About the Artist

Zena is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toowoomba, Australia. Her creative practice spans a wide range of media, including ink, gouache, coloured pencil, graphite and mixed media. Largely self-directed, Zena's artistic practice has developed through experimentation rather than within a single discipline. Her work encompasses drawing, painting, illustration and mixed-media pieces, with a particular interest in nature (particularly Australian flora and fauna), travel, storytelling and the visual possibilities of pattern and detail. Alongside her visual art practice, Zena writes and visually documents the world around her through personal essays, amateur photography and various creative projects. She participates in local creative communities and exhibitions, and continues to explore new materials, subjects and techniques.

Artist Statement

I have always been someone who notices things. A gum leaf curled into a perfect little scroll. A cluster of tiny orange fungi partially hidden beneath the undergrowth. The mesmerising symmetry of birds flying in V-formation. An unexpected patch of colour, the texture of bark, the pattern in a shell. Small details that might easily go unnoticed. My artwork grows from that habit of noticing.I am drawn to the natural world, but also to the quirky, whimsical and slightly unexpected. I love finding the extraordinary in ordinary things, and giving overlooked details a little more room to be seen.I don't work within one static medium, style or subject. Instead, I tend to follow my curiosity. I move freely between ink, gouache, coloured pencil, acrylic, graphite and mixed media, choosing whatever feels right for the idea. Some works begin with something I have encountered in nature; others emerge from memory, imagination, travel, symbolism, or simply an image that has taken up residence in my head.There is something grounding for me in the process itself. My mind can be a busy and untidy place, while making art gives me the opportunity to slow down, focus and bring a little order to that chaos. The deliberate lines, patterns and details become a way of paying attention, of staying with something long enough to truly see it.Ultimately, my work is about curiosity, connection and the little things in life. I make art because I want to notice the world, and because sometimes, when you stop and really look, there is far more there than you first thought.

Exhibitions

➵ Exhibited in group exhibitions with the Artists of Crows Nest (AoCN) at regional galleries in Crows Nest, Esk and Wondai.
➵ Regular contributor to AoCN's bi-monthly themed exhibitions at The Nest Café, Crows Nest.

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