About
Hilary Seselja is a Canberra-based painter working primarily in oils and acrylic, sometimes incorporating mixed media with ink. Her landscapes explore the emotional connection between memory, place and the natural environment. Working with bold colour and loose expressive brushwork, her paintings move beyond realism to capture the atmosphere and experience of a landscape.
Originally trained in graphic design and holding a Bachelor’s degree in Art History, Hilary has worked for over twenty years in graphic and user experience design and came back to painting during the pandemic. She has exhibited in the Strathnairn Squares exhibitions for the past four years and was a finalist in the 2023 Waverley Arts 9×5 Landscape Prize.
Artist statement
My paintings begin with a sense of place.
I am drawn to landscapes that hold memories. Places I have walked through, rested in, or returned to over time. These places are personally important to me, but they also reflect something broader. The wonder of the natural world and our desire to connect with it.
Working primarily in oils and acrylic, and sometimes mixed media with ink, I paint landscapes and occasional still life studies inspired by nature. My work moves away from strict realism towards a more expressive interpretation of what I see and feel in a place. I work quickly with bold, loose brushstrokes, allowing colour and movement to shape the painting alongside observation.
Colour is central to my practice. I use it to create atmosphere and emotion rather than simply describe a scene. Through this approach, the landscape becomes both recognisable and abstracted. The paintings are shaped as much by memory and feeling as they are by the physical environment.
Many of the landscapes I paint come from moments spent away from the built world. They are a response to the experience of being in open space. To the changing light, shifting colours and the sense of freedom that can come from spending time in nature.
I am a self-taught artist with a background in graphic and user experience design. My design experience influences my work through a strong awareness of colour and composition. Painting gives me the freedom to explore ideas more intuitively and to respond directly to the beauty, complexity and character of the landscapes around me.