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Rhonda Ferling uses a powerful, figurative style which takes the female form and dresses it up. She depicts young, attractive, and independent women, emphasizing their power, wealth, status symbols and relationships in today’s society.
Her striking figures are sometimes nude or adorned with jewellery and high fashion so that they are both beautiful and appealing.
Born in 1953, Brisbane-based Rhonda Elizabeth Ferling began developing her career in the early 90s and now combines painting full-time with studies for a Bachelor of Fine Art at Griffith University. She has also worked as an artist in residence at Brisbane’s Brigidine College and as a Community Education Tutor.
Rhonda’s paintings come from an amalgam of influences, including modern day narrative figurative painters such as V.R. Morrison, Anwen Keeling and Anne Wallace, as well as 15th/16th century classic artists Caravaggio and Titian, renowned for their brilliant use of shadow and light. Similarly, she appreciates the work of surrealist painter Rene Magritte with his dramatic style and hint of mystery.
From a broader perspective, she is very much interested in fashion, photography and movies, particularly the glamorous Hollywood period of the 40s and 50s. A great source of inspiration is Helmut Newton, the German-born fashion and celebrity photographer, who worked for many years in Australia and went onto international fame with his striking pictures, particularly of nude women. Rhonda employs his photographs as a valuable resource for her realistic figurative drawing. While using models, she draws on black and white pictures for composition.
Rhonda has exhibited widely in Queensland and her art works are on sale at galleries in her home state and throughout Australia. She has had both national and international commissions and has won several art awards.
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