Always Felt Like Home

There is great power in simplicity, and with an economy of stroke, so much can be said of the landscape Stacey Mrmacovski conjures. Based in Melbourne/Wurundjeri, Mrmacovski is inspired by the colours and lighting of the Australian landscape, and her works are purely emotive depictions influenced by both Impressionism and Expressionism.

Stacey makes use of the impasto technique, which requires heaping paint onto the canvas and quickly whipping and slicing it into form. This thickened paint records gestures in a way that acrylic simply cannot. Moving closer to any one of these five paintings, one can appreciate the intricate peaks and troughs of the paint – as though it were its own kind of landscape.

The artist’s decision to serialize the titles of these works by Roman numerals and part numbers underscores the importance of viewing them as a cohesive body. This body transitions from darker shades, suggesting a Turner-esque storm or tempest, to lighter tones, which take on a misty and ethereal appearance—evoking the sensation of observing rapidly changing weather over an ocean.