• Cross-Pollination, FLG Melbourne

    Cross-Pollination, FLG Melbourne

    Cross-Pollination, my latest solo exhibition opens at FLG, Melbourne 17th Oct - 11 Nov 2023.
    Opening Celebration Saturday 21st Oct 1-3pm

    For more info please VISIT: FLG

    Cross-Pollination is a series of works, conceived in different places, and imagined while crossing the Nullarbor Plain. They carry the remnants of prior experience, the current physicality of place and the emotive effects of memory. Ideas that emerge from your sub-conscious while you are in the process of painting is a precious thing to hold onto.

    2023 has been a year of some disruption, big projects, and momentous occasions. Interspersed with seasonal farm commitments, time has been spent on the road, traversing from the south-west of WA to Tasmania and back again, with a central Australia painting intensive thrown in.

    I can only paint what is inside of me at the time and works thought/dreamed of in one place become about another, a process of transference; memory, feeling, nostalgia. A cross-pollination of ideas emerges within the process of painting; responding to the physicality of paint & surface with tension, colour, harmony, surprise.

    Melissa Boughey - August 2023

  • Finalist City of Melville Art Awards

    Finalist City of Melville Art Awards

    After Termite Wonders 2023, was recently selected as a finalist in the City of Melville Art Awards 2023

    The opening night is Friday 20th Oct 6-8pm, if you are interested in attending you'll find info HERE

  • WONDERGROUND at Butter Factory Studios, Denmark WA

    WONDERGROUND at Butter Factory Studios, Denmark WA

    We welcome your visit to our latest exhibition
    from the Butter Factory Studios Collective:
    WONDERGROUND
    CO-Curated by Melissa Boughey and Helmie van Melle
    Works include: ceramics, installation, painting, mixed media, print, and textiles with each artist investigating the topic in a unique and thoughtful way!
    Now open until Sunday 8th October.
    We will be having exhibition celebrations on Sunday 1st October 3-5PM
    HOPE TO SEE YOU THEN!

  • Finalist City of Stirling Art Prize 2023

    Finalist City of Stirling Art Prize 2023

    Harmonics in the wetlands (Spring Moments)I
    mixed media on canvas
    100 x 80

    Selection for the City of Stirling Art Awards 2023

  • Selected for OPEN BORDERS Regional Arts Triennial

    Selected for OPEN BORDERS Regional Arts Triennial
  • Destination Unknown - SOLO - Curatorial+Co, Sydney

    Destination Unknown - SOLO - Curatorial+Co, Sydney

    Thrilled to share with you my latest exhibition:
    Destination Unknown

    The painting process is not dissimilar to the roadtrip, and must be met with a sense of adventure, curiosity and wonder. In each instance the destination is not a given, so tangents must be explored, and paths taken that lead you somewhere unexpected.

    In this series of works I had ideas about exploring my backyard and further afield; day trips and over-nighters. However, with the constraints that manifested in 2022, I had to delve into my own sense of self and appreciate what was close to hand. On the farm in which I have spent most of my adult years we overlook a wetlands area. It is ever-present - the light, moods, reflections - change both by the season, and by the minute.

    My springboard to new works was to start at home base and to go from there. Accessible places that I could easily return to. More exciting places called to me but I had to sit with this notion and let it reveal itself to me. I am drawn to these coastal heathlands, inlet, estuary, and wetlands on my doorstep.

    Small sketches reminded me about form; on-site works allowed me to soak in the atmosphere. In the studio I had to trust the process; that I had within me whatever the work needed to progress.

    On the canvas I wanted to incorporate a variety of texture, speed, transparency and opaqueness. To shift in gear between calm and meditative, and physical and robust. Some works revealed themselves to me gently, others took me to the edge and back.

    Without an endpoint in mind, the destination was unknown. And this was quite liberating.

  • SMALL WONDER - invite!

    SMALL WONDER - invite!

    Getting very excited about this (and a teeny bit worried that we might have another COVID lockdown and no-one will see it)!

    Online now!

  • Small Wonder - SOLO - Flinders Lane Gallery 2021

    Small Wonder - SOLO - Flinders Lane Gallery 2021

    SMALL WONDER:

    I live and work on a farm on the south west corner of WA. Although I do have beautiful scenery on my doorstep I have an innate desire to be enveloped by a different landscape. It allows me to see things fresh, for my retina to get a tune up, to find a new tempo to my way of working. Working plein air is a little like bootcamp for your mark making and puts all your senses on high alert.

