Ben Waters is a practicing artist living on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. He paints the landscape in and around Pittwater. His focus is to present this area through the lense of memory, imagination and experience. Since 2019, Ben has regularly exhibited his paintings in both group and solo exhibitions. He studied at The College of Fine Arts, NSW University. His current practice involves painting with acrylic on board. He makes all his own boards as well as framing finished pieces.

“I don’t want to paint actual views of this area; I want to paint the way it makes me feel. These feelings can be numerous.

It might be a feeling of awe but it also might be a sense of healing. It might be a feeling of wonder, but it also might pull my focus back to living in the now.

 ‘Come, walk with me…’ is an invitation to share glimpses of this area that evoke within me these feelings and more. These places might be bush tracks that overlook stunning views, or they might be overgrown trails tucked away amongst suburban streets. They could be memories of neighbourhood gums seen repeatedly while walking the dog. It could be imagining what it might be like in an area across the bay which is only accessible by boat. It might be the hollow of a tree trunk which is home to a family of birds. It might be the marks of nature on a Scribbly Bark tree.

These feelings are the catalyst behind the act of painting for me. Painting is the only way I know how to respond to them, and these paintings express something about me that can be shared. In sharing, I hope to extend that invitation to ‘walk with me’ “ – Ben Waters

In Gallery, 20 September–13 October

Online, 13 September–30 October

Currently located in Geelong, Amber Stokie holds a BA in Fine Art from the University of Ballarat (1995) and recently completed a Master of Fine Art degree with Distinction at RMIT University, Melbourne (2018). Stokie has been exhibiting regularly in group and solo exhibitions since 2009. From 2006 to 2009 she established and curated regular exhibitions at Artasis Gallery (ARI) in Richmond. Throughout this period, she also completed several private and corporate commissions and participated in live painting performances at venues that included the National Gallery of Victoria and Chapter House in Melbourne, Vic. She has been a finalist in the Williamstown, Stanthorpe and Blacktown prizes and has won “people’s choice” at AGENDO emerging art award. In 2016 she was recipient of the ADFAS Young Artist Award for her RMIT MFA work, the next year she successfully applied for a solo exhibition at the Wodonga Public Art Gallery. Stokie has been awarded multiple grants for her work from both Council and RMIT University. In 2019 she was commissioned to perform a key work “Are You An Artist Too” from her Masters studies at the 2019 Montsalvat Arts Centre in Melbourne.

Amber Stokie describes her latest abstract paintings as a slow build of depth and dimension where a focus on texture and colour is used to create immersive paintings that continue her investigation of the emotional experiences that come with living in today’s world. 

Through the skilful use of layering, Stokie’s paintings reflect her fascination with life’s ever-changing journey in which diverse events and unpredictable encounters shape our experiences and identity. Her use of bold and unexpected bursts of colour throughout her paintings could be read as moments, turning points, or events of significance, an approach that evokes a sense of fascination and constant discovery after lengthy observation.  Stokie perceives herself as an optimist, carefully selecting a palette that evokes a sense of joy and contemplative connection.

Stokie constructs her work with layers of oil paint and pure pigment, materials that allow for alchemic and often unpredictable outcomes retaining an immediacy in the work. The temporal nature of this body of work, both in its physical and conceptual construction alludes to the relationship between the passing of time and the development of our life’s narratives. 

These works, with their lively and complex surfacers, invite close inspection and closer introspection.

This exhibition will be on display at Michael Reid Northern Beaches from the 23rd of August until the 2nd of September. Viewings are welcome at any time within the exhibition period.

Anh Nguyen was born in Melbourne and now lives and paints in Thirroul on the NSW South Coast, with her partner and 4 children. Her art practice arrived by way of a circuitous route, though she had never really let go of that pencil from the time she made the very first mark. She was awarded the Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Prize in 2020, and was also the recipient of the Basil Sellers Art Award in 2018. She has been a finalist in other well-regarded prizes such as the Muswellbrook Art Prize (2023, 2022), Rick Amor Self-Portrait Prize (2022, 2020), Grace Cossington Smith Art Award (2021), Dobell Drawing Prize (2021), Kilgour Art Prize (2020 – Highly Commended).

