Penelope Oates

The art practice of contemporary KAB Gallery artist Penny Oates is deeply rooted in her exploration of the Australian landscape. She creates beautiful representations of vast open spaces with a unique style and method that is popular and internationally coveted. Her art has a special appeal connecting audiences located in bustling cities with imagery from the remote Australian outback.

Oates’ elegant paintings are characterized by a layered and textural approach. Her work is an organic and beautiful series of natural forms and silhouettes that merge the delineation between land, sea and sky. In this sense her works reflects moods, feelings and memories about landscapes rather than a representation of a particular places. The absence of any figurative forms in her landscapes is deliberate, preferring to reference natural forms that would have existed before our human impact and presence. This approach to the landscape could also be described as Romantic and as such her works take on an almost dreamlike or surreal presence.

Inspiration is drawn from her experiences and memory. She references changing colours and textures of landscapes and has a strong connection to the works of 19th Century metaphysical poet Keats whose poetry expresses the notion of being able to transcend our negative experiences of the world by contemplating on a thing of beauty. “This is what motivates me as an artist to hopefully produce works that connect with the audience.” she says.

Her technical approach to practice is layered and unique. Her current body of work is created with layers of mixed media combining coloured inks on canvas or her sculptured timber forms. Oates explains that her layering techniques allows her to discover, manipulate and finally control her painting surface to arrive at the desired evocation of aspects of the landscape.

Penelope Oates Solo Exhibition “Out Yonda” opens at KAB Gallery May 31st 2024. 

Read The Beauty of Rural Australia: Penny Oates’ “Out Yonda” Art Exhibition at KAB Gallery Sydney

2019, 2020 FINALIST & 2019 WINNER of the People’s Choice in the Gosford Art Prize

Penelope Oates, B.A. of Fine Arts COFA ( 1990) B.A. of Dramatic Art in Design NIDA (1994) Dip Ed. UWS (2001) 

SOLO EXHIBITION at KAB Gallery Sydney coming soon – register your interest here