By the hillside

Sunshine Coast Hinterland-based painter Lauren Jones makes her much-anticipated return to Michael Reid Northern Beaches with By the Hillside – an exquisite new series of still-life paintings developed from her studio in Mapleton.

Celebrated for her bold, immediate brushwork and impressionistic sensitivity, Jones approaches still life as a living, responsive form – one that remains perennially porous to the conditions of its making. “I think of these works as reflections of time and place, shaped by the light, atmosphere and rhythms around me,” she says, describing a practice that distils the fleeting qualities of her hinterland surroundings into painterly moments that feel intimate yet expansive.

With By the Hillside, Jones turns her attention to country gardens and feminine, effortlessly arranged interiors – spaces that conjure warm feelings of the family home and the quiet, intentional act of creating beauty within it. Loose and abundant floral arrangements, patterned textiles and timeworn vessels become intimate markers of daily life, where gesture and composition elevate the ordinary into something enduring and poetic.

As the seasons shift, so too does Jones’s palette; in contrast to the punchier hues of her most recent series – which channelled the languid mood of summer in a rambling weatherboard Queenslander – By the Hillside feels awash with autumnal tones. Dusty pink dahlias, juniper greens and berry-toned ginghams sit alongside delicate white anemones and unfolding Japanese windflowers, while natural seagrass baskets and loosely stacked books usher in an understated elegance, allowing light and gesture to take centre stage.

Here, the hillside is both a literal and poetic presence. “It informs the mood of the work, the crispness of morning light, the gentle turning of the season, the hush that settles into the landscape,” says Jones. “By the Hillside invites viewers to slow down and attune themselves to subtle shifts in tone, texture and light. It is a meditation on seasonality, the beauty of restraint, and the quiet, enduring dialogue between artist, home and environment.”

For enquiries, please email sophienolan@michaelreid.com.au