Kellie O'Dempsey

Local Contemporary Art Prize 2025 – Finalist

Image courtesy of the artist. Photo by Christine Hall, Myphotomotion.

Kellie O'Dempsey | Lenticular cloud + after Rothko | 2024 | watercolour on 600gsm Arches paper | 102 x 150cm

Lenticular Cloud + after Rothko is part of an intimate series of plein-air watercolour paintings titled A cloud never dies, created after my father's passing. Each painting captures the ever-changing cloudscapes observed from the deck of his home in Coolum Beach. This series is profoundly stimulated by the teachings of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, which brought me comfort and guidance. The story suggests that when a cloud is no longer in the sky, it does not die but continues in new forms such as rain, snow, or ice. This metaphor for transformation resonated deeply. This painting is a process and a record of transformation, a visual meditation on loss, continuity within the eternal cycle of the natural world.