    I recently went on a road trip from WA, crossing the Nullarbor, and into the Ikara-Flinders Ranges. As you drive through the landscape you can feel the stress and tension dissipate, you become present, in the moment. Drawing reinforces this feeling of being present; a mindfulness meditation if you like. To pay attention. It takes some time to get a feel for a new environment, so I take notes, a kind of shorthand drawing: what tempo does it have? And there are many failed attempts at pulling the elements together, but I hope to create a memory, a physicality, that I will remember later.

    Once back in the studio I may not make specific paintings of place but more an amalgamation of felt experience. In fact I sometimes do set out to make a particular work but in the process of painting I am taken on quite a different path. I start with an idea and am taken on a journey, a kind of rollercoaster of despair and awe, I am learning to watch this process from a slight distance from my self talk, to trust in the process, although this isn’t always easy. If it feels too contrived, or hasn’t challenged me enough I may bring in a troublesome element to shift the focus.

    The act of going on a roadtrip and coming back has the added benefit of seeing my home environment anew! Particularly, I can appreciate the plant life, biodiversity, autumn colours. I keep coming back to wetlands and how important they are for the health of our rivers and inlets. Paperbarks, especially, resonate with me.

    For some years I have been interested in this fleeting feeling of oneness that one might grasp when held enthral to nature: a quiet sense of contemplation, when time slows down, worries vanish and we are deeply present.

    Eutierria - from eu (good), tierra (the earth), ia (you), was coined by sustainability professor Glenn Albrecht, and describes this euphoric sense of being at one with nature, with a feeling of peace and connectedness.

    It is now more important than ever to tune into our natural environment, to feel moments of awe - whether walking, swimming, catching the light of dawn, and furthermore, if I can inspire someone else to appreciate our landscape, or feel a moment of joy, then I feel I have contributed.

  • Finalist Muswellbrook Art Prize 2021

    Finalist Muswellbrook Art Prize 2021

    I've been selected as a finalist in this year's Muswellbrook Art Prize for:

    Tree Symphony
    oil on canvas
    135 x 112
    SOLD

  • NOW represented by FLG, Melbourne

    NOW represented by FLG, Melbourne

    I'm thrilled to now be represented by the experienced team at Flinders Lane Gallery who recently celebrated 30 years in the industry.

    Please contact Claire direct with any enquiries.

    FLG is a contemporary art gallery in the heart of Melbourne, located on Level 1 of the Nicholas Building at the corner of Flinders Lane and Swanston Street. The gallery has been championing the practices of emerging, mid-career and established Australian artists since its inception in 1989. The FLG stable is unified by a commitment to presenting high quality, exceptional artworks that demonstrate conceptual rigour, technical expertise and creative sensitivity.

  • Painter to Painter - a conversation between friends

    Painter to Painter - a conversation between friends

    We hope you can join us for our exhibition opening in Fremantle WA

    you can find more info HERE:

  • Feature in Design Anthology

    Feature in Design Anthology

    "In the lush Melbourne suburb of Toorak, local interior design firm GOLDEN has transformed a 1960s home into an abode the befits its owners’ creative flair. Inspired by the notion of ‘liveable artistry’, the existing architectural characteristics and the clients’ art collection, the design team conceived a design narrative that would spark curiosity and joy. ‘Our clients wanted to be bold and have beautiful elements throughout their home, particularly in the finishes like the green marble floor. Our design needed to be classic yet contemporary, finding a balance between colour and pattern while still feeling timeless,’ Alicia McKimm, director of GOLDEN, explains.

    The clients prioritise a balance between function and an art-led aesthetic. Their art collection takes pride of place in home, displayed alongside family photographs and sentimental items, with furnishing and objects selected to complement the work. The colours and brushstrokes of Melissa Boughey’s Interior Track to Waterfall, for example, inspired a custom-made Grazia & Co ottoman in Kelly Wearstler fabric.

    Read the full article by Babette Radcliffe-Thomas here: Design Anthology
    Images by Sharyn Cairns

  • Eutierria: moments in nature

    Eutierria: moments in nature

    New exhibition opens at BOOM Gallery Geelong, VIC
    August 15 - Sept 8 2019
    opening celebrations Saturday 17th Aug 1-3pm

    Melissa’s current body of work speaks of a life lived on the land, an intimate connection with both the wild and tamed landscapes in her close daily interactions of living and working on a farm and revegetating native habitat. Ocean swimming, walking the dog, and drawing plein-air in the paperbark wetlands (a stones throw from her studio) are some of these deeply resonant & immersive experiences.

