Libby Haines is arguably one of Melbourne’s most prolific painters. Every Monday and Tuesday, she posts one of her original paintings for sale on Instagram — where she’s amassed more than 100,000 followers who’ve fallen in love with her ‘messy’ still-life scenes.

But for the past year, between these weekly drops, she’s been working away on her biggest solo show yet, Table Manners.

The new exhibition — which opens tomorrow at a-n studio in Fitzroy — features a series of large-scale paintings that reveal a panorama of a dinner party.

‘I wanted to challenge myself in a technical sense by depicting a scene across 14 distinct paintings,’ Libby says.

Each canvas reveals a different corner of this imagined get-together, from tables full of food to vignettes of well-dressed guests making cocktails. The collection takes all the hallmarks of her much-loved painting style to the next level, combining texture and contrasting colours with intricate details.

‘I worked mainly from photos I had taken, but when bringing them to life I wanted to add an element of the surreal, something slightly over the top about the whole thing,’ Libby says.

‘I’ve always enjoyed working with negative space and inviting viewers to ponder the narrative beyond the confines of the canvas. I think this has naturally led to the figures who were once outside my compositions slowly making their way into the painting.’

To complete the exhibition, Libby is also building a food installation with a real-life table: ‘It will be a kitsch and unserious space where you can be transported to the bustling dinner party on the walls.’

All of the 14 paintings will be available to purchase from 11am Saturday September 14 via QR codes before sales open online at 4pm. Plus, 10 per cent of sales are being donated to the Palestine Australia Relief and Action Foundation.

We suggest getting there early to be the first in line to see (and shop) these new works in person!

See Table Manners this weekend at a-n studio. See the catalogue here.

Saturday September 14, 10am – 3pm 
Sunday September 15, 10am – 3pm 

a-n studio
415 Brunswick St
Fitzroy VIC 3065