Ellen McVeigh works primarily in oil on canvas, exploring the interplay between the human form, water, fabric, and light. Her practice begins with observation—often through photographic references—but unfolds intuitively through slow, layered brushwork. She is drawn to reflection, distortion, and translucency as means of conveying mood: the ripple of water or the fall of fabric across skin can hold memory, longing, or quiet contemplation.
Each painting becomes a meditation on stillness and intimacy, where the boundaries between figure and environment blur, inviting the viewer into an emotive, suspended moment.
Growing up by the beaches of Northern NSW, McVeigh has developed a visual language shaped by shifting light, tidal rhythms, and the fluid stillness of the ocean. The coastal landscape has taught her to look closely at transparency and simplicity, not only as visual phenomena but as metaphors for unseen currents beneath the surface. Her work reflects this ebb and flow, offering a quiet space for reflection and connection.