Stichbury approaches her practice as a colourist, often drawing inspiration from a particular hue that resonates with a deeper emotional or conceptual significance. Expanding on an immediate connection to a colour, an entire series of works frequently emerges from this intuitive affinity, exploring its potential across various subjects and abstract interpretations. Working primarily in acrylics on canvas and board, Stichbury builds richly textured surfaces through layers of gestural mark-making and thick, expressive paint applications. A distinctive palette of luminous blues, verdant greens, and myriad vibrant hues appears throughout her practice, echoing the natural world while evoking a sense of memory and inner landscape. Gold leaf and other organic materials, such as black sand, are occasionally incorporated into her surfaces, grounding her abstractions in the physical world while allowing them to transcend it.
Stichbury’s florals and gestural abstractions reveal a reverence for form and feeling. Balancing structure and spontaneity, her compositions embrace the contrasts between fragility and endurance, serenity and exuberance. Whether through sweeping abstracted landscapes, vibrant botanicals, or more introspective forms, her work offers an invitation to reflect, reconnect, and feel. At the heart of her practice is a desire to create a sense of harmony on the canvas that resonates beyond it, noting that her work is “an abstract response to my external and internal environment.” This personal yet universal approach enables her paintings to resonate widely while remaining deeply authentic.
Stichbury graduated from the Wellington School of Design in 1996. A true Wellingtonian at heart, she continues to live and work there, painting full-time from her home studio. She has exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand and Australia, with works held in private and corporate collections in New Zealand, Australia, New York, France, and the United Kingdom.
Parnell Gallery has represented Anna Stichbury since 1999.
From the artist:
“My work is an abstract response to my environment, both external and internal. I strive to create harmony, not only on the canvas, but in life.”