    Whilst researching for this current exhibition, Melissa was looking for a term to describe a fleeting feeling of oneness that one might grasp when held enthral to nature: a quiet sense of contemplation, when time slows down, worries vanish and we are deeply present. Eutierria - from eu (good), tierra (the earth), ia (you), was coined by sustainability professor Glenn Albrecht, and describes this euphoric sense of being at one with nature, with a feeling of peace and connectedness. For Melissa, this happens when she works outside and responds to the sensory environment.
    “My process begins with an immersion in the landscape; jotting notes; scribbling responses; and creating a shorthand code for the natural environment.”

  • Cross Country at Turner Engine Rooms

    Cross Country at Turner Engine Rooms

    Opening 6th October 6-8pm Turner Galleries ENGINE ROOM @ William St Northbridge - Hope you can come!

    Melissa Boughey describes her work as “an annotation of landscape, a shorthand writing, a synthesis of experience.”

    Time spent immersed in the landscape, drawing en plein air, is intrinsic to her experience and provides the framework for the development of paintings in her bush studio, located on the Kent River near Denmark. Cross Country is a multilayered response to her intimate connection with land and interpretation of place. The daily dog walk, a recent camping trip, the feeling of the desert, are all experiences that may come to the fore and be ripe for excavation.

    The end result is a very elegant and refined response to her environment.

    PREVIEW WORK HERE

  • Interview with TDF

    Interview with TDF

    Pretty chuffed to have my work profiled on The Design Files. Story by Elle Murrell, photos by Bo Wong.

    you can read it HERE

  • Close to Home - exhibition with Andy Quilty

    Close to Home - exhibition with Andy Quilty

    Showing together for the first time, emerging West Australian artists Melissa Boughey and Andy Quilty present a diverse body of new works exploring ideas around identity, sense of place, and connection to the land.
    Opening this Saturday 8th April at 6pm, with an artist talk/demo prior at 5pm. If you are in town please come and visit.
    see catalogue here Close to Home
    Margaret River Gallery
    Shop 4/1 Charles St West
    Margaret River WA

  • Small Spaces SYDNEY

    Small Spaces SYDNEY

    As you may know I live on a farm in the southwest of Western Australia, where I have a studio that overlooks our vineyard and wetlands.

    I have lived here since completing my fine art degree in 1994 and I love the quiet rural existence that I share with my partner and 3 sons. I exhibit my work and sell through our Moombaki cellar door, the Butter Factory Studios in Denmark (a co-operative of 10 of which I am a member) and Margaret River Gallery.

    For some time I have been thinking that I really need to stretch myself and exhibit my work more widely. Thanks to instagram I can connect with other artists and get a feel for galleries that I otherwise wouldn't be able to access. I discovered a beautifully curated space in Sydney called Small Spaces. I plucked up some courage and asked them to take a look at my work.

    I do find self-promotion rather difficult and I have to counter a lot of interfering doubt to push through the discomfort. So I was chuffed when Sarah said she loved my work and would love to show it in Sydney. It might seem like a small step, but actually it is a bit leap of faith in my self-belief and that I am doing the work I am meant to be doing.

    It also makes me excited for what else might be waiting around the corner in the future.

  • Margaret River Gallery at KIDOGO ARTHOUSE

    Margaret River Gallery at KIDOGO ARTHOUSE

    Exploring New Territories and New Artists

    13 Artists from Margaret River Gallery come to Fremantle.

    I'm thrilled to be part of this show at Bathers Beach, Fremantle. I'll be showing a couple of my larger paintings and a new triptych drawing.

    Can't wait to see the show!

  • Artist Open House Fremantle AOHF

    Artist Open House Fremantle AOHF

    So excited to be involved in this year's event!

    AOHF is an annual community event where art is shown and sold in private homes in Fremantle, WA.

    AOHF aims to make affordable art accessible to everyone.

    Each November Fremantle residents volunteer their gorgeous homes so that our carefully curated selection of emerging and established artists can show their art in a domestic context. It is also an opportunity to meet the artists, many of whom help at the homes.

