Beauty or the Beast Painting

Onela’s work is inspired by an interest in architecture and man made structures that shape the everyday environments we exist in. Attracted in particular to industrial forms, she explores the idea there is beauty in these scenes that often goes unnoticed. How the light falls and the way these forms are viewed are eagerly considered in the compositions, often producing surprising results which allow us to appreciate them with a new perspective. The lack of human presence and the minimal reference to nature in the images isolate the constructions, inviting the viewer to consider them as objects on their own and question the notion of whether the spaces they create and atmospheres they emanate make them attractive in their own right. Living in Bristol, United Kingdom and travelling extensively throughout Europe and other parts of the world for the last 15 years, Onela established herself as a painter, working in one of the largest independent artist studios outside of London. Jamaica Street Artists (JSA), being a collective of around 40 artists with a large number of professionals in the mix, enabled a solid platform in which to develop. The yearly exhibitions organised by the group provided exposure leading to a solo exhibition, gallery representation and collective exhibitions within the Royal West Academy of England and the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Onela has recently returned to Australia to explore its environs and discover how they can lend themselves to her painting. Influenced by the American precisionist's, she is keen to investigate both rural settings with its silos and quarries, as well as urban scenes and the industrial structures that exist amongst them. In February 2018, Onela’s painting ‘Rusty Tank’ was selected as a finalist in the Muswellbrook Art Prize and most recently ‘Beauty or the Beast’ was selected as a finalist for the 2018 John Leslie Art Prize, to be held at Gippsland Art Gallery.