Adeline

Art has always been my outlet for expression and a way to process emotions. When Covid hit, and the lock down began, and my world got very small, I had an overwhelming urge.. a need to paint. As much as I could whenever I could.

I had a desperate need to feel the freedom that comes with creating; I needed to make big, bold brushstrokes, create long, smooth, flowing lines, to see and paint with bright, vibrant, uplifting colours.

This is my Covid Collection. And whilst these works were created during a time of isolation and restriction that felt (feels) at times as if it were never-ending and threatening to overwhelm, these pieces stand in defiance of this. They represent a sense of freedom, joy, connection to self and others, a sense of buoyancy and playfulness.

These works reflect the truth that despite what is going on around us we have a well of joy, optimism and happiness within that we can tap into at any time. For me the conduit to this well is art making.

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Stef Harris is a Melbourne-based emerging artist working from her studio in Fitzroy. Born in Canberra, Australia, Stef graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Art from Deakin University in 2010. Working mostly with charcoal and paint, Stef’s work evolved from primarily figurative with a focus on portraiture to becoming increasingly concerned with expression and conveying emotion, then purely and boldly abstract from 2017 onward.

With a love for drawing from a young age, Stef attended art classes and workshops in Canberra before moving to Melbourne where she became immersed in the colour and vibrancy of the street art in Fitzroy and Collingwood where she lived, and was introduced to the world of abstract art during her studies at University.

Inspired by artists such a Cy Twombly, Franz Kline as well as the expressive use of colour of Matisse, Stef’s gestural vocabulary ranges from delicate, romantic, and almost calligraphic linework to bold, energetic, sweeping brushstrokes brought together with the expressive power of colour to convey and evoke visceral experiences, emotions and associations for the viewer.

Stef has gone on to develop her practice completing workshops in a wide variety of mediums and attending art programs in Melbourne and Sydney. Her work is held in private and corporate collections in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and internationally (Canada and New Zealand), and she has exhibited at various galleries across Melbourne.