Australian Women Artists
The podcast
Ep 83 Nicole Kelly
Nicole Kelly is one of contemporary Australia’s most sensitive and intellectually rigorous painters, working beautifully across landscape, portraiture, and still life.
She creates deeply evocative, expressive oil works that challenge the very mechanics of how we represent, and perhaps try to own, the Australian landscape. In fact, it would probably be fair to say that she is an artist who's spent nearly two decades quietly ‘unsettling’ one of Australia's oldest genres.
Since graduating from the National Art School and winning the prestigious Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, Nicole has built a formidable practice defined by evolving technical processes and academic rigour.
She’s been a finalist in a number of awards and has also won significant prizes including her recently winning the prestigious Evelyn Chapman Art Award. She will utilise that to study Nordic painting traditions. And we need to discuss that of course.
Her paintings pull you in with glowing colour and soft, pliable brushwork, then quietly remind you that no landscape is ever just scenery.
Her work is held in numerous public and private collections.
A really enjoyable conversation and to hear it, head to the link in my bio or search ‘Australian Women Artists’ wherever you find your podcasts.
You can find more information about Nicole at her website:
www.nicolerenaekelly.com
Nicole is represented by
Nicholas Thomson Gallery, Melbourne (@nicholasthompsongallery)
Art House Gallery, Sydney (@arthousegallery)
Images
1. NK via Nicholas Thompson Gallery
2. Jumaadi + Clouds + Rain, 2017 oil on polyester (all paintings on this list are OOP), 150 x 130
3. Rain Inscribed Lines, 2024, 169 x 198
4. Bird Hour, 2026, 117 x 107
5. Dance of March Flies, 2024, 138 x 167
6. Waiting for the Sun, 2026, 122 x 153
