Wetland Wanderings: Rhonda Campbell ~ 27th September – 19th October 2025

Conversation with the Artists & Gallery Tour

Rhonda Campbell’s recent paintings are inspired by the delicate beauty of Australia’s wetlands. Subtle colourings, soft textures, and gentle rhythms of water, reeds, flowers, and birdlife create works that are peaceful, slightly whimsical, and deeply atmospheric. Many of these paintings begin en plein air, with Rhonda spending hours immersed in the landscape, sketching and painting small studies that later grow into larger canvases in the studio. The result is a body of work that captures not just the look of wetlands, but the feeling of being there — still, attentive, and surrounded by nature’s quiet wonder.

In Wetland Wanderings, Rhonda Campbell invites us to step quietly into the delicate, often overlooked landscapes of Australia’s wetlands. These are places alive with still waters, reeds and grasses, flashes of birdlife, and the quiet movement of small creatures – fragile ecosystems that pulse with life and beauty.

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Rhonda’s paintings distil the essence of these environments into subtle colourings and soft textures. Layers of pigment and gesture suggest shifting water, tangled reeds, and the faint shimmer of light on the surface. Her palette is gentle, understated, and atmospheric, evoking the peace of being immersed in nature rather than its grandeur. In this way, her canvases feel both real and dreamlike; slightly whimsical yet grounded in a deep attentiveness to place.

Each work is framed in pale oak float frame, complementing the natural tones and further reinforcing the quiet harmony of the collection. Together, the paintings radiate a sense of calm and contemplation, offering the viewer a pause and a chance to linger with the slow rhythms of the natural world. The paintings are meditative and calming.

As a painter and printmaker, Campbell thrives on exploration and spontaneity. Her process is one of discovery: abstracting and reimagining the forms of water, reeds, flowers, and grasses until they become part memory, part sensation. What emerges is not a literal depiction, but an expression of what it feels like to stand in a wetland – the stillness, the sounds, the scents, the presence of birdlife and the awareness of something stirring beneath the surface.

With Wetland Wanderings, Rhonda Campbell reminds us of the quiet wonder held in these environments, and the importance of slowing down to notice their intricate life. Her paintings are both a celebration and a sanctuary – an invitation to reflect on the beauty of wetlands and the small but profound role they play in the story of the Australian landscape.