crossing Threads®
Established by the Hernandez sisters in 2015, Crossing Threads® is known for crafting woven formations inspired by nature, expressed in rich, grounding colour palettes.
Made with upcycled fabrics and natural materials like Australian Merino wool, the duo’s highly textural creations can be found in homes, public spaces and Australian galleries.
To find Kass and Lauren on Instagram visit @crossingthreads.
20. Laura Reid
Laura’s love of ocean pools is palpable in her award-winning, sun-soaked photography, as is her passion for taking photos.
“I know it’s the right time to press the shutter because my heart starts to race with excitement as I see the magic happening before my lens,” says the Sydney local who released her debut book, Aura, in 2022.
To find Laura on Instagram visit @laurareidphoto.
