Narjia Brownlie launches new collection celebrating the palette of Pablo Picasso

Known for her colourful captures of the female experience, Narjia’s collection features abstract female figures coming together in dance and delight.

Published 2 November 2021
Written by Phoebe Tully
Photography: Morgan Smith

Local artist Narjia Brownlie is known for her colourful captures of the female experience. With a dreaminess and whimsy, neutral tones collide with bursts of colour in her considered approach to line, shape and form. Narjia’s paintings celebrate female connection through the central idea of sisterhood. Unencumbered by societal pressures or expectations, the artist depicts abstract female figures coming together in dance and delight, where bodies move and exist together freely.

Narjia’s recent Pablo’s Babes collection uses vibrant inverted colours with bodies shifting and melting together to tell the varied stories of the female experience. “The collection came together based off a painting that wasn’t working out at all”, says Narjia. “A signifier of rush and stress that, after five months, with a bit of tweaking (inverting the colours) turned into something really beautiful to me. Now these pieces serve as a gentle reminder to “invert the colours” and analyse a change of perspective when something isn’t going as I’d hoped.” All unframed pieces are A3 (297 x 420 mm) and cost $320.

As well as her collections, the full-time artist releases an A3 original painting each Saturday at 10am in a series called ‘Catch a Falling Star’. Follow her on Instagram to see each week’s release.

Narjia has previously exhibited at the Downlands Art Show, and her work can often be found at the Brouhaha Gallery within Banter Coffee Kitchen.