Vanessa Franklin: Finding Beauty in the Everyday

Some artists spend their careers searching for extraordinary subjects. Vanessa Franklin has built hers around the opposite.

Her paintings are inspired by the small pleasures and familiar moments that surround us. The contents of a handbag emptied onto the floor. Favourite books, keepsakes and collected objects. The traces people leave behind in the spaces they inhabit. Through expressive colour, playful compositions and a distinctly intuitive approach to storytelling, these seemingly ordinary moments take on a life of their own.

As Vanessa puts it, she has always been drawn to ‘the simple things. The everyday’.

It was this way of seeing that brought Vanessa to Bondi Pavilion, the historic beachfront landmark that has long served as a gathering place for Bondi’s creative and local communities. Having recently made Sydney home after seven years in London, the residency arrived at a formative moment. Working from a public-facing studio overlooking Bondi Beach, Vanessa spent her days observing, painting and welcoming visitors into the creative process. Inspired by the people and rhythms that shape life around Bondi, the residency became an exploration of contemporary coastal culture through a perspective that finds joy in the familiar and beauty in the everyday.

For those discovering your work for the first time, how would you describe your artistic practice?
My practice is very much led by impulse and intuition. I’m drawn to people, everyday rituals and familiar moments, and I love finding something interesting in things we might usually overlook. My work is quite loose and playful, and I try not to overthink it too much. I think there’s something lovely about leaving room for imperfection and letting a painting become what it wants to be.

Congratulations on completing your Bondi Pavilion residency. Looking back, what did the experience mean to you?
Honestly, it feels like a massive accomplishment. To be selected among so many talented creatives and given a space at Bondi Pavilion to think, feel, play and create for six weeks has been such an honour. Being able to open that process up and share it with the community made it even more special. It’s honestly been an amazing experience and I’m beyond grateful for it.

The collection explored Bondi’s everyday rituals, people and objects. What moments or details ended up inspiring you most?
I think it’s those everyday scenes and rituals I find most inspiring. People checking the surf, walking their dogs, grabbing a coffee or lying on the beach. Nothing particularly extraordinary, but together they create such a distinct Bondi way of life that I’ve loved observing and capturing.

Was there a particular work or moment during the residency that felt especially meaningful?
Definitely the community piece. What started as Bondi Icebergs poolside, with a few summer essentials, expanded into this beautiful, playful piece created by so many different people.

I’ve met so many people throughout the residency, from locals to visitors and lots of kids, who are honestly the best. They’re so naturally creative and completely free in the way they play and make things.

Sharing the canvas with them and seeing everyone express what Bondi and the Eastern Suburbs mean to them has been really special. Watching one canvas slowly become a collection of so many different people’s ideas, memories and little pieces of Bondi has probably been one of the most meaningful parts of the residency.

Photo by Vanessa Franklin

Your work often celebrates everyday moments and familiar objects. What is it about the ordinary that inspires you?
I love that we can all see and feel things so differently, but at the same time share so many of the same experiences. An everyday moment can hold a completely different feeling or meaning for each person, while still being something we all recognise.

I think I’m drawn to that balance between the personal and the shared. Taking something ordinary and capturing it in a way that might make someone think, ‘I know that feeling,’ even if their own memory or experience of it is completely different.

What did a typical day during the residency look like, from morning through to evening?
If I’m not juggling my day job, things have actually been a lot slower than I anticipated. I went into the residency thinking I’d be up for sunrise walks, straight into the studio and painting well into the night. I quickly realised that wasn’t sustainable, and it forced me to practise what I preach and slow down a little. 

Most days I’ll wander along the beach to the studio, grab a coffee and set up for the day. I try to take moments to walk the promenade, sit on the beach and just observe the characters and people of Bondi. My camera is filled with these little moments. Something will catch my eye or an idea will click, and I’ll head back to the studio to sketch it out and see where it goes.

I’m still often painting until late at night, when everything quietens down, my mind focuses and I completely lose track of time.

The residency invited the public into your creative process. How did creating in such an open, community-focused environment shape the work?
Painting can be quite a solitary process, so having people constantly coming in and out of the studio has been a completely different experience for me. People have watched pieces evolve, asked questions, shared their own stories and sometimes even sparked an idea that’s made its way into the work.

I’ve also really loved becoming more comfortable with people seeing the unfinished, messy parts of the process. We’re so used to only sharing the final piece, but there’s something lovely about letting people see the mistakes, changes of direction and experimentation that happen along the way. It’s made the whole process feel much more open, playful and shared.

What are some of the everyday rituals that help you feel inspired or grounded?
Being by the beach, always. I find it both inspiring and grounding. There’s something about being near the ocean that clears my head and slows everything down, while at the same time I’m constantly noticing people, colours and little moments around me.

And there’s nothing like a dip in the ocean to wake you back up when you’re stuck in a creative rut. It’s my favourite way to reset.

When you’re not painting, how do you like to spend your time?
Definitely a balance. I love movement and play, but I’m equally happy doing not much at all. The beach is probably my favourite place to be, and I love tennis, climbing, golf, swimming, Pilates and pottery. I’m also always keen to try something new.

Outside of that, it’s travelling, good food, live music and time with friends. I love having lots going on, but I’ve also learnt to appreciate the slower days and doing absolutely nothing – something I probably need to do more of!

As this chapter comes to a close, what do you hope people take away from both the residency and the work you’ve created?
I hope people take away a sense of connection, play and maybe a little more appreciation for the everyday moments around them.

But I also hope there’s something in the residency itself that encourages people to just go for things. There will always be someone more experienced, more qualified or further along than you, but at some point you have to put yourself forward anyway. Apply for the opportunity, make the thing, try something new, let yourself play and see what happens.

This residency came from doing exactly that, and I’m so grateful I did.