Artist Chloe Caday’s detailed paintings are driven by memories of her two homelands – the Philippines and the Victorian bush. Waking between these worlds as a child, art was her ‘safe haven’ to explore her mixed feelings about growing up in a western country after migrating from the Philippines at an early age.
‘Picking up a paintbrush was as intuitive as learning how to walk – it was so natural for me,’ Chloe says.
Her passion for painting is just as strong today. Following a hiatus after completing her degree in fine arts, she’s now a part-time painter, part-time gallery administrator at Brunswick Street Gallery, as well as being a ‘full-time mum’ to her 11-month-old, Isagani.
From her outdoor studio, Chloe creates beautiful landscapes using small, layered brushstrokes with oil paints, inspired by her exploration into the importance of travel and connection to land.
‘My partner and I have a beautiful little home in a 14ha bush block near the Brisbane Ranges National Park, where we spend a lot of our time when we’re not working in our day jobs. I initially learnt how to paint en plein air (paint outdoors), so I tend to work on a single painting from start to finish within a day, to capture all the elements of a place at a particular time of day,’ she adds.
‘Finding my style was definitely a slow process that happened gradually over time,’ she notes. Her art often reflects her personal experiences, and even before she found out she was pregnant in 2020, she noticed her practice evolving to feature more people and loose depictions of a mother and child.
Earthy, subdued colours give Chloe’s pieces a moody and calming quality, sometimes enhanced by ambiguous figures harvesting fruits, playing amongst the trees, or walking along their trail home.
The rising artist is also curating a group exhibition later this month called Passing Rituals, featuring a line-up of local artists tracing their ancestral roots, each in their own poignant way.
You can shop Chloe’s artworks here and here. She is also represented by Gallery Raye.
Passing Rituals
22 April – 8 May
Brunswick Street Gallery
Level 1 & 2, 322 Brunswick Street
Wurundjeri Country, Fitzroy VIC
