‘Wildlife warrior’ is not a title Cynthia House lays claim to.
For starters, she’s not partial to khaki.
But even casual observers of her artworks hanging in Buderim’s Art Nuvo Gallery or visitors to her Instagram and Facebook pages will recognise her true colours.
The quiet achiever uses her creative talents to remind the world how precious our planet is, and to express her concern for its possible environmental demise and devastating effects on the flora and fauna within. The 2025 Mary Valley Art Festival People’s Choice Award winner says the world of animals and nature has always spoken to her as an artist.
“I feel an endless fascination and curiosity about animal behaviour and a deep concern for the survival of the natural world,” she says.
For a National Threatened Species Day, for example, Cynthia posted her painting of The Desert Dwellers –Australian Greater Bilby (acrylic and mixed media on canvas) to social media.
“The bilby is one of those animals that once occupied large parts of Australia, but now only exists in two small habitats on this huge continent. In this painting, I wanted to show how fragile and unique this little creature is,” the post reads.
Cynthia, who also won first prize in the Animalia section of the 2023 Mary Valley Arts Festival for her painting Fire Rebirth & Hope – Tasmanian Devil (acrylic on canvas), pays tribute to British biologist and natural historian Sir David Attenborough “for his huge contribution to the natural world, changing how we see it, showing us the value of our planet”.
Her own fascination with the natural world is part of her DNA.
“Growing up on a farm [in country New South Wales], animals and nature were a big part of my childhood,” she recalls.
“Surrounded by wide open spaces, working and domestic animals, it was a natural progression to be interested in wild creatures, too. Awareness of nature’s struggle to survive in a human world has had a profound effect on me – one I can’t ignore.
“Painting is my way of contributing and sharing my love of the natural world with others.”
Her artistic journey to ‘Cynthia House: artist’ has been the proverbial long and winding road.
“As a little girl, I would gather found objects like feathers, stones, shells, leaves and flowers and repurpose them,” she muses.
“Around my thirties, I enjoyed pottery and hand building, thinking sculpture was what I wanted to do.
“In my forties, I grew more interested in painting, but didn’t think of myself as an artist until I did some classes in decorative art. From there, I knew painting was what I wanted to do and wondered how it took half my life to realise it.
“It wasn’t until many years later, in 2012, that I started to paint wildlife in a dedicated way because I had the time to focus on it.”
Today, Cynthia’s artworks depict native birds and other extraordinary creatures as the heroes of their habitats.
But the real attraction for art lovers – novice or knowledgeable – is how she conveys her subject’s personality, attitude, vulnerability or quirky antics.
An osprey is ‘startled’ while clasping a fish in its talons; a protective lioness and her cubs bask in the sun against the tapestry of African life; kookaburras are deep in conversation at first light on a dead branch in bushland; and a magpie couple tries to deal with ‘The Problem Child’.
“My paintings are always about bringing to life the connections between animals, the lives they share with each other and their habitat,” Cynthia says. “They are all unique to me with stories to tell. I want people to look at my paintings and appreciate the extraordinary creatures that live in them.”
The self-taught artist describes her works as mostly a hybrid of abstraction and realism, using a variety of media, paint and collage. That use of collage is an intriguing point of difference.
“Collage happened more from a moment of inspiration, wanting to describe more in the painting,” Cynthia explains.
“It probably did have its origins in childhood when I collected found objects and made imagined things. I love the rich texture and layers of information that collage makes possible.”
In finally finding her artistic ‘mojo’, Cynthia credits two special people.
“Artistically, the most influential was Bob Kuhn, the great American wildlife artist,” she says.
“His art opened a window into a way of painting that intrigued me. I became aware of texture to describe things, not brush strokes.
“In 2021, the latent ideas of abstract came back with more urgency because I felt stale – uncertain about direction.
“It’s weird how the very thing you need and didn’t know it shows up.
“An abstract expressionist painter in the UK, Louise Fletcher, taught me about the joy of play and experimentation. She had a huge impact on my thoughts and feelings around art, forever changing how I approach my paintings.”
That playfulness and experimentation are still evident today.
Cynthia says she is learning to incorporate more landscape/abstract elements in the bird paintings she now focuses on. It is something she finds exciting and challenging.
Look at The Blush – Australian Galahs (acrylic on canvas), Five Hearts Beating as One – Scarlet Honeyeaters (acrylic on canvas) or Great Wailing Spirits of the Land – Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos (acrylic on canvas) are examples of her feathered companions captured in all their vibrant glory against eye-catching, abstract backdrops.
As testament to her evolving talent, she was thrilled to have been selected for the Holmes Art Prize for Realistic Australian Bird Art 2023 with her painting The Meeting Tree – Gang Gang Cockatoos (acrylic mixed media on canvas).
On moving to Flaxton in 2019, after a decade living in Montville, Cynthia acknowledges that her adopted township offers endless opportunities to observe and preserve a slice of life in the native bird world.
“I love where I live now for the beautiful environment it is,” Cynthia enthuses.
“Every day, I am inspired by the beauty of nature around me that has influenced my focus to primarily painting birds. I paint what I care about.
“And the abundance of birdlife in my own backyard stirs the urge to share the beauty I see.”
A self-confessed ‘late bloomer’, Cynthia brings a maturity to her artistic endeavours – painting for herself, first and foremost, but in a way that shares her important message with the world.
“When I realised art was what I wanted to do and knowing how competitive the art world can be was daunting, but I felt a quiet determination,” she says, matter-of-factly.
“There were and still are many challenges, but I also know it’s not just about having talent: that motivation, having a reason to paint and focus are key. When I was younger, I guess I never had the confidence to consider art as a career.
“[Now] for me, painting is life, so I am always working on something or planning the next work in my home studio at Flaxton.
“It’s difficult to imagine not doing it now or in the future. While ever I have something to say or share through my art, I will continue to paint.”
Cynthia will be having an exhibition at Art Nuvo in July. artnuvobuderim.com.au