“Like many of my other show titles, where I have pondered meaning in light of imagery, the word ‘season’ conjures for me a strange but alluring tension. The season can be both fixed or unspecified, it is cyclical but there is a definite ending, it can be wholly defined but also unclear when it began. My feeling towards my pictures are like this. Are they linear, contained, about a certain thing? Or do they meander, partly imagined, partly remembered, partly dreamt? Was it today or yesterday, a longing, something real? ” – Anh Nguyen

Chantel and Angie de Latour are Melbourne-based artists who have joined forces in a duo show featuring landscapes and still lifes. As mother and daughter, the common denominator is a shared experience of place and the parameters that define it.

Angie de Latour’s work is held in private collections in Australia and overseas. Since moving to Melbourne in 2001, she has been a finalist in multiple art prizes, which include the Mosman Art Prize, Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, the Tacit Still Life Prize and the 2023 Salon des Refusés, Wynne selection. Angie holds a Master of Fine Art and a Master of Visual Art from the Victorian College of the Arts, and a Bachelor of Design from Swinburne University, where she taught for 8 years.

Although Angie works across a range of genres, which include landscape and portraiture, still life is the current focus of her painting practice. The process of choosing and arranging objects to paint has become a ritual and she is interested in the particularity of these choices: which vase, flower, light source? These works focus on the rounded, organic forms of vases, bottles and cups, and their function as containers for flowers from the garden.

Chantel de Latour completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts (2011) and a Graduate Certificate in Art History at the University of Melbourne (2018). Chantel has been the recipient of the Gary Fell Award and the Shelmerdine Art Award from the Victorian College of the Arts. She was a finalist in the Lethbridge Art Award in 2021 and the National Emerging Art Prize in 2021 and 2022.

Chantel’s current work continues to explore the demarcation between public and private spaces, seeking out pools and dwellings as subjects.

This series of paintings explores the transitory effects and atmosphere of shifting light as it meanders across these secluded landscapes, accentuating the colours of heat, shade and reflection.

Chantel and Angie de Latour are Melbourne-based artists who have joined forces in a duo show featuring landscapes and still lifes. As mother and daughter, the common denominator is a shared experience of place and the parameters that define it.

Angie de Latour’s work is held in private collections in Australia and overseas. Since moving to Melbourne in 2001, she has been a finalist in multiple art prizes, which include the Mosman Art Prize, Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, the Tacit Still Life Prize and the 2023 Salon des Refusés, Wynne selection. Angie holds a Master of Fine Art and a Master of Visual Art from the Victorian College of the Arts, and a Bachelor of Design from Swinburne University, where she taught for 8 years.

Although Angie works across a range of genres, which include landscape and portraiture, still life is the current focus of her painting practice. The process of choosing and arranging objects to paint has become a ritual and she is interested in the particularity of these choices: which vase, flower, light source? These works focus on the rounded, organic forms of vases, bottles and cups, and their function as containers for flowers from the garden.

Chantel de Latour completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts (2011) and a Graduate Certificate in Art History at the University of Melbourne (2018). Chantel has been the recipient of the Gary Fell Award and the Shelmerdine Art Award from the Victorian College of the Arts. She was a finalist in the Lethbridge Art Award in 2021 and the National Emerging Art Prize in 2021 and 2022.

Chantel’s current work continues to explore the demarcation between public and private spaces, seeking out pools and dwellings as subjects.

This series of paintings explores the transitory effects and atmosphere of shifting light as it meanders across these secluded landscapes, accentuating the colours of heat, shade and reflection.

Chantel and Angie de Latour are Melbourne-based artists who have joined forces in a duo show featuring landscapes and still lifes. As mother and daughter, the common denominator is a shared experience of place and the parameters that define it.

