STUDIO CLEARANCE Rock Pool #3 Deep

This expressive, semi abstract painting in a variety of vibrant blue hues is from my ‘Rock Pool’ series. The series is inspired by time spent in Sydney’s Chinese Gardens and Bada Shanren’s ‘Fish and Rocks’ ink scroll painting from 1699.

I am interested in the stark contrast between Chinese and European painting traditions from similar periods; they are literally worlds apart. While European painters were focused on representing religious figures and grappling with perspective, the Chinese monks were making “abstract” landscapes long before the artistic term was even imagined.

My own light hearted interpretation of ‘Fish and Rocks’ uses intuitive mark making and expressive line drawn from my imagination. I love working this way because I am able to let my mind wander and achieve creative flow. I never know what the final painting is going to look like which is both exhilarating and sometimes disastrous - for each acceptable result, there are always a few ‘duds’ that I am unhappy with that require painting over. These ‘mistakes’ make excellent texture and starting points for new abstract paintings, adding depth and interest to the finished works.

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Floriosa is the botanical painting practice of Australian artist Sally Browne.
I've been making art for as long as I can remember. What was meant to be a one-year trip from the UK to Sydney in 1994 somehow became a permanent move, and Australia has been home ever since.
Much of my work begins outdoors. I love wandering through suburban streets noticing flowering trees, plants spilling over fences, unexpected colour combinations and the small details that most of us walk straight past. I often come home with armfuls of flowers, seedpods and odd little cuttings that eventually find their way into my paintings.

Although my work begins with observation, it rarely stays there. A vase of flowers, a flowering gum or a bird perched in the garden might provide the starting point, but colour, memory and imagination soon take over. I'm less interested in painting a particular flower than in capturing the feeling of being surrounded by nature.

Before becoming a full-time artist in 2015, I worked in graphic design, surface pattern and printmaking, experiences that continue to influence my love of colour, rhythm and composition. I'm also inspired by the simplicity and spontaneity of Chinese and Japanese ink painting, though over the years my own work has evolved into a looser, more contemporary style.

Alongside Floriosa, I maintain a contemporary fine art practice under my own name, exhibiting regularly throughout Australia. Over the past decade I've been fortunate to place hundreds of original paintings into private collections both here and overseas. These days, if I'm not in the studio, there's a good chance I'm wandering around Sydney with secateurs in my bag, bringing home flowers, seedpods and whatever else catches my eye.