Meet Narjia Brownlie, an emerging Australian artist who beautifully captures the romanticism of human connection.
Her work is inspired by the feminine condition and the intricacies of the female experience, particularly the complex ways women connect, associate and dissociate with one another.
Emanating a dreaminess and whimsy, her work explores themes of the body, communication, and interpersonal relationships with a refreshing lightness that feels authentic and liberated.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, we chat to Narjia about all things womanhood, connection and inspiration.
What drew you to collaborate with Bare Mum?
I think ultimately I was drawn to the honesty of Bare Mum. I found a pure, simple beauty in the vulnerable core that the brand has developed from and wanted to celebrate that.
Your paintings celebrate female connection through the central idea of sisterhood. What inspired this particular piece?
Reflecting on the linkage of sisterhood has always encouraged me to have a gentle mind when it comes to different feminine experiences and relationships, be it with ourselves or others. While my pieces celebrate the many unique, abstract forms of femininity I always hope that at their core they encourage empathy and a gentle mind. I don’t know yet myself, but I imagine pregnancy and birth, while a gift, will also be really challenging at times and I think anyone who’s in that stage of their life would definitely appreciate the light of a gentle gaze from the women around them. We’ve been indirectly taught to judge the women around us and it can be an easy thing to slip into accidentally when we’re feeling personally vulnerable, so with this piece I wanted to really maintain a sense of equity and connection among our sisters. I wanted the piece to feel grounded and strong, while emitting a celebration of softness and the delicate magic in a regenerating spirit.
What does sisterhood in motherhood mean to you?
To me sisterhood is the most beautiful part of being a woman, the richness of a knowing glance when we need feels sacred. We’re all uniquely linked through our shared experience and I imagine once you’ve shared the experience of pregnancy and birth that that link is even richer and more powerful, both individually and in aiding your ability to extend support.
Your paintings are full of life, beautiful curves and colours. What is it about the female form that you most want to communicate to the viewer/audience through your work?
Thank you <3 What I’ve found as my pieces have developed over my four years of painting, is that what I once found most crucial, the form, has been surpassed by the spirit or feeling I’m able to integrate into a piece. I love the emotive qualities of my pieces and how they can remind you of the way someone makes you feel or of the feeling of a unique identity be it yours or someone else’s. There’s a lot of room to move within my pieces and what they evoke in each viewer, but maintaining that one-of-a-kind spirit in each one is most precious to me.
How do you celebrate and empower the women in your life?
Gosh, reading this question I worry I could honestly be doing more. I think ultimately it’s really easy to celebrate and empower the women in my life because I love them and appreciate them all and try to make sure they know it. I personally think that trying my best to celebrate and empower the women that aren’t actually in my life is something I try to work on most because it’s a little bit harder sometimes. This is going to sound too extreme, but I’ll carry on, just know that I’m not locking eyes with extreme intensity or anything crazy. I’m naturally somewhat shy, so I don’t tend to go out of my way to look someone in the eyes if I’m just walking past, but I’ve found lately that it’s really rewarding to extend a gaze for an extra moment and smile softly at another woman. It’s so nice and I’ve found most people seem kind of surprised yet enriched by it. I go for a long walk each morning and I try to extend this little notion as often as i can while passing by, I think it’s a really lovely thing to practice and you never know who really needs it.
Where do you find your creative inspiration?
Almost too many places! Many feminine interactions usually, be them good or bad. I was at a designer boutique warehouse sale recently and it really reminded me to extend that gentle mindset upon some of the other customers because there was some serious feminine fire within that space. That’s just an example that happened to provide a large source of inspiration recently, haha, but honestly I find inspiration everywhere. I find it particularly motivating to imagine that I’m about to paint the exact piece a person has been yearning to see or collect and it’s going to inspire or encourage them in some unique way. Sometimes something like a teacup or dress will automatically inspire a new vision of myself or my life that I wonder if I would have come across if I hadn't been prompted by the specific object. Imagining that my paintings could be a source of that kind of prompt is very inspiring to me.
What inspired the colourway of this artwork?
I wanted our piece to be quite earthy and grounded with a spirit that felt strong and delicate simultaneously. I love the way the colours meld into one another subtly, but feature a bold bright red to connect and lift the piece up. The more neutral tones blending with the brights allow the piece to feel energetic, vibrant, still and calm all at once.
What did you like most about creating this piece?
I loved thinking about the mums who will see it and will retrieve something unique from it, I kept them closely in mind while I was painting. I also honestly adored working with Amelie and Leah. I’ve been graced with the most beautiful, sweet, compassionate collectors through my work and working with the women of Bare Mum was no exception. A commissioned artwork is always a big process for everyone involved, but from the moment I spoke to these marvelous women I felt trusted and valued and it created a wonderful environment to paint within.
Bare Mum aims to empower women to care for themselves and for each other. What do you most want this collaboration to be remembered for?
I think that we align so beautifully and I think it’s such a precious collaborative opportunity when the core aims of each collaborator are as symbiotic as ours are in creating this piece.
What’s your favourite thing about Bare Mum?
My favourite thing about Bare Mum is that I know she’s there for the sweet Mums and that she’ll be there for me when I eventually need her <3