Acrylic Painting
Temma Lee
From surfboard sprays to UX design and back to painting, my work is a colourful nod to Aussie culture, blending cheeky observations with a touch of bogan edge—celebrating the messy, unpolished, and unapologetic side of life.
Artist Profile
From surfboard sprays to UX design and back to painting, my work is a colourful nod to Aussie culture, blending cheeky observations with a touch of bogan edge—celebrating the messy, unpolished, and unapologetic side of life. I grew up on the Sunshine Coast on Gubbi Gubbi Country, where I first started painting surfboard sprays at a local shop. After a creative detour into UX design (all pixels, no paint), I found my way back through digital commissions and, more recently, painting again.
I’ve lived overseas in Norway, Copenhagen and London, as well as in the Central West of New South Wales. Each place has shaped how I see and interpret the world around me. These experiences have sharpened my eye for detail and deepened my appreciation for the quirks of local life, especially here on the coast where I’m now living again.
My work is playful and bold, and rooted in observations of place. I’m drawn to the oddities and charm of Australian life. Surf culture, coastlines, local hangouts and the occasional bit of bogan grit all make their way in. It’s part love letter, part light-hearted commentary on the places and communities that shape us.
For me, painting isn’t about taking things too seriously. It’s about colour, humour and nostalgia. I love capturing those familiar details that feel so uniquely Australian and turning them into something that makes people smile.
Artist Interview
What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?
I work in acrylics because I love building layers, getting a little messy, and seeing how that mess can turn into something beautiful. I often add details with Posca pens as a nod to my surfboard art roots.
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
I keep a long list of observations: things I see that make me laugh or catch my eye. Eventually, one of them sparks an idea, and I sketch it on my iPad before painting. Sometimes the final piece sticks close to the sketch. Other times it evolves into something completely different, and that evolution is what makes the process interesting.
Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?
I used to be stuck in the digital world while living in a townhouse with a toddler. Painting was tricky. Now we have a house with a yard and a space downstairs that I’ve turned into a studio. My working environment is a bit chaotic: I layer between naps, set up paints for my son, and often he ends up helping on my canvas. But somehow, despite the chaos, it’s also a place of zen. There’s something meditative about the moment when that brush hits the canvas.
