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Seabastion Toast
Ariane
Oil on canvas
"Ariane" is part of a series of portraits, an ongoing exploration of psychological presence over likeness. Her direct gaze holds both sadness and defiance—a quiet tension that invites reflection rather than resolution. The subdued palette and restrained atmosphere are essential to the emotional weight of the work, allowing space for ambiguity and projection. I’m not seeking to document or describe, but to suggest an interior world that feels familiar, even if unknowable. Though the subject is anonymous, her presence is intimate. In painting her, I’m interested in how we perceive others and ourselves—how a single expression, a glance, can evoke entire narratives. The portrait becomes a mirror of our own emotional terrain, filtered through the stillness of paint and the slow act of looking.
Size: 20 × 30 cm
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About Seabastion Toast
Seabastion Toast is a passionate and prolific painter whose vibrant canvases capture the essence of light, pattern and the beauty of everyday moments.
In 2024 Toast won the $40,000 Percival Portrait Prize. In 2023 she was awarded People's Choice in both the Portia Geach and Sunshine Coast Art Prizes. She has won the Darcy Doyle Award for Landscape painting twice and was in the top 8 finalists in the Evelyn Chapman Award. She also won two awards at the 2019 Glover Prize. She is regularly a finalist in many other prominent art prizes, She is represented by Anthea Polson Art.
