
We never left, we never went home,
just fading ghosts in sepia
Location: Trenna Austin Gallery
ARTIST: Trenna Austin
MEDIUM: Oil on belgian linen
SIZE: 152 x 121cm
ABOUT THE ARTWORK:
My painting practice swings precariously from improvisation to more conscious control, from figuration
to abstraction, avoiding closure, revelling in ambiguity and surprise. I like to show subtlety and clarity in the midst of apparent chaos. My canvas becomes a “battlefield” full of swirly brushstrokes, blotches and dabs that flicker and flow. I paint on multiple canvases simultaneously and prefer larger-scale works. My process ignites from pictorial beginnings through to abstracted endings, expressing dynamic movement using oil paint. As a keen equestrian eventer in dressage, show-jumping and cross-country,
I have been inspired by Australian history, horses in art and sport.
Value: $7,500AUD

Trenna has been a full-time practicing artist since 2016, presenting her first solo exhibition in 2017. She graduated from the National Art School in Sydney in 2020 with a BA Fine Art, winning the John McCaughey Prize for her outstanding painting practice and selected for the prestigious Harvey Galleries National Art School Graduate Exhibition Award, showcased in February 2021 at Harvey Galleries in Mosman, NSW. She was also a finalist in the 2021 Paddington Art Prize and has sold works in Britain and around Australia.
Trenna is inspired by Australian history and in particular the official 1933 war paintings of the Australian Light Horse Brigade in WW1. In 2021, Trenna opened a gallery in Mosman dedicated to her practice, showcasing her extensive skills across watercolour portraits, photo media, digital media, sculpture, ceramics and printmaking.