Creatives at Home: The Beautiful Studio of Painter Lily Nova
Peek inside the colourful art studio of Lily Nova and see the creative space where her floral paintings unfold
Living in Australia, it’s easy to take the intensity of light and perennial greenery for granted. Even in winter, most trees are verdant and many neighbourhoods barely pause before continuing their flowery show throughout the colder months.
For painter Lily Nova who hails from Russia, Australia’s colourful and ever-flourishing landscape still evokes the same sense of wonder she first encountered in 2009, when she moved to Melbourne from London. Season after season, Australia’s flora has become her creative muse, serving up scents and scenes that she strives to capture on canvas in her Melbourne home studio.
For painter Lily Nova who hails from Russia, Australia’s colourful and ever-flourishing landscape still evokes the same sense of wonder she first encountered in 2009, when she moved to Melbourne from London. Season after season, Australia’s flora has become her creative muse, serving up scents and scenes that she strives to capture on canvas in her Melbourne home studio.
Built in the 1960s, Nova and her husband bought their three-bedroom Melbourne home six years ago. The artist’s studio sits adjacent to the house and was originally designed as a double garage, which the previous owners had converted into a living area.
To brighten the space, Nova painted the walls white and her husband installed extra lighting. “The floors in the studio were painted dark blue and we left them as is,” says Nova. “Now they are covered with splashes of my paint. I don’t want anything else there; it’s easier for me to work knowing that I can dirty the floor and walls and not be afraid that I might damage something.”
Today, even the ceiling of Nova’s studio bears the artist’s signature in the form of splatters of acrylic paint, which is her medium of choice. “I like that this paint can either be very thick or like liquid, almost like watercolour,” says Nova.
Today, even the ceiling of Nova’s studio bears the artist’s signature in the form of splatters of acrylic paint, which is her medium of choice. “I like that this paint can either be very thick or like liquid, almost like watercolour,” says Nova.
“In all my paintings on the first few layers I use acrylic as a watercolour, then with every coat I impose more and more dense layers of paint. I like the fluidity of this material. And this paint is not toxic, it does not have a strong smell. I like that my studio smells of flowers, not paint.”
With the exception of some key pieces of furniture – shelves teeming with tools and paint, a folding table, a mobile workbench – Nova’s studio is largely unfurnished and unadorned. Instead, the artist’s materials take centre stage in their countless colours, shapes and sizes.
A cluster of lead pencils of different weights stands to attention on a windowsill. A spectrum of brushes – ranging from just one millimetre in diameter to about 20 centimetres wide – decorates a ledge, including the artist’s favourite.
“I bought it by chance in some art shop when we were travelling,” says Nova. “I regret that I did not buy several of those brushes; I tried to find it on the internet but could not – I hope it will serve me for a long time.”
A cluster of lead pencils of different weights stands to attention on a windowsill. A spectrum of brushes – ranging from just one millimetre in diameter to about 20 centimetres wide – decorates a ledge, including the artist’s favourite.
“I bought it by chance in some art shop when we were travelling,” says Nova. “I regret that I did not buy several of those brushes; I tried to find it on the internet but could not – I hope it will serve me for a long time.”
Fittingly – for a painter whose collection is comprised of floral compositions – Nova enjoys vistas of greenery from her studio, which overlooks the couple’s small garden where she and her husband have tried their hand at growing a few fruit trees. “We divide the fruit in half with parrots, which eat them in the daytime, and with volatile foxes and possums, which eat up all the higher fruits on the tree at night,” says Nova with a laugh. “What remains is left to us, but we don’t mind this company.”
Nova spends most days painting to the sound of local birdsong and searching for fresh cuttings from flowering plants around her neighbourhood. Sprays of yellow wattle and tendrils of wisteria cascade from vases and tumble across her workbench, waiting to be rendered on a two-dimensional plane and filling the studio with their perfume. “If I see a tree or a bush that is blooming, I ask my neighbours to cut off a couple of branches,” says Nova. “No one has ever said ‘no’ to me, so I have met many people who live in my neighbourhood.”
