Eleanor Millard

Eleanor Millard’s landscapes are personal – they represent places that the artist has been and paths that she has walked – yet their power resides in the universal resonance they hold. These works evolve from an unyielding love of the seaside community where Millard lives – its structures, surrounds and distinct energy – however they could also be dreams or visions, or the inner world of the subconscious.

In this way, the artist’s coastal scenes tug at our memory; they remind us of places that we’ve never seen, yet somehow know. The paradox of the unfamiliar, feeling somehow familiar, underlies our experience of Millard’s work. Her paintings visually capture the emotional tone of the landscape – the resonance of late afternoon light or the sound of wind across a paddock. As a result, the viewer is drawn in by their senses – to a frequency or pitch where sound meets sight – and by the visceral effects of the artist’s intuitive brushstrokes.

A human presence is subtle throughout, projecting a sense of the familiar within each remote country setting. “I try to paint the stillness of the now, with all its sound”, she explains. “The sound of silence; the sound of stillness.”

Eleanor Millard has exhibited in major awards, such as the Wynne Prize, Salon des Refusés and the King’s School Art Prize. Her work is represented in the Kedumba Drawing Collection and has featured in publications, including Artist Profile and Australian House and Garden. Her work is exhibited in Sydney and Perth and held by numerous collections in Australia and overseas.

Watch: interview with Eleanor Millard