Editorial Photography Session – Holly Dormor, Sydney Multidisciplinary Artist

It was my absolute privilege to create a series of editorial portraits of Sydney-based artist, Holly Dormor. Holly is a multidisciplinary artist known for her intricate sculptures and pen and ink drawings of small creatures, miniature dioramas exploring memory and daily life, and most recently painting, primarily within the still life genre.

Holly’s studio opens out onto a lush garden, and our conversation was regularly punctuated by bird sound. Observing Holly in the midst of preparing a new body of work for an upcoming exhibition, offered a fascinating insight into her intricate and thoughtful creative process.

The compositions she paints are simple and mindful studies of natural form and space, and the interplay of light and subject. Her process involves careful selection and preparation of various pieces of foliage or flowers reminiscent of Ikebana, the Japanese art of floral arrangement. Holly confessed that she is always on the lookout for interesting pieces of foliage, often pulling over to snip a stem of myrtle or a sprig of variegated ivy with shears she keeps close at hand. Vessels are found, thrifted or given by friends and family.

Each artwork feels like a moment in between, offering quiet and intimate meditations on the transient quality of light and nature.

Details of Holly’s upcoming exhibitions can be found at hollydormor.com and on Instagram @hollydormor.