Narelle Higson
Australian Artist Working in Oil Pastels
Narelle Higson is an Australian artist known for her richly layered oil pastel works inspired by the colour, light and movement of the Australian landscape. Combining oil pastel with cold wax, she creates luminous drawings that explore bushland, wildflowers and the shifting atmosphere of the natural world. Her work is held in private and public collections throughout Australia and internationally.
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Narelle Higson is a contemporary Australian artist known for her expressive oil pastel drawings, a notoriously challenging medium that she has mastered with a distinctive and dynamic approach. Describing herself as more of a scribbler than a painter, Narelle embraces the raw, tactile quality of oil pastels, layering them with cold wax to build depth, texture, and rich luminosity. Through a process of layering and scraping back, she reveals intricate surfaces that capture the essence of the landscapes she observes.
Deeply inspired by the Australian landscape, Narelle’s work explores the interplay of colour, light, and movementfound in grasses, bushland, flora, and water. Her mark-making reflects the energy and rhythm of the natural world, transforming familiar scenery into expressive, abstracted impressions.
After years spent working in health and children’s television, Narelle returned to full-time art practice, honing a unique style that has gained recognition across Australia. She has been a finalist in several juried exhibitions, including the 2022 Perth Royal Art Prize for Landscape, and her works are held in private and civic collections both nationally and internationally.
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Narelle Higson.