Onela’s work is inspired by man made structures that shape the everyday environments we exist in. Attracted in particular to industrial forms, she explores the notion there is beauty in these scenes that often goes unnoticed.

How the light falls and the way these forms are viewed are eagerly considered in the compositions, often producing surprising results which allow us to appreciate them with a new perspective. The lack of human presence and the minimal reference to nature in the images isolate the constructions, inviting the viewer to consider them as objects on their own and question the idea of whether the spaces they create and atmospheres they emanate make them attractive in their own right.

Onela has returned to Australia to explore its environs and discover how they can lend themselves to her painting. Influenced by the American Precisionists, she is keen to investigate both rural and urban industrial settings.