The intricate abstract works of Miertje Skidmore internalize and transform the environmental extremes of the Australian landscape. Her paintings suggest the otherworldly- each abstraction could be a birds-eye-view of a multicolored planet. Her palette makes use of mineral and elemental colors that wouldn’t be out of place in some of the most rare enclaves of nature. While seemingly lifelike portrayals of environmental phenomena, Skidmore’s paintings are actually derived from her imagination: “Art often is seen and felt as an enlightening and emotive personal experience,” she says. “The visual language of spontaneous shards of dynamic colours against the softest cloud like subtle hues is how I express my artistic voice. In an abstract form, I like to engage others into their own perceptions of what they see.”
There is a sense of permanence in Skidmore’s work- each of her expansive pieces seems to suggest an enduring sense of nature in all of its forms. What strikes one most is the truly organic atmosphere that arises from her paintings; wandering streams, ebbing shorelines, volcanic fragments, and glacial icecaps come to mind. Skidmore’s paintings are at once disconcerting and calming. “I generally paint and see our earth with the surrounding universe in a vivid explosion of colors and never ending movement and energy… my body of works acknowledges the need for those more subtle moments in life.”
Naomi Okubo’s acrylic paintings on cotton wrestle with identity, offering both introspective scenes and rich experiments in patterns and texture. The artist's work is influenced by the ideals given to us by mass media and gender norms. Her work pulls from advertisements, self-portraits, and other sources.