Delicate Beauty

Narelle Zeller was the Second Prize award winner in International Artist magazine’s Challenge No. 121, Still Life.

Working exclusively with oils, Narelle Zeller is an Australian representational artist best known for her highly detailed portraits. While primarily a figure painter, Zeller is currently experimenting with still life, striving to convey an authentic and honest representation of each subject. In every painting, she’s “infusing personal and universal narratives...to stir the viewer to question and connect to the stories behind each painting.”Invisible Walls, oil on acm panel, 20 x 14"

Bury Me with a Mandarin portrays Zeller’s friend Hope delicately holding a mandarin while standing in front of floral wallpaper that looks like a burst of summer. “[The painting] was inspired during a conversation eating mandarins one day. The title refers to a family in-joke illustrating her quirky, playful and family-orientated personality,” says the artist. “Hope has a stillness about her which I wanted to capture. She is kindhearted and reserved, always putting others before herself. Both her contemplative demeanor and her placement to the side of the composition helped to portray this. 1960s-inspired wallpaper and a knitted shawl were used to convey Hope’s appreciation for vintage patterns, clothes and handicrafts.”Amy, oil on acm panel, 28 x 36"

Zeller’s newest painting completed this year, Amy, depicts a floral designer in front of her own arrangement of flowers and botanicals, while holding her pet bunny, Bobby. “This painting is part of an ongoing floral portrait series called In Bloom that Amy and I are working on together, combining our skills in floral design and oil painting,” says Zeller. “Amy’s portrait celebrates our collaboration in art and highlights her talent as a floral designer with the largest botanical feature yet in the series.” Bury Me with a Mandarin, oil on acm panel, 23 3/5 x 31½"

Primarily self-taught, Zeller has always had an interest in visual art and began to seriously pursue oil painting in 2017, seeking instruction through workshops and mentorship programs. She has participated in a number of art exhibitions and been a finalist in multiple prestigious national and international awards, such as the International ARC Salon, ModPortrait, Darling Portrait Prize, International Biennial Portrait Competition, Lester Prize for Portraiture and Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. —Australian artist Narelle Zeller works on her most recent piece, Amy.