Growth on display for first solo foray

CHANGE and growth are at the forefront of an emerging artist’s debut solo show opening today.

Karla Devlin, creating under the pseudonym @art0girl, will present a collection of interpreted plumages as part of her Feathering exhibition at Accent Framing and Fine Art.

Devlin said the show is about the symbolism behind its subject matter.

“I’ve been drawing feathers for quite some time and they’ve got a lot of meaning and symbolise change, honour, growth, and protection,” she said.

“My work is a collection of paintings and drawings inspired by those things. I’ve been focusing on feathers since around COVID.

“I spend a lot of time at the beach and especially over COVID, being alone was really hard, so I’d go for walks, find feathers, and take them home and draw them.

“It’s all feathers but no two are ever the same.”

Devlin took to art while attending Loreto College, and pursued the subject further with a visual arts degree at Federation University.

She was recently one of 10 artists whose work has been showcased in a photograph collection through the City of Ballarat, and is currently undertaking the Ballarat Arts Foundation’s mentoring program

“The mentoring program’s really helped with my confidence and finding out what to do,” Devlin said.

Nearly 30 works are featured in Feathering, ranging from acrylics, drawings, and prints.

With the exhibition on show until 23 August, Devlin said her next project will be a return to the coastal environment where she drew inspiration for her current display.

“The next steps for me are over the summer period, me and my friend are having a joint exhibition at Apollo Bay called Coastal Meditations which will be sort of beach-themed,” she said.