Collection: Noella Upitis

"Art tells a story and while I am a visual artist, I like to think that I am also a storyteller. As I evolve and grow as an artist and as a person, each of my collections is accompanied by a new narrative." - Noella Upitis

Upitis' early works told a love story; the love between herself and the earth. Upitis' approached my panels with a desire to recreate the feeling of awe and wonder that she experience in the forest.  It was a story of fascination, exploring shapes and light; a bending willow, a pine bough gently cradling the snow. 

Recently, her art has begun to tell a new story. The isolation of the pandemic has changed us all, it has required us to reexamine ourselves. In these quiet moments, Upitis works have turned inward and braved her own truth.  It has become a time of personal transformation. Upitis has mined her unconscious and begun to open the unpacked boxes of a childhood filled with trauma.  Painting is a raw and vulnerable practice and her latest story is raw and vulnerable as well.  It shows a soul stripped bare in order to heal. Trees are now personified, their sculpture and undisguised winter forms expose the years of their journey and their resilience. Iceberg shapes and rocky outcrops symbolize the union of heart, mind and soul. An iceberg’s tip is visible to all but its complexity and strength lies beneath the surface. 

In this story, colour dominates the work set against flat black -- the fragmented pieces of a puzzle joined together in the dark, finally finding their place. This series, Boxes Left Unpacked, expresses suffering and strength, pain and grit, loss and integrity. Joy triumphs and finds expression in colour.

"I am a storyteller. This is my story." - Noella Upitis