Two Banksias

This painting celebrates the joy found in everyday moments. I’m drawn to the beauty of ordinary scenes a vase of flowers, a table setting, a quiet domestic space — and elevating them through vibrant colour and pattern. In this piece, bold banksias burst from a richly decorated vase, surrounded by rhythmic geometric forms that dance across the background. The composition plays with repetition and movement, creating a sense of energy and optimism.

My work is deeply inspired by the natural world around me in the Blue Mountains, where colour, texture and light constantly shift through the landscape. I combine these natural influences with patterns inspired by textiles, folk art and decorative traditions to create paintings that feel playful, expressive and alive.

With its vivid palette of neon pink, reds, blues and turquoise, this artwork is designed to lift a room. The layered patterns and striking colour contrasts create a focal point that brings warmth, personality and joy to a space — whether in a living room, hallway or creative studio.

This artwork is created using acrylic paint on canvas, with layered brushwork and patterning that builds depth and texture throughout the composition.

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Genevieve Clay-Smith is a filmmaker and visual artist based in the Blue Mountains. By day she works as a film director and screenwriter; by night she paints vivid, spontaneous abstracts and expressionistic still lifes inspired by the colours, textures and quiet beauty of her mountain home. Her joyful works transform everyday scenes—tea cups, vases of flowers, familiar corners—into playful explorations of pattern and colour. Drawing from fauvism and folk art, Genevieve’s paintings move beyond realism to celebrate life’s simple pleasures. Her original artworks are available locally at the Good Earth Bookshop Wentworth Falls and online at Bluethumb.