Photography: Leon Schoots, Styling: Julia Green
A serious health diagnosis was the catalyst for Australian artist Marcia Priestley to change her life, driving her to leave a 20-year-long career in interiors to pursue her passion for painting. “My purpose became to leave a legacy behind for my daughters,” she says. “It became an obsession, one that I still can’t shake and feel will be with me until the day I die.”
For Marcia, painting has always been a way to communicate with the world. “I feel more comfortable expressing myself through my work than through voice,” she says. It didn’t take long for Marcia’s talent to be recognised by actor and General Public Art co-founder, Portia De Rossi, paving the way for Marcia’s work to be sold at Restoration Hardware stores across the US and Europe.
At a glance
Who Artist Marcia Priestley
What she does Paints original artworks and creates bespoke wallpaper
Where A light-filled studio nestled in the bushland of Victoria
Why she does it “Painting allows me to explore, imagine and communicate. It’s my language.”
Visit marciapriestley.com, @marciapriestley
Now, thankfully fully recovered, Marcia works full-time as an artist from her studio in the Victorian bushland. “It’s a space that feels both private and expansive, where natural light and the landscape continually inform my work.” she says.
It’s here that Marcia devotes herself to her art, letting her creative process guide her days. “I usually start by reviewing ideas, sketches and any moodboards that I’ve created, followed by immersing myself in painting, moving between works to allow ideas to breathe.” When it’s time for a break, the surrounding natural landscape becomes just as important as the interiors of her studio.
“I like to step outside into the bushland and let nature reset my perspective,” she says.
Nature, memory and what she calls “the quieter moments of life” serve as Marcia’s greatest creative influences, often finding herself drawn to painting palm trees, natural landscapes and abstract figures. “There’s something about the energy of these motifs that feel alive and magical to me.”
More important perhaps than even the subjects that she’s painting, is Marcia’s innate need to create something new. “I feel stagnant if I continue to paint the same subjects or narratives,” she says. “There’s a restlessness in me that’s always searching for new ways to express and explore.”
Recently, this saw Marcia create a line of wallpaper based on a selection of her favourite paintings. She has also returned to painting more figurative pieces that embody strong women. “This is how I would like to see my daughters be in life,” she says.
“With inner strength, independence, resilience and fully embracing the truth of who they are.” Seeing her work in someone’s home is the cherry on top of a fulfilling creative career. “Knowing that my work becomes part of someone’s everyday environment – a piece that sparks joy, reflection or curiosity, is incredibly rewarding.”
Marcia Priestley’s artworks are available from Greenhouse Interiors.
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