Studio Visit with Liz Wickramasinghe

I’ve been a fan of Liz Wickramasinghe’s work for years now! I found her via The Design Files and have been following her magnificent practice ever since with keen interest. Liz first exhibited with us back in 2020 as part of This Place, a group exhibition which was a huge success.

We’ve been “Instagram friends” ever since and I was lucky enough to meet her in person at her beautiful home in Geelong this past July. Liz showed me around her amazing home studio and we lunched and went to gallery openings together and she introduced me to some other lovely artists. We generally had a lovely time and now I’m going to share her lovely studio with you guys!

Liz is one of six artists exhibiting as part of our next group exhibition FLORA opening September 14th. FLORA launches online at 8pm September 13th with doors open September 14 - 24. Join us for Opening Drinks on Friday September 16th from 6pm and meet the artists.

Tell us a little about your background. How long have you been making art?

I have always been artistic and creative, since I was very young. After undertaking lots of study in design, fine art and teaching followed by a range of other art-related professions (gallery technician, secondary school art teacher) it was finally in 2018 that I actually began my own professional art practice. Having children provided me with a window of time to finally focus on my painting. During this period, Instagram was also becoming a really great avenue for artists to share their work and develop an audience. Thanks to these opportunities, and some really supportive galleries, my practice has taken off quite well in the last 3-4 years.

You have a very unique style, can you talk us through your process?

During my years at art school, I learnt both printmaking and painting skills. I couldn’t help but combine these skills and techniques into all my own art making process. I use a lot of printing methods in my paintings, mostly as backgrounds and to incorporate patterns and textures. I also studied Interior/Exhibition design when I was in my early 20s – so I bring elements of architectural drafting and design into my work too. I love layers and I use masking and stencilling to conceal and reveal elements in my work which can often have a collage-like appearance. My work is always evolving which is what I love about incorporating so many techniques and themes.

Can you describe your amazing studio to our readers?

I began working in a small back bedroom in our house, however, as I use both printmaking and painting processes in my artwork I quickly outgrew the room! My husband suggested we build an outdoor shed in our backyard and line it with drywall to be a new studio, I was so excited! I put my interior design skills to use and designed the studio myself, with a storage room, shelving area for paint supplies and a large sink area. I also included ceiling fans, upper highlight windows and skylights to increase the natural light as much as possible. We found a fabulous, local shed builder who was happy to take on a custom project like ours and they completed the build to a high standard. The result is an absolute dream – I can spread my work out and have loads of space to print and paint, plus store all my art materials as well as packing materials too. There’s a lot of stuff that goes with my art practice!

What inspired this body of work you created for FLORA?

I love incorporating geometric lines and angles with organic, botanical shapes in my works. I remember the suburban fences in Moonee Ponds and Brunswick in Victoria where I grew up, and flowering vines would grow over and around them. My home was particularly jungley! I remember bougainvillea, happy wanderer, rhododendron, hibiscus, climbing roses and camelias in our area. I still see a lot of these plants clustered around geometric patterned fences in the older, suburban areas of Geelong where I now live. My works in FLORA are inspired by these types of suburban gardens.

What's next for Liz Wickramasinghe?

For 2022 - I have some paintings in a few group shows this year, including ”FLORA” at the Corner Store Gallery. I have a few artwork releases coming soon on my website including my usual themes of rockpools, botanicals, and mountainscapes – I’m still currently working on these bodies of work. I’m looking forward to having them finished and ready for purchase.

In 2023 - I am curating an exhibition in March 2023 at Brunswick Street Gallery titled “Painting Pattern” which will incorporate works by a range of Australian artists who use elements of pattern in their work. I have a solo exhibition at Boom Gallery in Geelong in September in 2023 and hopefully a solo exhibition at Corner Store Gallery in the coming year/s also! 2023 will be a busy and exciting year for me!