Written by Anna Itkonen
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Melbourne-based artist Evelyn Hambros, derives inspiration from her perceptive response to the dynamic interplay of colours around her. Her bold, layered, and deeply intuitive canvases are visual records of presence, movement, and mood. “As an introvert,” she says, “I’m drawn to the internal, unspoken language of Abstract Expressionism. It offers a space for honest expression, freedom of thought, and intuitive movement in an increasingly fast-paced, conventional world. I use vivid colours and expressive body motions to explore psychological landscapes, and the connection between mood and movements”.
Striking Embrace | 92 x 62cm, Mixed media on wood panel
Evelyn’s journey to full-time artmaking was not a straight line but a persistent undercurrent. “In my final years of school, I thrived in practical art,” she recalls. “But while my parents encouraged fine arts, I studied Art History with plans to teach. It didn’t take long to realise the classroom wasn’t my calling.”
In Two Minds | 63 x 94cm, Acrylic on canvas
After time spent in learning support and as a paralegal, art found its way back in. “With my husband’s encouragement, I returned to my creative roots,” she says. A BA with double majors in History of Art, A Diploma of Visual Art from Swinburne, double majors in Artists Books at Deakin, and ongoing Fine Arts study through Curtin. “Now, as I step into a new chapter with Art Lovers Australia, I’m excited by the possibilities already unfolding.”
Bold Encounter | 92 x 62cm, Mixed media on wood panel
Though acrylic painting currently dominates her practice, Evelyn’s artistic path has included everything from sculpture to digital montage. “I’ve sculpted imaginary forms from shredded books and plastic bottles, created on a handmade loom, and manipulated photographs of the Australian coastline,” she explains. “Even with mediums I initially resisted, like digital art, I’ve found unexpected joy.”
Yet she keeps returning to paint. “Acrylics offer immediacy,” she says. “There’s something irresistible about how the colours, viscosity, and opacity behave. I’m fascinated by how the paint responds, and I love witnessing what emerges through my hands.”
Dancing From The Heart | 92 x 62cm, Mixed media on wood panel
Her unmistakably abstract expressionist work is rooted in gesture and guided by mood. “The marks I make are extensions of my body,” Evelyn explains. “The outcome is shaped by my current mindset, whether I’m forceful or gentle with the brush. The mood determines the movement.”
That movement, and her use of vivid colour, gives her paintings a striking energy. “People often think I must be an extrovert,” she laughs. “But the truth is, those bold, saturated colours express something I can’t always say out loud. It’s metaphysical. The art becomes a voice.”
Exhilarating Currents | 94.5 x 125cm, Acrylic on canvas
Colour isn’t just emotional for Evelyn, it’s conceptual. “I’m captivated by how colours interact,” she says. “The relationship between two hues can be magical. One colour beside another becomes something else entirely. I might spot two textas in my tray and suddenly feel inspired by how they complement or contradict each other.”
From there, it’s a meticulous process. “I spend weeks trialling, mixing, adjusting opacities, testing viscosity. I might fall in love with a colour combination during testing, only to feel uncertainty when I move to the larger canvas. But I’ve learned to accept the process. Even scraping back layers becomes part of the work. It adds depth and story.”
Pirouette | 74.5 x 43cm, Acrylic on 2 canvases
Her recent series took nearly a month to prepare before even touching the final surface. “When you love what you do, the hours disappear,” she reflects. “It’s trial after trial until something clicks.”
Even then, knowing when a painting is finished is a challenge. “There’s a relationship that forms between me and the work,” she says. “You have to sit back, observe what it’s telling you. I’ve learned not to overwork it, though it took a lot of mistakes to understand that. With abstract art, less can often be more.”
Bold Encounter – Prelude | 47 x 32cm, Mixed media on wood panel
Though Evelyn gives her works evocative titles, she welcomes open interpretation. “There’s no fixed narrative. I want the viewer to find their own story. Sometimes people see things I never intended, and I love that. That’s the beauty of abstraction, it reflects the viewer as much as the artist.”
Looking ahead, she hopes to search both deeper and wider. “I want to explore more of what painting can offer in various mediums. There’s still so much more.”
As Evelyn puts it, “I believe everyone has a creative side. Whether or not they choose to explore it is a personal decision. But art is everywhere, in flowers, in skylines, in the neon colours of a street. Whether we acknowledge it overtly or subliminally, I believe art is an integral part of being human”.
Reflecting on her art, Evelyn concludes, “Abstract Expressionism allows me to reflect upon the essential balance of disorder and order, of control and spontaneity. Neither of which can exist meaningfully without the other.”
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