Nelly in the studio

This painting has been exhibited as a finalist in the highly prestigious Shirley Hannan portraiture prize.
It is a highly detailed work with thick rich paint and textures in areas such as the palette & fabrics.

About this painting:
When I was a young teenager, I idolised my big sister Nelly - who lived a seemingly bohemian/carefree lifestyle in a ramshackle old house out near Nimbin. I’d go to stay with her on weekends and see her painting and creating things, and was filled with so much admiration. Both of our lives have changed dramatically since then, we’ve grown & life has certainly changed us, but we still share that same love of art - the same passion to create. She continues to inspire & influence me today, and this portrait pays homage to her as my inspiration - constructed from elements of her past & present.

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Colleen Stapleton is a contemporary realist artist whose work focuses on the figure, portraiture & still life. She has been a finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Award, Darling Portrait Prize, Shirley Hannan, Percival, SBS, Lethbridge 20000, Kennedy Art Prize, International Art Renewal Centre Salon & received the Highly Commended Award in the KAAF Prize. Career highlights include winning the 2018 A.M.E Bale Painting prize, Florence Academy of Art Scholarship, and the JAAS Brett Whiteley Scholarship. She has exhibited in group shows nationally and has studied in workshops at the Repin Academy (St Petersburg), Florence Academy of Art, Realist Academy of Art (Toronto), and with Stephen Early from Studio Incamminati. She also has a Bachelor of Fine Art from Griffith University and a Diploma of Art from Julian Ashton Art School.With a passion for figurative oil painting, she paints to try to depict the beauty and complexity of life, objects and scenes.