about

Artist Statement

‘My work responds to the pressure and pace of modern life. I seek to offer a counter-narrative that values mindfulness through art and connection to nature’s beauty.

Working intuitively in a gestural style it’s my intention to create works that echo the Australian landscape yet blur the lines between reality and abstraction, inviting viewers to connect with the work in their own way.

I embrace the process of letting go, welcoming the unexpected. This mirrors nature’s unpredictability, and through painting I find my way back to the landscape.’

 — Chalie MacRae

Biography

Chalie MacRae is a self-taught contemporary abstract artist living and working in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. A born and bred Melburnian of Scottish-Italian descent, she developed a long-term love for art after travelling abroad as a young adult. However, it wasn’t until mid-career as an intelligence analyst that Chalie returned to creative practices seeking a more mindful and fulfilling path through art.

Inspired by nature’s power and beauty, Chalie intertwines elements of the landscape and emotion into her practice. Her works evoke a sense of calm, freedom and connection to self and nature, and explore the beauty and profound depth that lies within the landscape. Chalie gravitates towards a nature inspired colour palette and works in a gestural style with acrylics and oils which she finesses while bringing works to life. She continues to evolve her abstract works which are heavily influenced by her love of hiking Australia's coastlines and hinterlands.

Exhibiting in numerous exhibitions, Chalie’s works are held in private collections nationally and internationally. Chalie’s work has and continues to be commissioned by art collectors and interior designers for private residences within Australia and abroad. Her works have featured on Australian TV shows such as Open Homes Australia, The Block and Sunrise 7, and in Australian print publications including Home Beautiful, Inside Out and Home Beautiful-Hamptons Homes; as well as online blog features such as TLC Interiors.

In 2023, Chalie spent time away from her art practice to transform an industrial style warehouse in Yarraville into her studio gallery. Following this she participated in the inaugural Inner West Art Fair to share her passion for art and showcasing it in Melbourne’s inner west.

Chalie continues to practice and show her work direct from her studio gallery, and through her stockists in Victoria and Queensland, Australia.