Creative Process

Creative Process looks at the feeling of starting a painting when there are too many ideas and no clear direction. The blank canvas becomes a point of pressure, where thoughts come in at once but don’t yet form into something solid. The studio reflects this state: sketches, magazines, food, interruptions, and moments of staring into space. It isn’t organised or resolved, but it is honest to how the beginning of making often feels. Rather than showing a finished idea, the work stays with that early stage; uncertain, unfocused, but full of possibility before anything has settled.

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Marieka Hambledon is an Adelaide based portrait artist whose work explores the human condition. Hambledon grew up in an artistic household and started painting from a young age. She began her university studies in film, before transferring into a fine art degree and then eventually studied graphic design that lead to a successful 10-year career.

With her parents involved in both theatre and counselling, Hambledon was drawn to painting different characters and exploring what it means to be human. Hambledon’s art practice is primarily in acrylics to achieve her distinct dotting style. Her technique is inspired by the pointillists, utilising colourful dots and optical blending to achieve a photo realistic appearance.

Hambledon’s work is in many private collections in Adelaide and Victoria, and a commissioned work was offered as the prize for the Howard Twelftree Award in 2016. In 2019 Hambledon was a finalist in the Kennedy Award, and a semi-finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. Most recently, Hambledon was a finalist in the 2020 Bluethumb Art Prize and the SBS Portrait Prize.