Brooke Holiday

For Melbourne-based artist Brooke Holiday, still life painting is a mediative and mindful space. Her careful compositions and evocative palettes harness themes such as time, intimacy, loneliness, affection, devotion, disaster and delight.

Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Chloe Sobejko

Melbourne-based artist Brooke Holiday in her studio. Photo: Chloe Sobejko

Lick the Knife by Brooke Holiday. Photo: Chloe Sobejko

‘I’ve never been able to sit still and meditate but painting provides a state of mindfulness in which I am completely present and without judgment. In one sense, my creativity is driven by a desire to maintain a degree of mental ease and more readily access my intuition.’ Photo: Chloe Sobejko

‘Still life painting for me is a means of communicating and understanding a myriad of themes... time, intimacy, loneliness, affection, devotion, disaster and delight. I also find great pleasure in cooking and eating, so it’s a win-win!’ says Brooke Holiday. Photo: Chloe Sobejko

‘My paintings were of still life settings, but they were also the way in which I was processing emotion, there’s a piece from this time of some blood oranges which sound harmless but there’s a break-up, break-down and break through in there!’ Photo: Chloe Sobejko

‘Beyond biological needs, food has such a centrality in our lives and plays a significant role in how we find connection to ourselves, relate to others and respond to places.’ Photo: Chloe Sobejko

‘Markets are special because they elevate fruits and vegetables on pedestals that grab for your attention.’ Photo: Chloe Sobejko

“Art making is a constant exercise in trust. Lately I’ve been pushing myself to paint/draw daily, release control and let go of attachment to outcomes. This is something I’m also working to integrate into my daily life, embracing the beautiful imperfections of being human.”

— Brooke Holiday

‘If I’m feeling it, I will sometimes paint for up to ten hours, but it depends entirely on where I’m at with a certain piece or project. One thing I do is ensure no other commitments land on these days - otherwise life creeps in and takes over.’ Photo: Chloe Sobejko

Brooke’s evocative palettes present in her work are testimony to the persistent, haunting and melancholy quality of memory. Photo: Chloe Sobejko

Growing up, Melbourne-based artist Brooke Holiday was given the freedom to truly embrace her creativity – the notion that anything was ‘too messy’ was never an issue for her parents.

‘I was always making a mess of some sort as a child... baking a cake that engulfed the entire kitchen or covering the windows (and carpet oops) in my bedroom with enamel glass paint. Bless my beautiful parents for allowing me to explore creativity without bounds, it set the foundations for some fearless self-expression and weird teenage art,’ shares Brooke.

Brooke’s introduction to art came at a young age, observing her grandmother, a ceramist, in her home studio. Weekends were spent tiptoeing around the studio, looking at the moulds and greenware waiting to be fired. ‘This was my first exposure to the process of art making – I loved watching her work.’

As for many artists, Covid presented the opportunity to truly harness art in the confines of her apartment. The period at home allowed Brooke to be in the moment and surrender to the passing of time, ‘It felt so elastic, slow and fast at the same time – I had an urgency to capture moments before they were reduced to memory. My paintings were of still life settings, but they were also the way in which I was processing emotion, there’s a piece from this time of some blood oranges, which sound harmless but there’s a break-up, break-down and break through in there!’

Brooke's still life artworks serve as reflections on the inexorable flow of time and a longing to preserve fleeting moments of life’s vignettes before they inevitably edge towards a slow decay. Over the years, she has collected tableware, objects and textiles from markets, travels and second hand shops, prompting her to dream of dinner parties and menus, which are then transferred onto the canvas.

‘My practice is very much connected to my own relationship with food and follows a circular process. It begins with a trip to the markets for seasonal produce and almost always involves conversations with growers and grocers. Markets are special because they elevate fruits and vegetables on pedestals that grab for your attention.’

Brooke’s paintings feature a visual feast of melons cut decoratively to showcase their vibrant centers, hands of bananas hanging from hooks overhead combined with the chaotic energy of a sea of people. ‘Whatever my market haul, it then informs a feast which is prepared, photographed (to paint from later) and then shared with family and loved ones. Each still life setting is imbued with memory and sentiment from a moment in time.’

For Brooke, painting is a meditative and mindful process - providing the opportunity to process her thoughts, feelings and emotions. ‘It feels like an essential piece in managing my mental state on a daily basis – in one sense, my creativity is driven by a desire to maintain a degree of mental ease and more readily access my intuition,’ she says. Painting provides a means of communicating and understanding a myriad of themes: ‘Time, intimacy, loneliness, affection, devotion, disaster and delight. I also find great pleasure in cooking and eating, so it’s a win-win!’

Brooke has recently completed a residency in Naples, Italy - a valuable and uninterrupted time to make a body of work since turning to painting three yers ago.

‘I’m looking forward to a little install of these pieces and a special print release at the Suku store in Melbourne in December. I am also excited to have some work available in an upcoming show with Brunswick Street Gallery, Place(s) Called Home, which opens in the Top Floor Gallery on September 15th. Come say ‘hi’!,’ says Brooke.

Shop Brooke’s work online here.