ABOUT ESTELLA

I began painting with oils during the 2021 lockdown at just sixteen years old. What started as afternoons spent following Bob Ross tutorials quickly became something much deeper. I fell in love with the patience of oil painting—the slow layering, the subtle shifts in light, and the way a portrait can hold emotion long after a moment has passed.

Graduating high school, I received a mark of 49/50 for my HSC Visual Arts major work, a portrait series inspired by my experience of visiting India as a child. It was the first time I realised art could become more than a passion. Art could become a career.

I began accepting portrait commissions, and in 2025 my path shifted again when I was offered a studio residency in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, followed by a gallery exhibition. Those opportunities gave me the confidence to pursue my practice more seriously. When I officially opened my commissions and original works to the public, bookings quickly began filling months in advance.

Today, my work centres on portraiture that feels both timeless and deeply personal. I'm drawn to the relationship between light, colour, and contrast, creating paintings that reveal expressive brushstrokes up close while retaining a sense of realism from afar. My goal is to create heirloom pieces that preserve the people and moments that matter most.

As my practice continues to grow, I'm excited to keep building a career creating meaningful work that will live in people's homes—and families—for generations.