Angie de Latour’s work is held in private collections in Australia and overseas. Since moving to Melbourne in 2001, she has been a finalist in multiple art prizes, which include the Mosman Art Prize, Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, the Tacit Still Life Prize and the 2023 Salon des Refusés, Wynne selection. Angie holds a Master of Fine Art and a Master of Visual Art from the Victorian College of the Arts, and a Bachelor of Design from Swinburne University, where she taught for 8 years.

Although Angie works across a range of genres, which include landscape and portraiture, still life is the current focus of her painting practice. The process of choosing and arranging objects to paint has become a ritual and she is interested in the particularity of these choices: which vase, flower, light source? These works focus on the rounded, organic forms of vases, bottles and cups, and their function as containers for flowers from the garden.

Chantel de Latour completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts (2011) and a Graduate Certificate in Art History at the University of Melbourne (2018). Chantel has been the recipient of the Gary Fell Award and the Shelmerdine Art Award from the Victorian College of the Arts. She was a finalist in the Lethbridge Art Award in 2021 and the National Emerging Art Prize in 2021 and 2022.

Chantel’s current work continues to explore the demarcation between public and private spaces, seeking out pools and dwellings as subjects.

This series of paintings explores the transitory effects and atmosphere of shifting light as it meanders across these secluded landscapes, accentuating the colours of heat, shade and reflection.

Chantel and Angie de Latour are Melbourne-based artists who have joined forces in a duo show featuring landscapes and still lifes. As mother and daughter, the common denominator is a shared experience of place and the parameters that define it.

Angie de Latour’s work is held in private collections in Australia and overseas. Since moving to Melbourne in 2001, she has been a finalist in multiple art prizes, which include the Mosman Art Prize, Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, the Tacit Still Life Prize and the 2023 Salon des Refusés, Wynne selection. Angie holds a Master of Fine Art and a Master of Visual Art from the Victorian College of the Arts, and a Bachelor of Design from Swinburne University, where she taught for 8 years.

Although Angie works across a range of genres, which include landscape and portraiture, still life is the current focus of her painting practice. The process of choosing and arranging objects to paint has become a ritual and she is interested in the particularity of these choices: which vase, flower, light source? These works focus on the rounded, organic forms of vases, bottles and cups, and their function as containers for flowers from the garden.

Chantel de Latour completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts (2011) and a Graduate Certificate in Art History at the University of Melbourne (2018). Chantel has been the recipient of the Gary Fell Award and the Shelmerdine Art Award from the Victorian College of the Arts. She was a finalist in the Lethbridge Art Award in 2021 and the National Emerging Art Prize in 2021 and 2022.

Chantel’s current work continues to explore the demarcation between public and private spaces, seeking out pools and dwellings as subjects.

This series of paintings explores the transitory effects and atmosphere of shifting light as it meanders across these secluded landscapes, accentuating the colours of heat, shade and reflection.

Andrea won the inaugural National Emerging Art Prize in 2021. She has also been a finalist in the Darling Portrait Prize 2020, Ravenswood Art Prize 2020, The John Leslie Art Prize 2018 (Best Gippsland Landscape winner), Clyde & Co Graduate Art Prize 2016 (winner), the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize 2014 and the Nillumbik Prize 2013. After returning to university in 2014, Andrea finished both her BFA and MFA at RMIT (Melbourne) in 2018 and has focused on refining her work and building a strong art practice ever since. Andrea’s work is held in the Gippsland Art Gallery’s permanent collection and of course Morgan’s Financial Art Collection in Sydney with the inaugural NEAP winning piece ‘Flossie’. Most recently, Andrea was highlighted in Vogue Living Australia’sFemale Artists To Watch at This Year’s Affordable Art Fair, Sydney.

