Enduring Affection

Have you ever felt everywhere you looked the reality you thought you knew unravelled faster than your brain could process? That you tried to grasp onto hope, but blow after blow shattered the strands that you held onto? I have had to grieve so much loss, but when I looked up from the shock I saw so many wonderful people standing as soldiers lighting the path toward happiness and hope. My friends showed up for me in a big way.

There was one special friend that was suffering through the same kind of grief. Through this shared pain we showed up for eachother everyday. We checked in frequently and asked ‘Are you OK?’. Simple task, but a committed one. In doing so showed our capacity to give beyond ourselves and our suffering and deeply reassured our belief in love. That love can endure the most painful places. This painting is about that.

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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.