Australian artists

Melanie Vugich’s Lovely Still Life Paintings

~ jama ~ 5 Comments

A longtime fan of beautiful tablescapes, I was happy to stumble upon Australian artist Melanie Vugich’s still life paintings recently. Her oil on canvas pieces are a pleasure to behold with their interesting objects, inventive compositions, and rich, bold colors.

I do enjoy seeing what others have collected and how they create a visual story to reflect their mood of the moment. This, in turn, gives the viewer a chance to pause, reflect, and appreciate the familiar in new ways. Melanie’s still lifes are characterized by their sense of intimacy, personal history and cherished memories.

photo of Melanie Vugich in her studio by Jordan Wheatley via Cornerstore Gallery.

Melanie grew up in the remote outback town of Broken Hill in New South Wales, and has been painting since childhood. Even though she didn’t know any female artists or had never visited any major art galleries, she always knew she would be an artist.

Living in such a remote part of the country without many external influences allowed my imagination to run wild, and all of the early childhood paintings my Mum stashed away are a bright and happy reflection of this.

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David Bromley: of birds and butterflies, pirates and playthings

~ jama ~ 7 Comments
Australian painter and sculptor David Bromley.

David Bromley, whose unique style is instantly recognizable, is one of Australia’s most prolific and innovative artists. There’s no mistaking his bold black outlines, daring colors, and striking textures and layers, all executed on a large scale with graphic intention.

I first ran across his paintings of children, which harken back to vintage picture books and magazines. The world of toys, teddies, rabbits, sailboats, paper hats, rocking horses, scooters, and red mary janes is pretty much where I live, and I appreciated the nostalgic fix without the sentimentality. 

You can see why I had to learn more about this self taught artist, who was actually born in Sheffield, England (1960), but grew up in Australia after his family immigrated there when he was three.

In addition to his children’s series, he’s most well known for his butterflies & birds and female nude portraits. Bromley is also an accomplished sculptor, working in bronze and resin. Many of these pieces also explore the childhood themes of innocence lost and found (whimsical elephants, kids playing leapfrog).

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snip, arrange, paste: alice lindstrom’s amazing paper collages

~ jama ~ 18 Comments

When Australian paper collage artist Alice Lindstrom was little, she liked cutting and pasting bits of paper to make her own staple-bound collage books. 

Looking back over the twists and turns of her creative journey, it seems paper collage had always been her true calling, as it’s a unique art form that wholly reflects her personality.

photo of Alice Lindstrom by Breena Dunbar

Though she’s now based in Melbourne, Alice grew up in the Adelaide countryside surrounded by animals and nature. Wanting to encourage her artistic skills, her parents sent her to schools that focussed on art. But when it came time for university, Alice chose to broaden her education to prepare for a “proper job.”

She earned a Bachelor of Humanities in Philosophy from the University of Adelaide, followed by a Bachelor of Design from the National Institute of Dramatic Art. After working as a theatre designer in Sydney, Alice returned to Adelaide, where she earned graduate degrees in Museum Studies and Art History.

She soon realized that getting a “real job” and treating art as a hobby was not going to work since her passion for art was just too strong. Rather than curate the work of others, she wanted to create her own art and illustrations.

Both Alice’s father and grandfather were born in Germany. Her grandfather was a painter who had a big influence on Alice. He and Alice’s grandmother worked at an art school in Berlin.

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