These chance meetings with locals and the friendships that have blossomed with her neighbours are welcomed by Nova, who admits that working from home as an artist can be a lonely profession.
These chance meetings with locals and the friendships that have blossomed with her neighbours are welcomed by Nova, who admits that working from home as an artist can be a lonely profession.
But having her studio located at the front of the house rather than the rear has been instrumental in reconnecting Nova with her immediate community. It is an example of how building design – even one as simple as this – can enrich the wellbeing of its inhabitants.
“The studio’s doors overlook the driveway and entrance gate and through these, I can see who is walking along the street,” says Nova.
“The studio’s doors overlook the driveway and entrance gate and through these, I can see who is walking along the street,” says Nova.
“It helps sometimes to get distracted so I do not feel completely alone. Sometimes my neighbours see me from the street and come to have tea and a chat,” Nova says.
Welcome interruptions aside, Nova’s days are filled with work, but putting paint on canvas is just the start of it. “To create a painting is usually only 50 per cent of the work,” says Nova. “For the buyer to actually get my painting, I need to do a lot of extra work.”
It can take days for Nova to prepare her finished works for sale. Each canvas requires a protective layer to be applied, hooks to be attached and photographs to be taken for the artist’s website and social media accounts. Sold paintings need to be carefully packed – a process that can take up to four hours, depending on the size of the piece.
Welcome interruptions aside, Nova’s days are filled with work, but putting paint on canvas is just the start of it. “To create a painting is usually only 50 per cent of the work,” says Nova. “For the buyer to actually get my painting, I need to do a lot of extra work.”
It can take days for Nova to prepare her finished works for sale. Each canvas requires a protective layer to be applied, hooks to be attached and photographs to be taken for the artist’s website and social media accounts. Sold paintings need to be carefully packed – a process that can take up to four hours, depending on the size of the piece.
Nova sells her work through Bluethumb, an online Australian art gallery, which acts as a marketplace for original artworks and connects artists with buyers.
Nova performs each step of her creative process under the gaze of other artists who have inspired her. Hanging on a wall in her studio is a collection of black-and-white photographs of masters throughout the ages, including Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, and her own personal favourite, Vincent van Gogh, to name but a few.
A great advocate for the power that artworks have in transforming interiors, Nova hopes her own paintings have a positive effect on the people who welcome them into their homes.
“I believe it’s very important that the paintings you look at every day bring [a feeling of] life, so that leaving and returning back home after a busy day at work, you have some visual anchor to secure you, bringing peace and balance,” she says.
Lily Nova has since relocated to Queensland, where she continues to paint from her new home studio.
Tell us
What do you like about this artist’s studio? Tell us your thoughts in the Comments below, save your favourite images and like this story if you enjoyed reading it.
More
Read more Creatives at Home stories
A great advocate for the power that artworks have in transforming interiors, Nova hopes her own paintings have a positive effect on the people who welcome them into their homes.
“I believe it’s very important that the paintings you look at every day bring [a feeling of] life, so that leaving and returning back home after a busy day at work, you have some visual anchor to secure you, bringing peace and balance,” she says.
Lily Nova has since relocated to Queensland, where she continues to paint from her new home studio.
Tell us
What do you like about this artist’s studio? Tell us your thoughts in the Comments below, save your favourite images and like this story if you enjoyed reading it.
More
Read more Creatives at Home stories
Name: Lily Nova
Occupation: Painter
Location: Melbourne
What’s made here: Painted canvases
“Australia is in bloom all year round, which is heaven for me, because this is an inexhaustible source of inspiration,” says Nova. “I translate all the vibrant colours and aromas into my paintings. I want to be able to share how I feel about the succulent, rich, quickly changing and multi-layered beauty.”