Cara Sanders grew up studying, and playing in, the light of the North-West sun and the red dirt of the Kimberley, the rural landscape and connection to the natural world form the backdrop to my painting practice. This romance with remote parts of Australia and my formative experiences continue to influence my work. Now, living and working on the Gold Coast, my memories are interwoven with my immediate surroundings, and the meeting points that I observe in nature. Whether translated from aerial views or my being immersed in the landscape, each artwork renders moods and experiences into a world of their own

In my new body of work titled Internal Landscapes, raw tones form narratives of rushing river beds, colossal coastlines, bodies of water and remote desert. These abstract compositions and expressionist gestures capture the energy and sensuality of the landscape, and the coalescence of colour and light. Gentle brushstrokes reveal the intricacies of the earth’s layers and a sense of meditation and movement. Shifting between small quiet moments and contrasting elements, hues of sandy sienna, yellow ochre, umber, sage green and silver recreate the feeling of stepping into nature and sitting under the stars.

Cara Sanders (born 1992) lives and works on Kombumerri Country in Queensland’s Gold Coast. A self taught painter, Cara completed a Bachelor of New Media Art at James Cook University in 2013. Cara’s rural upbringing in the Kimberley and her connection to the natural world is reflected in her work, having grown up studying and playing in the light of the North-West sun and the red dirt of the land out West of Yawuru country. Cara has undertaken large-scale commissions across Queensland for the Brisbane Lions AFL Team, Brisbane Street Art Festival, Mackay Base Hospital and Surface Festival. She has collaborated with Tanouk Apparel, artist Brad Turner, and the Mint Art House Collective for Bleach Festival and Big City Lights. Locally, Cara has exhibited at Dust Temple (2018), Vacant Assembly (2020), Mint Gallery (2021) and Level Up (2021). She has been actively involved with the HOTA (Home of the Arts) Youth Advisory Group and is currently a resident artist at Mint Art House. In 2022 her work appeared on season eighteen of The Block on Channel Nine nationally, and exclusively on the label of boutique gin distillery Granddad Jacks Gin. Her alter ego ‘Owlet’ produces limited edition prints, murals and NFT’s. Cara is represented by Gallery Alchemy.