    Take our short self-guided walking trail where, for small donation, volunteers will welcome you inside select Fremantle homes to see and buy artwork by local and interstate artists.

    Here is the Event Guide

  • Scene Exhibition 2016

    Scene Exhibition 2016

    I've been invited to exhibit with Nyisztor Studio in Perth for SCENE:
    an exhibition to showcase a selection of WA’s art practice to
    the public.

    I'm sending in this one: 2 weeks in the desert

  • Totem - Butter Factory Studios Denmark WA

    Totem - Butter Factory Studios Denmark WA

    Totem:
    A reverence for,
    and feeling of,
    being within the landscape.
    Emotive response to
    the inherent spirit of place:
    a rapt ode to being

  • Paul Guest Drawing Prize 2016

    Paul Guest Drawing Prize 2016

    Notation Finke to Dolomite Walk NT
    42 x 180 - 6 panels
    mixed media on paper

    Finalist in the Paul Guest Drawing Prize
    Bendigo Art Gallery

    Honoured to be selected for this esteemed drawing prize.

  • Marie Ellis AOM Prize for Drawing

    Marie Ellis AOM Prize for Drawing

    Recently I undertook a field trip to Central Australia. I’d been harbouring yearnings for the desert for 3 years. I was amazed by the diversity, the ranges, the geological time etched in strata.

    I drew as we walked, as I was driven, whenever we stopped, wherever we camped. I was rewriting my experience of landscape (having lived and worked on the south coast of WA for 20 years) and I was so astounded by the inherent beauty.

    These drawing were done plein air at the camping site near Uluru - it was a breathtaking experience to be there.

  • Finalist in the Brisbane Art Prize 2016

    Finalist in the Brisbane Art Prize 2016

    Inspired by my recent trip to Central Australia - this work was recently shortlisted for the Brisbane Art Prize!

  • Brave New Drawings 20 x 20 works on paper exhibition

    Brave New Drawings 20 x 20 works on paper exhibition

    Butter Factory Studios Denmark WA

    As park of Denmark Arts Brave New Works Program, the BFS artists have been set a challenge (by missus!) to create 20 works on paper in 20 days ...

    50% proceeds will be donated to Carad (Coalition for refugees and detainees WA)

    Here is a sample of my work - you can find more on my instagram account :melissa_boughey_art

    PS This exhibition was such a success (we raised $2,500+ and all the artists enjoyed the challenge) that we are going to make it an annual event!

    Keep posted!

  • These works off to Tasmania for the Lloyd Rees Prize

    These works off to Tasmania for the Lloyd Rees Prize

    I wish I could go with them ....

    These 3 little oil on paper are heading over to Tasmania to the Colville Gallery for the Lloyd Rees Landscape Prize - I'm a finalist!

    Travels along the south coast 2015
    oil on paper
    25 x 25
    individually framed

    STOP PRESS:
    Also received a Highly Commended Award!

  • Finalist Mandorla Art Award WA

    Finalist Mandorla Art Award WA

    In the silence of the moment the shadow of the memory remains 2014
    mixed media and encaustic on arches paper
    40 x 50

    I've been thinking it's time to get out there again and submit work to a few select exhibitions. I was encouraged to enter the Mandorla and was really happy to get selected amongst a small group of quality finalists - the opening is in Perth so I might even get to this one ....

    I'm just going to keep on my path, working towards exhibitions, art awards, build my CV and one day be in a position to apply for a residency!

  • WOW! And another one

    WOW! And another one

    wetlands by tributary
    oil on canvas
    120 x 150

    I also submitted this work to the Fleurieu Peninsula Water Prize and was selected as a finalist and also awarded a Highly Commended!

  • Fleurieu Peninsula Biennale Art Prize

    Fleurieu Peninsula Biennale Art Prize

    wetlands by canoe
    oil on canvas
    120 x 150

    It actually took a bit of procrastination, a lot of guts and a big jump off a cliff (that's what it felt like at the time).

    But when I got selected as a finalist I was overjoyed (perhaps a few tears and a little jig!)

    See folks sometimes you gotta take the plunge ...

    Anyway I feel so honoured to get this type of validation for my work from the art establishment ... you see I work in isolation on the most part, I live in a fairly secluded spot on the far south west coast of WA, so putting my art out there to get judged by a pretty selective bunch and to achieve shortlisting does help on the days when I'm struggling with the paint!