A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all aro… — artist's signature A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them — edge view A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them — detail
A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them
A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them
A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them
A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all aro… — artist's signature
A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them — edge view
A circle of five women holding hands, dressed in Victorian era dresses, with butterflies flying all around them — detail
Photography by Lauren Starr 117 Artworks Sold

The Golden Coven Ed. 9 of 12

Photograph, Paper (Requires Framing)

70cm (W) x 52.5cm (H) x 0.4cm (D)

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A$980

Arrives 20–22 Jul

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Artwork Description

Part of the 'Luminaries, Women of the Goldfields' series
While researching stories of women in the goldrush era of Australia, I couldn't help but wonder if there were any strong folklore practices that arrived with them. I imagined women gathering in secret to bless the Earth and discard the shackles of their Victorian era lives. This beautiful coven is represented by true friends, whom I was blessed to witness in their unity. Little direction was needed by me as they channelled the power of the feminine spirit. This brings to life my imaginings of 'bush witches', as well as the strong friendships immigrant women developed with each other.

Photographed on Dja Dja Wurrung land.

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Artist Bio
Photo of Lauren Starr
Lauren Starr 137 artworks | 79 Sold

Lauren Starr is an Australian photo-media artist whose work explores women’s stories through history, folklore, fairytale, and the Australian landscape. Drawing on colonial histories, personal ancestry, and mythic archetypes, she creates narrative works that reimagine the past through a contemporary lens.

Working with staged photography, painterly textures, and digital compositing, Starr constructs richly layered images that sit between reality and myth. Her practice is particularly concerned with memory, inheritance, belonging, and the ways women’s lives become embedded within landscape.

Recent bodies of work have explored female narratives from the Victorian goldfields, acts of re-wilding and reclamation, and the enduring relationship between women, story, and place.

Starr is the recipient of the 2022 Bluethumb Art Prize (Photography Category and Grand Prize). Her work has been acquired by Parliament House Melbourne and Bendigo Art Gallery, and has been recognised through the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, Olive Cotton Award, Head On Photo Awards, and other national exhibitions.

Commissions
Lauren's studio is in Bendigo VIC