Isabel Harnden

Isabel Harnden is a Central Coast, NSW–based Australian artist. In 2018, she graduated with distinction from UNSW Art & Design, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Painting Extension. Harnden’s work explores the complex interplay between form and colour, as she experiments with mark-making to represent the patterns and textures found in the people and places that have shaped her. These include her Newcastle upbringing, time spent teaching in Cowra, and her current life on the Central Coast.

Her paintings evoke a sense of nostalgia and quiet wonder, blending coastal and rural landscapes with expressive, figurative techniques. Through intuitive applications of oil paint—using a combination of brushwork and palette knives—Harnden captures the distinctive character of the Central Coast and the broader Australian environment. Her use of evocative colour palettes and varied textural treatments highlights the intricacies of the forms she depicts. The result is work that feels both familiar and deeply personal, inviting viewers into scenes layered with memory, contrast, and charm.