Elena Larkin

Elena Larkin is an Eora/Sydney-based contemporary painter known for her luminous, lyrical interpretations of the Australian landscape. Her work captures the dynamic, immersive experience of being in nature, with a distinctive visual language shaped by expressive mark-making and a nuanced use of gouache.

Using layers of loosely overlapping, almost pointillistic strokes, Larkin creates dense, vibrant compositions that seem to shimmer with light and movement. Her paintings evoke the effects of dappled sunlight filtering through forest canopies, casting shifting shadows and bursts of luminosity across tangled undergrowth. These richly textured surfaces reach to the edge of the frame, enveloping viewers in the atmosphere of the bush.

Larkin’s approach reflects a deep personal connection to the natural world, shaped by her upbringing on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers of NSW. Raised on a fruit orchard and surrounded by native bushland, she developed a lasting appreciation for the rhythms of rural life and the complexities of Australian ecologies—an influence that continues to inform her practice today.

Her work explores the sensory impressions of the landscape—the buzzing soundscape, thick hazy light, and rugged textures—translating them into a not-quite-abstract pictorial form. Silvery ghost gums, bursts of green, blue, ochre, and pink all collide in her compositions, reflecting the vitality and flux of the environments she paints.

Elena Larkin has recently garnered national attention, including being shortlisted for the Paddington Art Prize and awarded the prestigious Eramboo Residency. Her rising profile marks her as a compelling new voice in contemporary Australian painting.