The Gallery on Ford is the reality of a dream Maureen Varnavsky has held since retiring from full‑time work. It is a place to live, create and exhibit her own artwork alongside the work of selected artists.
The gallery is a bright, light‑filled space that allows each piece to be presented at its best. Visitors are invited to experience a curated selection of two‑ and three‑dimensional works in an intimate, contemporary setting.
After a 40-year career as an interior designer, often fostering connections between artists and collectors, Maureen now turns fully towards her own creative practice.
Since retiring from fulltime work, she has dedicated herself to the study of Fine Arts at Griffith University, graduating in 2023. This formal training has deepened her exploration across painting, ceramics, and bronze sculpture.
Maureen embraces a process-led approach, allowing each medium to guide the outcome. Her work moves between energy and stillness, exploring a variety of methods and styles with a sense of curiosity and freedom.
Grounded in an awareness of the transience of life, her abstract landscapes evoke a sense of time and place, capturing moments of memory and experience that have passed, yet remain quietly held within.
Maureen’s work presents a varied exploration of image, subject and style, never one predictable expression, but a series of responses and impressions shaped by experience.
Working primarily in oil, acrylic and mixed media, she follows a process led approach, allowing each work to evolve intuitively. Sometimes energetic, sometimes quiet, her paintings move away from strict representation, instead seeking the essence of a moment, a memory or a feeling. In her still life works, she is drawn to simplicity of form and tone, influenced by artists such as Giorgio Morandi.
In contrast, her bronze sculptures offer a more tactile and intimate exploration of the human condition. These works reflect on the aloneness of the individual, on connections broken or never fulfilled, and the absence of touch, expressed through a medium that quietly invites it.
A select series of intimate workshops are held throughout the year at The Gallery on Ford, set within Maureen’s beautiful, light-filled studio.
Led by visiting artists, each workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners across a range of mediums and approaches. These sessions are designed to be relaxed, engaging and accessible, welcoming both those new to creative practice and those looking to deepen their exploration.
With a focus on process, experimentation and personal expression, participants are encouraged to respond intuitively and develop their own creative voice within a supportive environment.
Workshops are limited in number each year and spaces are kept small to maintain a personal experience.
To stay informed about upcoming workshops and availability, follow along on Instagram or join the mailing list for early access to new releases.