How long have you lived on the Beaches? Since 1991. I married an Aussie a few years later, and we eventually bought a house in North Narrabeen. 35 years later, the Northern Beaches still feels very much like home.
What first led you to the Peninsula? It was actually a flatting situation in Collaroy, a big yellow house on Alexandria Street. We had incredible views up and down the coast, and some pretty legendary parties back in the day!
If you had to live anywhere else in the world, where would that second-best place to live be? Easy, back home in New Zealand. I grew up on a farm near Matamata, famously known for where they filmed The Hobbit. New Zealand will always have a piece of my heart.
What inspired your cover art? I’d had it in the back of my mind for some time that I’d like to paint Layne for the Archibald. I’ve always admired her, not only her extraordinary sporting achievements as a seven-time world champion surfer, but also for the way she has navigated the highs and lows of her own life. Today she is an empowering speaker and advocate, sharing her experiences and helping others recognise their own potential through the Awake Academy. I felt she would be a really positive and inspiring subject for an Archibald portrait.
When did you two first meet? I didn’t know Layne personally. We had a mutual friend, photographer Carol Gibbons, who I bumped into at Coles – a moment of opportunity over the shopping trolleys! Carol put me in touch with Layne, and I expected a polite decline. To my surprise, she said yes. When she came to my studio to sit for the portrait, I loved the Awake Academy T-shirts and suggested she wear one of her favourites. The message Be Where Your Feet Are couldn’t have been more perfect. I also wanted the ocean to be subtly present in the background, because that is very much Layne’s happy place.
How did you celebrate becoming Archibald finalists, a huge achievement? I was absolutely thrilled when I found out. It’s such a tough exhibition to get into, so I was even more excited to be able to call Layne and give her the good news. We both frocked up and got suitably glamorous for the big Archibald opening night. We also did some public speaking events at the Art Gallery of NSW alongside Director Maud Page, it was incredibly special.
What inspires your work? I’m inspired by colour and texture, and by what I encounter going about my everyday life, particularly the overlooked, seemingly mundane things. I love interiors, gardens and local urban scenes, and finding ways to connect all those elements together. I’m not particularly interested in making a political statement with my work. I want to make quiet paintings that evoke a sense of happiness, nostalgia and contemplation. I suppose it’s also how I make sense of the world around me.
What’s your favourite thing about what you do? I love that, on a good day, you can completely lose track of time. That feeling of being in a flow state or “in the zone” is pretty addictive. There’s something incredibly fortunate about being able to spend your days doing something you genuinely love. Painting is also a way of questioning life through everything you see and experience. Those little discoveries can then become immortalised in a painting.
Mark 9-15 November in the calendar to check out Stephanie’s solo exhibition at Art Gallery on Avalon Beach
Check out all of Stephanie’s work online at gallowaybrown.com.au
And follow Stephanie on socials for all updates @stephaniegallowaybrown