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Penelope Oates
Balancing Act
Acrylic, ink, heated soldering iron timber board
Travelling to Tasmania and walking through Cataract Gorge, I was struck by the raw, sculptural power of the landscape: steep cliffs, rushing water, dense mist. That experience reinforced my fascination with places where nature expresses both vulnerability and strength.
"Balancing Act" draws on these emotional and physical landscapes. It is a reflection on the ways we navigate our relationship with the environment—how we respond, adapt, and sometimes fail to see the signs of imbalance. Mist, water, and trees recur throughout the work as symbols of both endurance and change.
Size: 100 × 100 cm
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About Penelope Oates
Nestled deep in the Australian bush of rural NSW, Penelope draws inspiration from the landscape just beyond her studio windows- a protected parcel of native bushland and a winding creek.
Oates works wit ha soldering iron on timber board, a technique she has developed and refined over many years. Her distinctive mark-making blurs the boundary between drawing and painting, etching a myriad of lines into the painted surface with heat and intention.
She holds a BA in Fine Arts from the NSW Collage of Fine Arts and a BA in Dramatic Art in Design from NIDA.
