Mount Eliza artist Narelle Callen paints contemporary landscapes set on and around the Mornington Peninsula. Her abstract technique, combined with recognisable geographic landmarks such as the Port Phillip headlands, interior grasslands, rural paddocks, hills, bays, beaches, and the ocean make for intriguing compositions.
“I love the different ways the weather, time of day and seasons affect the colours of the local environment,” she says. Having done a lot of sailing in the past, she also finds looking at the peninsula from a boat adds a completely different dimension. From its shallows to its depth, the water provides a rich colour palette as do the beaches, cliffs and headlands.
Narelle enjoys the many ways people interpret her art. Abstraction allows great latitude for interpretation. “I title my paintings based on the feeling I get when I make them, but I try not to give them a name that is overly prescriptive. I don’t want my title to spoil their interpretation,” she says.
Using acrylics, oil pastels and mixed media, Narelle paints, layers, adds collage text, scratches back, and adds more dimension to her art. “It’s not easy to do abstract art. It takes a lot of thinking and planning. There are no rules so I have to work out my own system and process and try out a whole lot of things. The work tells me when it’s finished,” she says.
Narelle is also a textile pattern designer. She loves to play with colours, shapes and patterns. Ever since she was a child fabric, sewing and textiles have appealed. “I love fibre, different weaves and what they can achieve. It just fascinates me,” she says.
She took a course on surface pattern design a few years ago. Creating patterns that could be used on wallpaper, textiles and fabrics proved a lot of fun. “I start with a hand-drawn sketch and then I digitize it and produce it as a repeating pattern,” she says.
Growing up in southern Queensland, Narelle collected the natural ephemera, such as palm nuts, leaves and rocks, crafting them into tiny sculpture. As a child, she drew and designed, constantly making all of the clothes and furniture for her dolls. Her mother had a wonderful visual sense and encouraged her children to observe the nuances of sunlight and the natural world.
Both of her parents were creative. Her mother was a musician and wonderful sewer; her dad was a great maker and fixer. Her maternal grandmother was a painter. Art played a prominent part in her young life.
At high school in Brisbane, Narelle studied painting, drawing, screen printing, ceramics, figure drawing, pastel drawing and graphic design. These skills complemented her future career. She went to Queensland University of Technology, getting a degree in Industrial Design.
In her work as a product designer she created concepts for all sorts of manufactured things. Industrial Design is a field that incorporates art, invention, business and engineering to make the many everyday products people use. Narelle also learned architectural drafting.
Mid-career, Narelle and her husband took a year off to travel. They started their journey on the Trans-Siberian railway across China, Mongolia and Russia. Then they went on to Scandinavia, through Europe, ending up in England. All of that exposure to extraordinary scenery, art and architecture left its mark.
After returning from overseas, Narelle attended RMIT to get a Master’s Degree in Project Management where all of her talents from Industrial Design came into play. She became a project manager working on major projects, such as, undersea cabling, airport design, roads and civil engineering including a major infrastructure project in Papua, New Guinea.
“I like the way realistic subjects can be moved around in abstract painting,” she says.
In the throes of heavy engineering projects, Narelle realised how much she’d missed painting and what an integral role art played in her life. So, she took some weekend workshops in acrylic painting. Her friends noticed how happy it made her. There were many directions she could have taken, but she chose abstraction.
“I like the way realistic subjects can be moved around in abstract painting,” she says.
Mostly, she draws her inspiration from nature. Narelle often draws from a sense of felt memory. People say her work brings them a feeling of peace and tranquillity. She’s happy with that, but finds it funny because she says there is a lot of frenetic energy involved in creating that sense of calm.
Narelle is a member of artist collective, the Peninsula Studio Trail. PST Open Days are coming up in May. Narelle will have her studio open on the first weekend. These open days provide a unique opportunity to see Narelle at work.
Come along and see how and what she creates.
IG @callencollective_art
W callencollective.com.au
Peninsula Essence Magazine March 2026