Solstice 14 – 24th June

“Snow evokes powerful memories. The crunch of it under foot. Catching the flakes on your tongue. Skiing on a bright blue day. The way it made everything quiet and perfect after the first snowfall. Winter play – the sleds, snowballs, snow angels and snowmen. How good it felt to go inside and warm up when it all got too much. This show coincides with our Winter Solstice and has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life lived in a snow laden country before I settled here. The solstice events twice a year remind me of the dramatic turn that my life has taken. For me it brings memories of Canada, of watching the flakes shimmer in the streetlights as I stood in the dark, waiting for my school bus. Listening to the radio hoping to hear school was cancelled. The fresh foot of snow on the ground when we left our wedding reception. The definitive change of the landscape. Many people in this country come from places where snow in winter was a fact of life, and although many cannot fathom -30c and a blizzard, those of us who do know what the winter can hold keep a special place in our hearts for it”. – Andrea Sinclair

Linda is an Australian artist currently living and working on Bundjalung land. She has a background making screen-based installations for museum exhibitions, and has practised and taught traditional printmaking. Linda has exhibited in a number of group shows in Australia and overseas, and had her first solo show “Vessel” at the Tweed Regional Gallery in 2022. Later that year she was selected for the National Emerging Art Prize “ACB Selects” exhibition. In her current solo show “Inside Story”, Linda celebrates colour, the beauty of interiors, and the play of the familiar and the mysterious in everyday objects.

“On a literal level, the exhibition’s title “Inside story” evokes the interior world of the still life genre, and specifically my house and collected objects. But it also refers to the internal processes involved in painting these still life subjects: observing, imagining, and relating to them in a very focused way, and then expressing and sharing that private experience by rendering it in paint.

I love the still life genre – the way it can simply present objects that are beautiful and comforting, yet it also delivers a kind of strangeness that becomes embedded in the layers of paint through the process of artist/object interaction. Learning how to articulate the beauty and ambiguity is an ongoing pleasure.” – Linda Kruger

An essential part of Julz Beresford’s practice is being in the landscape, to be still and present observing nuances which inform the way she focuses her attention. It is here that Beresford collects her Gouache studies and drawings which later become a critical part of her studio-based work. These ‘Plein Air’ studies refocus her mind back to what had captured her attention. Often Beresford responds to the colour of her subjects and searches for locations where she finds a connection. One which pushes her studio-based practice to rethink the physical application of this expression. She is interested in questioning the physical process of mark making in such a way that translates the observed ‘real’ into an expressive piece of art. She ask’s herself ‘how does the process of mark making translate the essence of the place I’m trying to recreate’?

Beresford’s intent is for the audience to feel engaged with the energy of the landscape. Her works are both an expressive piece of the whole process, and an embodiment of how it actually feels to be there. Her paintings have a sense of intense energy. She paints ‘Alla Prima’ with a vigorous and spirited application challenging herself to remain in the moment and ‘solve’ the painting as a whole.

In this body of work Beresford has once again returned to the memories of her childhood. Contrasting her romantic views of the countryside with the euphoria experienced, while boating on her local waterway. Both landscapes working together building a language of mark marking which inadvertently directs each other. She treats her studio-based practice as a learning journey where she constantly challenges herself on ‘how she sees’ in order to physically interpret her ‘reality’ of the Australian landscape. Moulding a style of storytelling which relay the emotions of her mind. A bold type of realistic expressionism.

The Tablescapes exhibition is a stunning collection of artworks showcasing the creativity of various celebrated artists in our community. Each artwork is a unique interpretation of still life, exploring different styles, colors, and textures. The exhibition is carefully curated to highlight the simplicity of an artistic subject. It’s an exploration of the many different ways objects can be represented, from realistic to abstract interpretations that challenge our perceptions of form and perspective. The Tablescapes exhibition is a must-see for anyone who loves still life and wants to experience the creative expression.

Featuring a fantastic collection of artworks from nine celebrated artists, including Karima Baadilla, Ella Holme, Jennifer Ross, Sam Wilkinson, Sally Browne, Anh Nguyen, Alix Hunter, Louise Anders, and Nick Coulson.The exhibition is a beautiful collection of artworks showcasing the creativity of various celebrated artists in our community. Each artwork is a unique interpretation of still life, exploring different styles, colours, and textures. The exhibition is beautifully curated highlighting the simplicity of still life. It’s an exploration of the many different ways objects can be represented, from realistic to abstract interpretations and challenge our perceptions of form and perspective. Tablescape is a must-see for anyone who loves still life and wants to experience the creative expression from these talented artists.

