Karin du Plessis - Art

I am a self-taught painter born in South Africa and based in Australia for nearly two decades. Based in Sydenham, Melbourne, I work from a home studio where my creative work explores the intersections of nature and my lived environment – bridging the interpersonal and environmental. My work shows relational interaction and contrast for a style that doesn't just document nature but interprets the feeling of the Australian light. I love blending vibrant colour palettes with a play of light, seeing how light and colour relate on canvas much like people do in life. My ideas are often influenced by impressionism and surrealism, and my art practice varies from a rhythmic study of landscapes and botanics, to the more surreal. I am a member of the Melbourne and Victorian Artists Collective (MAVA). Alongside my studio practice, I am a couples counsellor supporting personal relational health through empathy, care and building couples’ resilience.

Etsy Store

Egg Flowers in Delft Vase

July 2024

Acrylic on Canvas, 27x 21cm

Karin du Plessis

Haybales at Plumpton

December 2025

Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40cm

Karin du Plessis

Garden Blooms in Turquoise

December 2025

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 30cm

Karin du Plessis

Gardens at Maze, Newlyn North

December 2025

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 30cm

Karin du Plessis

Werribee River at Melton South

December 2025

Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40cm

Karin du Plessis

An impressionistic take on the tranquil Werribee River flowing through a lush foreground on the edge of Melton South under a moody pink sky. It positions a serene natural landscape on the edge of urban development and encourages the viewer to see beauty in our backyard.

Road trip, Spring Hill near Daylesford

January 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 30cm

Karin du Plessis

I love the feel of sunlight and shadows interplaying and dappling on the road as you wind through lush forests - this one by Spring Hill near Daylesford with vibrant gum trees bending their mighty trunks on a bright summer's day.

Fire, Sand and Scorched Earth

January 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 31 x 25cm

Karin du Plessis

Rotary Lookout, Tamborine, Queensland

January 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40cm

Karin du Plessis

Say ahhh...

August 2024

Acrylic on Board, 30 x 25cm

Karin du Plessis

My house, in the middle of...

April 2025

Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40cm

Karin du Plessis

Cheeky Bird

November 2025

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 30cm

Karin du Plessis

**View Master!

February 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 50cm

Karin du Plessis

View Me, says the View Master! A pop art style painting of a red stereoscopic ViewMaster, a classic toy I loved in the 80's. I adored how it transported you to another 3D world with each press of the lever. To further enhance the retro feel, I've placed the ViewMaster centre stage in an aesthetic akin to comic book panels.

** In forthcoming exhibit 'Dream Weaver' (Oak Hill Gallery, Mornington, 2 - 29 May 2026; www.oakhillgallery.com)

The Nook, Sunbury

February 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 50cm

Karin du Plessis

**Climb into my "I"

February 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 30cm

Karin du Plessis

A surrealist invitation by the artist to journey into the "I", an inner perspective beyond the duality of black and white to a more nuanced view of existence.

**In forthcoming exhibit 'Common' (Melton Community Open Group Show) at Caroline Springs Gallery: May-August 2026

I really don't know clouds at all

February 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40cm

Karin du Plessis

**Three's a crowd

March 2026

Acrylic on Canvas

60 x 40cm

Karin du Plessis

If two is company, is three a party or a crowd? Playing with the dialectic and interrelationship in space and distance between objects and people - each with their own gravitas and gravitational pull.

** In forthcoming exhibit 'Dream Weaver' (Oak Hill Gallery, Mornington, 2 - 29 May 2026; www.oakhillgallery.com)

Top End Waterhole/Atlas Moth

April 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 50cm

Karin du Plessis

This painting merges a Top End Waterhole with a rare massive Atlas moth, symbolising the intersection of aquatic life and terrestrial transformation. The waterhole's reflective, dark tones, form a symbolic dream-like underworld. Superimposed, the moth represents the ephemeral, emerging, hopeful spirit, creating a powerful fusion of water and sky within an Australian context.

Sheila in the Mirror

April 2026

Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 50cm

Karin du Plessis

This painting depicts a kangaroo standing upright before a gold framed mirror appearing in the middle of a sunset-clad sky and Australian landscape. While the physical kangaroo is strong, curious, and grounded in the harsh reality of the world, her reflection is a surreal subversion of idealised feminine beauty, possessing elongated eyelashes, a nose ring, plump ruby red lips and playfully blowing a large pink bubble-gum. The painting explores and is curious about the tension between the natural world and the artificial expectations of the "Sheila"—a slang term historically used to describe Australian woman.

Reflections in the Concrete Jungle

April 2026

Oil on Canvas, 90 x 60cm

Karin du Plessis

This painting explores the fundamental tension between rigid concrete and organic nature at Tadao Ando’s MPavilion 10 in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens. The work contrasts the structure's, heavy, monochromatic concrete—designed to foster a meditative, quiet atmosphere—with the fluid, changing, and vibrant landscape peeking through the structure. By highlighting the dialogue between the enclosed architectural permanence and the soft, surrounding trees, the piece encourages us to reflect on humanity’s impact on our planet.