The Corner Store Gallery, Naomi Lawler Studio Visit, photograph by Madeline Young

Studio Visit with Naomi Lawler

This solo exhibition by local artist Naomi Lawler is the result of winning first place in our MINI SERIES ART PRIZE in 2019. First prize was to receive a rent-free solo exhibition and studio tour photo shoot with us here at The Corner Store Gallery.

Nostalgia is a collection of oil paintings exploring the strong connection between nostalgia and grief. Naomi has sought to explore her own experience through the different lenses of still life, allegory and surrealism.

Naomi Lawler is an Australian-born artist living and working in Orange, N.S.W. Her detailed and meticulously painted artworks encourage the viewer to slow down and notice the inherent beauty of the seemingly mundane.

Naomi’s passion for the academic method and the study of the old masters has imbued in her an eye for the subtle shifts of light across form and the importance of composition in the development of a strong narrative. Each artwork tells a story personal to the artist but is also open to the interpretation of the audience.

Nostalgia is Naomi’s inaugural solo exhibition and will be on display at The Corner Store Gallery from March 10th to 21st with sales launching online at 8pm Tuesday March 9th via our website.

View the Exhibition Catalogue

Tell us a little about your background. Where did you grow up and was there any creative influence?

I grew up in The Hawkesbury and in Ipswich, west of Brisbane. There was no real creative influence in our household growing up but I remember always being encouraged to create, I guess it was just a natural inclination of mine that was nurtured and encouraged by my parents.

Where did you learn to paint and draw?

I attended my first art class after school, once a week, when I was around 10. We used to draw from life using pastels. To this day I cant smell fixative spray without thinking of that class. I also took art in high school but was pretty average, I struggled with the teaching style and lesson format. After high school I didn’t do a lot of art (This mainly stemmed from the belief that I wasn’t any good so I shouldn’t bother) in fact it wasn’t until my brother died 9 years later that I sought out an art class in Orange and my passion for art was reignited. I then tried Graphic Design for a few years but ultimately decided illustration and fine art was the direction I wanted to go in. I read a lot of books, watched a lot of youtube videos and asked a lot of questions on instagram and slowly I developed my skill. Learning is an on-going process so I’m always on the look out for workshops that I can attend. I’ve attended three portraiture workshops over the last 18 months by Sally Ryan and they have been instrumental in improving my process.

Tell us about Nostalgia, what is the show about and where do you find inspiration.

This exhibition is a collection of paintings exploring the connection between grief and nostalgia. My brother held on to a lot of toys and objects from our childhood and a few years after his death I found myself looking through them and wanting to catalogue them somehow. The idea for this exhibition was born. It started as a way of documenting and revisiting our childhood through a lens of nostalgia but as my concept continued to develop I became interested in the idea that nostalgia is often born from grief. Gradually the artworks became more about my own personal journey of grief and what that looks like moving forward. Working through these themes in my art has been extremely helpful and cathartic while (I hope) honouring Nathan’s memory and his influence on my artistic practice.

I not only find inspiration from my own story but the stories of everyone around me. I love the challenge of finding beauty in everyday objects through the process of painting them and also using those objects to tell stories and evoke emotion. I love immortalising the unique miracle of life with my brush, whether it be a portrait or a rosebud, both completely unique, one of a kind, never seen before and never to be seen again.

Talk us through your process.

I generally start with a rough concept in my mind and begin to plan how I can transform that vague idea into a painting. I search for or create my own reference material (At this stage I mostly work from photographs but would love, in the future, to be able to work completely from life). If I need to I’ll edit my reference photos in photoshop and then I’ll sketch the image either in my sketchbook or on my ipad. This allows me to get to know my subject and hopefully weed out any potential issues with composition before I start painting. I then transfer my sketch to the painting surface (I work on aluminium composite panels for their archival quality). At this stage I might do a small colour study or a detailed underpainting but more often then not I’ll dive right in with the painting.

What feelings and emotions would you like to evoke in the audience when viewing your exhibition?

I would like for them to share in the nostalgia that I felt in creating these works, that they are transported back to a time and place when they felt the joy of innocence. This is a bitter-sweet exhibition, full of grief, yes, but also full of the joy that comes from the memories of a life well lived.