This exhibition is online only.  Please get in touch to view the works in person.

Born in Malta, Kate Vella is an emerging visual artist, now living in The Southern Highlands of New South Wales.Largely self-taught Vella paints from life, her focus is on depicting florals, fruit and vessels.Working with acrylics, Vella’s work is intuitive and spontaneous with an emphasis on reimagining the still life genre. From a very young age she had a vision to be a painter, but it wasn’t until 2018 when Vella began pursuing her creative career. Vella held her first solo show “ Antidote” in Sydney in 2019.Since then she held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in various group shows and collaborations. Vella was awarded First Prize in, The Agency Still Life Bowral Art Prize 2022 and The Hannah Forbes Memorial Prize 2023. Vella has been twice Finalist in Ravenswood Australian Women Art Prize Emerging Category 2022, 2020, Goulburn Art Award 2022, Meroogal Women’s Art Prize 2020 and Kangaroo Valley Art Prize 2020. Vella was also awarded Highly Commended in The Blue Square Competition 2019 and Commended in Belle Property Bowral Art Prize. Vella’s work is held in private collections in Australia, Internationally and in The Osborn Boutique Hotel in the Southern Highlands.

My work represents a deep connection to the still life genre. Guided by my instinct, I focus on depicting table scenes arrangements of ordinary everyday objects I feel emotionally drawn to. I find endless inspiration in flowers, fruit, antique and vintage kitchenware that have been passed down through generations, aiming to give them a new life and identity. I have the freedom to work loosely building on multiple layers. Working in a non- traditional style and technique; I aim for a pentimento result, painting over earlier brushwork only leaving faint traces to be seen. I continue to explore with light, colour, shapes and scale with a focus on developing a fresh take on still life, and working at capturing moments of joy and beauty in everyday life.

Raised in Oakland California, Emily first moved to Australia in 2005 and now splits her time between downtown Sydney and Gunning NSW. Her limited-release cityscapes explore Sydney’s historic surrounds. Rhythm, light and pattern inform and elevate everyday moments, and the work allows viewers to share in her personal visual narrative. ‘Emily in Glebe’ follows three sold out solo shows in 2021 and 2022. Emily was also a finalist in the 2021 National Emerging Art Prize, as well as a previous Mosman Art Prize finalist, and is represented by Michael Reid Northern Beaches.

Emily in Glebe’ celebrates the jubilance of post-lockdown Sydney (on Wangal and Gadigal land), wandering sun-soaked streets and jumbled back alleys with her singular observations of urban living. The paintings were developed from a series of inquiries undertaken in late 2022 – Emily’s “Glebe Residency” – unearthing quiet gems from the inner-city enclave. These new works burst with light, colour and rhythm – with the freshness of exploration and joys of discovery.

Emily Cullinan is a trailblazing artist who, at 70 years old, has spent a lifetime capturing the essence of her people and culture through her paintings. As one of the most senior women in the community, Emily has been an integral part of the Iwantja art scene for many years, but it is only recently that she has experienced a real breakthrough in her painting practice.
Emily’s latest works, titled ‘Ananyi Ngura – Travelling Country’, are a beautiful tribute to her early years. They are inspired by her memories of traveling vast distances on foot across the APY Lands with her family. As she paints, she shares stories of the old ways, of a time when there were no cars, and people lived barefoot, traveling around the bush to collect food and hunt for game.
Listening to Emily is like stepping back in time, to a world where the land was everything, and survival depended on the knowledge passed down from generation to generation. She speaks of the places she visited, the foods she ate, and the joys and hardships of life on the road. She remembers the wagons, pulled by camels, that would take them to new places, and the times they would travel in groups, singing and sharing stories around the campfire.
For Emily, painting is a way of keeping those memories alive, of preserving a way of life that is in danger of being forgotten. She takes small paintings and experiments with her palette and mark-making, infusing each piece with the colours and textures of the land she loves. Her works are a testament to the power of art to connect us to our past, and to remind us of the beauty and resilience of the human spirit.

