Lisa Marple

I am a mixed media painter and visual storyteller with over thirty years of experience creating deeply personal artworks that evoke my inner world and experiences. Growing up alongside a national park in southern Sydney, I have always felt a profound connection to nature, which continues to inspire my practice. My work explores ancient myths, folklore, and symbolic representations of animals, plants, and landscapes, allowing me to express spiritual and intangible themes through rich, layered narratives.

Feathers have become a central medium in my art, sourced sustainably from the birds I care for on my farm at Bullawa Creek in northwestern New South Wales. Through hand-dyeing, painting, stitching, and sculptural shaping, I transform these natural materials into unique textile artworks and wearable pieces of jewellery, custom-making items for clients. Alongside my studio practice, I work as an art teacher and run workshops, sharing my passion for creativity and sustainable artmaking. Influenced by indigenous cultures, symbolist art, and contemporary feather and embroidery artists, my practice bridges tradition and contemporary expression while inviting viewers to connect with the deeper meanings within nature and my own personal journey.

LISA MARPLE – ARTIST CV

2025

Completing private commissions

Solo exhibition titled #bullawacreeklove at the Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery

“CREATE” Festival Narrabri group exhibition artist in “Dream”

Wee Waa Community Arts and Cultural Centre

2024

Completing private commissions

Christmas Art Fair Wee Waa Community Arts and Cultural Centre

“CREATE” Festival Narrabri group exhibition artist in “Country”

“Letter To My Returning” group exhibition in Moree, Gunnedah and Wee Waa galleries feature artist

2023

Christmas Markets at “The Exchange”

“Flight” group exhibition at The Crossing Theatre, Narrabri

“Barrab Barra-y” group exhibition at the Wee Waa Community Arts and Cultural Centre

Guest artist tutor at the Tamworth Regional Gallery

Completing private commissions

2021-2022

Artisan and jewellery pieces online

Completing private commissions

2019

“Elemental” Solo exhibition and artist led art making workshops at “The Link, Ginninderry”, Canberra

Solo exhibition at Dolcetto, Yass

2017

“Tryptych” Exhibition at Strathnairn, Canberra

2016

“The Red Thread” Solo Exhibition held at the Yazzbar, in Yass

2015

Creative Arts Exhibition at Yass Public School Artist Collaboration

2014

“My Dog Is A Piece Of Work” Exhibition

2012

“Chrysalis” Solo Exhibition at the Anthony Rose Gallery, Yass

“Clonakilla” Murrumbateman Winery Exhibition & Meet the Artist talk

2011

“Winter” Group Exhibition in Binalong Exhibition Space

The Yass Arts Trail Open Studio Exhibition

2010

“Ten” Group Exhibition at the Anthony Rose Gallery, Yass

The Yass Arts Trail Open Studio Exhibition

2009-2011

Private art classes for adults and children from my studio

2009

Yass Council Collaboration “Artspace in the Park” Program

“Makers” Exhibition in Gundaroo

Ryde Art Exhibition

2008Open Garden Scheme Red Cross Artist Collaboration Exhibition at “Weetalibah”

2007

“A Collection of Whimsy” Solo Exhibition at the Anthony Rose Gallery, Yass

2006

Paper Dolls Artists Group Exhibition

2005

Oddfellows Hall Gallery, Yass, Inaugural Exhibition

Featured artist at Oddfellows Hall Gallery

2003-2016

Permanent featured artist at the Anthony Rose Gallery

2002

Group Art Exhibition at Dubbo Artspace

My current artistic practice has evolved over thirty years of being a passionate visual storyteller, experimenting with a wide variety of mixed media materials and techniques. My chosen rich and experimental medium allows me to explore my deep love for the complex natural world and how it can be represented. I am interested in investigating ancient myths, stories and archetypes and in translating these concepts in new and unique ways through my artmaking. Animals, birds, fish, plants and landscape elements such as the earth and sky are symbols which can be seen to convey valuable information from the spiritual and intangible worlds. Ancient mythology and folklore are rich with symbolic representations of nature which can offer insight and unique meanings, helping us as individuals to make sense of our modern individual lives.

An intimate connection with the land on which I live in a rural and remote regional area of northwestern New South Wales provides me with endless iconography for authentic representation in my arts practice. My daily life is interwoven with the changing weather, the earth and the animals which we care for on our horse farm at Bullawa Creek. The artmaking process in which I engage acts as a visual representation of my own investigations into how various aspects of nature can act as guides and messengers, and in turn be visually represented as symbols to convey valuable information from the spiritual and intangible world. An essential element of my arts practice is my focussed and sustained examination upon how the natural world is represented symbolically by ancient cultures, traditional and contemporary folklore and poetry; and how the spiritual practice of shamanism can convey cultural knowledge and lessons.

I am particularly influenced by the indigenous cultures of the America’s, the Inuit, Maori and Aboriginal Australian people. On a personal level, I am deeply connected to how my ancestors, the ancient Baltic, Slavic and Celtic peoples connected to various aspects of nature and the various meanings which they ascribed to animals, plants and the elements. I also explore, replicate and appreciate primitive and traditional artmaking materials and techniques.

I feel an affinity with the symbolist art movement, particularly Redon, his dreamlike imagery and use of symbols to reflect emotions and ideas. Creating layers of meaning within an artwork is essential on my approach as a visual storyteller.

Contemporary feather artists such as Chris Maynard, Kate McGwire, Rebecca Jewell and Nelly Saunier all serve as inspiration in their use of feathers which provides an environmentally conscious and sustainable way of artmaking. Most of the feathers which I use for my artmaking are sourced humanely and sustainably from the much-loved birds which I care for and house on my farm from their natural feather moults. This allows me to use a wide variety of feathers in my making process, including goose, turkey, duck, peacock, chicken and quail feathers. Hand embroidery artists such as Clementine Brandibas and Ana Teresa Barboza are inspirational in their approach to their contemporary repurposing of materials, depiction of natural forms, and repurposing of traditional processes.

After having incorporated feathers within my artmaking over a few decades, they have now become equally important to me as my mixed media painting, if not my predominant medium. It is an exciting and motivating juxtaposition for me as an artist to elevate the commonplace feather into a finished piece which can be viewed as an art form which holds value. I collect and treat each individual feather, apply inks, dyes, metallic pigments and gold leaf as appropriate. My approach to sourcing and developing materials, layering, stitching, and shaping with wire and thread creates finished art pieces which are unique, sustainable and authentic.