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Gumnuts, Lemons and a Basket
Leoni Duff
oil on canvas
Caravaggio’s 16th century still life masterpiece inspires me, showcasing the limitless potential of art to express beauty. Against a contrasting backdrop, a humble basket of fruit takes center stage, evoking feelings of simplicity and profundity. To complete the composition, I added some marvellous clusters of gumnuts, creating a striking visual harmony. The traditional VANITAS theme reminds us of the transience of life, symbolized by a few flies and snails. Nothing lasts forever, life is very short and subject to futility, but we can be always thankful and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.
Leoni Duff
After studying Music and Education in my 20’s I found that the connection between the history of Music and the visual arts led me in my 40’s to pursue a lifelong desire to communicate the themes of the human condition through painting. I connected deeply to my love of the Baroque era with its profound human and spiritual themes with my own experiences of contemporary life, and set about to master the language of painting, and then to speak as powerfully as I could into my own times. I see my paintings as visual music and an attempt to engage in an intimate dialogue on timeless themes.
I have established a small private art school where I have invited the greatest painters and arts practitioners from Australia and Internationally to my studio to teach and share their knowledge with me and with fellow artists. In this way, I am engaged in continuous growth and challenge in my own work and have created a network of connections and lifelong friendships that have enriched my life and the life and practice of many others.
I regularly enter my work in major national art prizes and have been encouraged by the recognition I have received.
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