Regina Noakes

Search terms: oil paintings, figurative, portrait

About the Artist

Regina is an international artist, born in Singapore. She lives in Australia with her husband and three children where her distinctive and personal style has a cult following. Well travelled, Regina has studied and taught art and music in Singapore, Italy, the USA and Australia. She has had several solo shows in New York, and Australian cities including Sydney, and has participated in numerous group exhibitions in New York, Australia, Europe – 2001 Florence Biennale, London – "Celebrations – Jubilee Arts 2002" and in 2003 Chicago again, at the Three Arts Club.

Regina has had paintings reproduced on various occasions for cover pages – Western Review Arts Magazine, New York Expo 2000, Moondance Magazine (UK), CD cover image for Western Australia Guitar Ensemble, and several articles on art. She has been a recipient of three Australian Visual Arts Grants and has twice won the Perpetual Trophy, Overall Winner for the Western Australia Society of Arts. Her work is represented in numerous private, corporate and public collections around the world, including the Ministry of Water Resources. Sultanate of Oman, Fulham Palace, London, The Singapore Economic Board, Singapore, Perth Electoral Commission, Australia, Toyota Australia.

Viewing life as an aesthetic experience Regina translates memories and observations onto her canvasses. There are stories behind most of these paintings, and drama in the universals of companionship, love, age and acquiescence. A quiet sadness, even an air of gravity, sometimes occupies her figures, yet others exhibit light and joy. Several of her large-scale figurative paintings have references to herself and to her daughter. A point of focus in some of the experiences is the Doll, as a repository and reflection of human experiences, sometimes almost human, and more besides. There are references to Mughal art – flat surfaces, strong colours, cloisonné and also to Romanesque paintings – the iconic work from that period, and also the frequent focus on women. In a unique, figurative style that is poetic, spiritual and sometimes quirky, Regina relies on the contribution of the viewer to translate each work into his or her own personal account.