Eileen Noyer is a self-taught artist who seeks to capture in paint the rugged beauty of the Australian landscape. The Blue Mountains rocks and vistas, native plants, and favorite bushwalking locations are all inspiration for her work. Now living in Northern California for over 7 years, the quality of Eileen's paintings have become reminiscent and endearing. Intensely vibrant sunsets and jutting rocks with scraggly trees are subject matter that has become so natural to her painting style that it is almost intertwined.

Eileen grew up in Sydney, Australia and has loved all forms of art and creativity from a young age. Growing up with a ceramicist father and painter mother meant that artistic pursuits were always encouraged. However it was only when Eileen was in her late 20's that she thought to pursue art as a career. Prior to that, it was a wonderful hobby that made for some unique gifts for family and friends.

*Yes This Place Is Real, 48x60” Acrylic on Canvas - Sweet Eucalyptus, 24x24” Acrylic on Canvas*

What's your most memorable moment when you fell in love with painting?

It was actually a very distinct weekend when I was 14 that I realized I was drawn to art. I grabbed a bagful of my mother's oil paints and headed on a train to visit my aunt in the Blue Mountains. I spent a day painting a local waterfall and was in awe of how the painting took on a life of its own.

*Grose Valley Rockface At Sunset, 40x30” Acrylic on Canvas*

Why the Blue Mountains?

Whenever things were rough during my teen years and twenties, I knew I could make my way to the Blue Mountains and gain back a sense of clarity and peace. And so these lookouts of rocks and trees feel deeply personal to me.

How do you describe your painting style? Has your style changed over time?

I call my style Loose Impressionism. I use broad brush strokes with colors that are more striking than the traditional description of impressionism. The composition of each painting (how the elements are placed on the canvas) is rather unusual. It is my hope that the unexpected and unusual use of colors and composition will disarm the viewer and make them feel they are truly experiencing the natural beauty of Australia. Even though my art style is unique, there is a sense of familiarity to the work when looking at the context of Australian artists who also paint the natural environment.

Interestingly, I have had a strong and consistent style of painting ever since picking up oil paints at 14 years old. And while you can see the core similarities in my work over the years, my work is constantly evolving. This past two years I have experienced so many changes in my personal life, and this is reflected in my work. The most notable differences are a more mature color palette, more moments of visual calm, and bolder decisions in composition. All these changes are from within me, and then just happen on canvas.

Looking at my paintings feels like looking at a photograph of myself. I’m seeing my deeper self represented in that moment of time it was painted.

*A Walk Under The Gum Trees - Blue Mountains Ballad - Onwards and Upwards - 36x24” Acrylic on Canvas*

What projects are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working as a Mural Assistant in a project called Community Murals Sacramento, funded by the City of Sacramento. This has been an amazing experience of facilitating community collaboration events and painting a mural (designed by Gregory Shilling) that was inspired by the thoughts and ideas of the local community. I am also working on a large 3-piece painting commission for a private collector, which I hope to have completed in the next 2 months.

Where can we see your work?

I post images of recent paintings on my instagram account @eileennoyerart, on my website www.eileennoyer.com and occasionally have my work represented at JCO’s Art Haus in Los Gatos. One of my paintings is currently showing at the Pacific Art League’s 100th anniversary exhibition. If you’d like to see how my solo show looked at the MACC, you can do a virtual walk-though here . The walk-though will be updated in a few years, but for now my work is the online walk-though for The MACC. It was such an honor to be selected for a solo show at The MACC for August of 2021. I am so grateful to Cordova Community Council for prioritizing the arts, and to The MACC curator Cheryl Gleason for making these opportunities a reality for local artists.

http://www.eileennoyer.com

http://www.facebook.com/eileennoyerart

http://www.instagram.com/eileennoyerart

info@eileennoyer.com

Interview for Rancho Cordova Arts

Written by Eileen Noyer