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WELCOME

I feel like I have been an artist all my life. I was born in Zimbabwe, Africa to two beautifully creative humans, who gifted me with a yearning for knowledge, beauty and truth. When I was nine years old, my family travelled through Europe, on a kind of 'lets see everything' pilgrimage, I fell in love, so deeply, with art and the rest as they say.. is history.

Now based in Newcastle in Australia, I make art, I draw and paint, study, research and explore the recipes and techniques once used by artists throughout the centuries. Sometimes feeling more like a chef than a modern day painter, I work with deliciously luscious ingredients..eggs, vodka, walnuts, pomegranates..and more. Every day in the studio is an exhilarating learning experience, as I explore the chemistry, the botanics of painting and turn it into new art.

The drawings for the prints are all done with botanical inks that I have made in the studio, based on recipes from around the world using natural ingredients. I use the traditional dip-pen to do the drawings as I have found there is much more control and surprises to be had with the technique. Once the drawings become prints, I add the imitation gold-leaf, these are metals made to be just like the leaf made by gold-beaters of five hundred years ago, so the colour, brightness, glow and feel is the same without using precious resources.

 

With the world changing so fast and the loss of nature on a global scale - it just inspires me to cherish all the beauty and diversity that we have and to work harder to become more sustainable and share everything I can. I know you love nature too and I'm so grateful for your love and support. 

 

What a wonderful world!

 

©Wax v lewis tempera on paper watt space gallery 2016.jpg.JPG

[When painting the faces of young persons... use the yolk of the egg of a city hen, because they have lighter yolks than those of country hens]

Cennino Cennini

15th Century Treatise on Painting

Twenty-one Australian wildflowers 2022

Twenty-one Australian wildflowers 2022

The Nature of Paint 2021

The Nature of Paint 2021

PhD Exhibition Watt Space Gallery. One hundred illustrated ingredients found in historic recipes for paint

work in progress

work in progress

3 weeks at the school of art in Florence May 2018

Inked In Exhibtion Watt Space

Inked In Exhibtion Watt Space

Ink Drawings in Botanical Inks

Student Art Prize Sept.2017

Student Art Prize Sept.2017

Glass storage jar, industrial cement, gold dust, scoop

'Whats Golden' Acrux Gallery

'Whats Golden' Acrux Gallery

sleeping fox

sleeping fox

Hunter Valley charcoal, gold dust pigment, bronze dust pigment, cochineal on Fabriano eco paper 700 x 1000

two free lions

two free lions

Hunter Valley charcoal, organic tempera, Australian ochres, saffron on Fabriano eco paper 700 x 1000

cow and calf

cow and calf

Hunter Valley charcoal, organic tempera, Australian ochres, Gamboge on Fabriano eco paper 700 x 1000

silver rhino golden horn

silver rhino golden horn

Silver leaf, aluminium leaf, 22k gold leaf, Dutch gold leaf on Fabriano Academia paper 1500 x 1400 (10% to the Australian Rhino Project)

gold leaf footprints

gold leaf footprints

collaboration project with porcelain artist Vicki Hamilton. all sales to Wildlife Rescue

Soft Target. Watt Space May 2017

Soft Target. Watt Space May 2017

HV Charcoal, Australian ochres, gold leaf on paper. 1200 x 1500

Exhibition Watt Space April 2017

Exhibition Watt Space April 2017

A call and response project, looking at four Australian artists who worked in tempera.

detail Free Horse 2017

detail Free Horse 2017

charcoal and gold leaf on paper. 1200 x 1500

Installation. Watt Space 2017

Installation. Watt Space 2017

Essential ingredients in the tempera recipe

Proteas 1-5. Watt Space April 2017

Proteas 1-5. Watt Space April 2017

stencil tempera protea wreaths

Hare Today. Gosford Art Prize 2016

Hare Today. Gosford Art Prize 2016

Charcoal, gold leaf on paper. 700 x 1000mm

Tasmanian Tiger. 2017 Gallery 139

Tasmanian Tiger. 2017 Gallery 139

Charcoal and Dutch gold leaf. 700 x 1000 *to purchase please contact

gold leaf and hand painted wreath

gold leaf and hand painted wreath

1500 x 1500.

Humming Bird at Gallery 139

Humming Bird at Gallery 139

charcoal, shell gold and gold leaf Gallery 139 **contact to purchase

Queen for a Day. Curve Gallery 2016

Queen for a Day. Curve Gallery 2016

Charcoal, silver and aluminum pressed leaf on paper 700x1000mm

Wax.Watt Space Gallery 2016

Wax.Watt Space Gallery 2016

Tempera, saffron, bees wax on paper

Home. Finalist NEAP 2016

Home. Finalist NEAP 2016

Charcoal, tempera and gold leaf on panel

Milk. Watt Space July 2016

Milk. Watt Space July 2016

Charcoal, gold leaf on paper 1500x1500

'The world in her hands'

'The world in her hands'

Charcoal, tempera, gold and silver leaf on paper 1500 x 1500.

Shades of White Watt Space 2016

Shades of White Watt Space 2016

12 Jars, white powders.

sunflower study

sunflower study

charcoal, tempera on Fabriano paper 700 x 1000

Red Tulip Study

Red Tulip Study

charcoal and tempera on Fabriano paper 700 x 1000

Sun Seed. Curve Gallery 2016

Sun Seed. Curve Gallery 2016

tempera on paper 700x1000

'Perfume' Curve Gallery 2016

'Perfume' Curve Gallery 2016

Tempera on paper 700x1000

'Journey' Curve Gallery 2016

'Journey' Curve Gallery 2016

Tempera on paper 700 x 1000

Spring. Gallery 139 2016

Spring. Gallery 139 2016

Charcoal and gold leaf on paper

How Much. Curve Gallery 2016

How Much. Curve Gallery 2016

Lapis Lazuli stones, Lapis natural pigment, Ultramarine blue, glass jars

hand-made Australian bush vine charcoal v lewis 2016.jpg

hand-made Australian bush vine charcoal v lewis 2016.jpg

Fine Drawing Gallery 139 Newcaslte

Fine Drawing Gallery 139 Newcaslte

Dip Pen botanical Sumi Pine ink on paper

Max's Coal 2016 NFS

Max's Coal 2016 NFS

Winner Watt Space University Newcastle Student Art Prize 2016

'When two are one', NAS Gallery 2016

'When two are one', NAS Gallery 2016

Vercotype print, gold leaf

I've got you' Gallery 139

I've got you' Gallery 139

charcoal, gold leaf on paper 700x1000mm

'silent witness' NAS Newcastle

'silent witness' NAS Newcastle

charcoal, gold leaf on paper 700x1000mm

'Fly to Me', Curve Gallery

'Fly to Me', Curve Gallery

tempera on paper 1100 x 750mm

'Ribbon' Hardy's on Hunter 2015

'Ribbon' Hardy's on Hunter 2015

Gold leaf, tempera 1200 x 1200

Tuberose Mandala 2015

Tuberose Mandala 2015

Sumi Ink on paper

Childs Portrait. Private Commission

Childs Portrait. Private Commission

Charcoal on paper 1500 x 1500

Claire, Hardy's on Hunter 2014

Claire, Hardy's on Hunter 2014

Commercial commission tempera on Fabriano paper 1500 x 1500mm

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