Lauren Jones is a visual artist based on the Sunshine Coast. Working primarily in oils, her still life scenes speak of moments captured in time. Lauren’s works, executed with immediate brushstrokes, are evocative and impressionistic. Her art showcases the materiality of paint and celebrates the process of painting through a delicacy and freshness rendered by the alla prima technique.

Born in 1989 in Queensland, Jones earned a Bachelor of Arts (Creative Literature) from the Sunshine Coast University in 2009, and in 2012 a Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) from Monash University.

Lauren’s work has featured in various group exhibitions this year including most recently ‘Paint’ at Noosa Regional Gallery.

Currently Jones works from her home studio in the Noosa Hinterland, Queensland. Her work is held in private collections across Australia.

My work has long explored quiet, curated domestic still life scenes with reoccurring personal objects. This series is quite sentimental and encapsulates childhood memories exploring a particular fondness for the Icelandic poppy. Every September, for as long as I can remember, my mother has grown poppies. Her garden fills with bright, crumpled petalled blooms and huge spilling bouquets fill every corner of her home for a couple of weeks. I remember vividly the anticipation for the first bloom, planted and nurtured/cared for months long before they begin to flower. These paintings are an ode to my mother. (a most magnificent woman) Earthy, kind and loving. While painting this series I have also been inspired by the botanical latin names for the flower and symbolism of the poppy. Symbols of sleep, rest and peace are associated with the poppy with many Ancient Roman tales of rest and slumber.

Colleen Guiney is an emerging artist living in the south-west coast of Victoria. She has exhibited widely including recent shows at Boom Gallery, Geelong (2017/18/20/21). Career highlights include solo exhibitions at Pigment Gallery in the Nicholas Building (2009) and First Site Gallery, RMIT (2009). Colleen was recently a finalist in the Lethbridge Landscape Art Prize (2021) and has been featured in The Artist Issue of Country Style Magazine (2019).  She has also been a finalist in the Lethbridge, Williamstown and Waverley Art Prize.

Colleen lives in Port Fairy, and with her partner operates Drift House, an award-winning boutique hotel known for its design aesthetic. Her work is woven into the design, including two feature murals in the establishment.

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. Nature is the ultimate inspiration for the work, and what is left on the canvas reflects how Colleen experiences it through her own interior landscape.

I play with aspects of abstraction and landscape and explore personal themes that reflect my world. A deliberate and respectful connection to nature is pivotal to the work, and the story follows; reflections of my relationship with the outside world as I search for loveliness and connection at a deeper level.

Louise is a representational artist trained in the classical method of painting and drawing.  Her art practice began in earnest in 2015 when she left her 10-year career as a scientist to pursue her ever-present passion for drawing and painting. She attended numerous workshops in Australia, before pursing full-time artistic training at the Grand Central Atelier in New York in 2016 and 2017 under the direction of Jacob Collins.  Louise and her family have recently moved back to her home town of Adelaide, Australia after more than 10 years away.  She has set up a studio in the Adelaide hills where she is surrounded by eucalyptus trees, rose gardens, native flowers and fruit trees.  Louise has shown her art in numerous awards in Australia including being a finalist in the Moran Portrait Prize, Hans Heysen Landscape Prize, AME Bale Award  and Calleen Art Award to name a few.

Presently, Louise is drawn to painting fruit, flowers and leaves from the gardens that surround her.  She loves the continual cycle of nature, watching buds bloom, blossoms morph into fruit, leaves pale and fall.  She gathers her subjects by hand directly from her garden and the surrounding land.  Her drawings and paintings are all completed from life allowing her to observe, understand and interpret nature and light in all its complexity.