Gatya Kelly has been in what you could almost call a COVID-imposed ‘exile’ in Europe.

Following her sold-out 2019 exhibition at the Frances Keevil Gallery in Double Bay, Gatya and her partner flew to Europe at the end of that year. They had planned for an idyllic time travelling in a van, without an imposed itinerary or set of destinations, before returning to Byron Bay in time for Xmas 2020.

This of course coincided, with a certain pandemic which intruded on these plans in February 2020, so they spent that year moving locations to escape COVID surges, infection and lock downs. 

Winter was spent in Corfu, which sounds lovely and straight out of the Durrells, though it was also simultaneously freezing – the beautiful stone cottages are not built for tourists in winter. And Greece, as was the whole of Europe, was also locked down for months. 

At least in the meantime, Gatya has been able to paint some beautiful, small, intimate paintings, which she has recently sent through.

“ My still life work isn’t political or confronting. I’m not trying to challenge anyone. It’s a reminder that the unpredictability and lurking chaos of the outside world is only transient. Living with beautiful objects that pay tribute to the natural world is an invitation to step back and reconnect with who we are.

“My latest small works are a response to two places where I have painted this year –  on the island of Corfu in Greece where the pomegranates are abundant, and in Devon UK where even the weeds are beautiful.” Gatya Kelly

These artworks are viewable, as long as some of her past works are on the Frances Keevil website: 

https://franceskeevil.com.au/gatya-kelly