| Artist's work an ode to joy by Sharon Verghis Sydney Morning Herald January 26, 2004 |

Acclaimed as one of Australia's leading Naive artists, Narelle was born in 1946, and grew up in Killara, on Sydney's leafy North Shore. After attending art school at East Sydney Technical College she spent 16 years traveling the world and became fascinated with Naive art while living in Paris and Brazil.

Returning to Australia and her love of painting in 1981 she began to record in rich colour and detail happy childhood memories of times spent from coastal towns to the outback. After doing three paintings the Hogarth Gallery in Sydney offered her a solo exhibition. The Womens Weekly immediately did a 2 page story , and she has enjoyed sell out exhibitions in Australia and America, and much publicity ever since. Scenes of Sydney Harbour with old ferries ( she can't bring herself to paint the jet cats ); sailboats , picnickers or country scenes with beautiful old houses and country folk and wonderful Aussie animals all smiling underneath the Jackarandas and pepper trees that fill her canvasses.

Narelle's humourous depiction of everyday events in her beloved country quickly led to many corporate commissions including an Australian Naive series on plates for the Luxembourg porcelain makers, Villeroy & Boch. Private collectors such as Jackie Collins, Elton John and Michael Parkinson love Narelle's work. As well as Villeroy & Boch, her work is reproduced on place mats with Hale Imports, Jigsaws with Blue Opal, greeting cards with Card Sharp and prints and cards sold in the NSW Art Gallery in the Domain, Sydney.

Narelle's love of nature and the earth shines through her work and touches the hearts of all who see it. Young children and grandparents share the joy. "Its not something I consciously do", she says, "It comes from the heart, from within . I love to laugh, and always make my work sunny and happy and joyous. I can't help it !" A reviewer once said of her, " she seems to carry some wonderful secret inside that keeps spilling out " , and the paintings carry that love. She has been featured on many television shows, including the Mike Walsh show, Maggie Tabberer show, and Good Morning Australia. The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald, The Telegraph, North Shore Times and Vogue Living have all featured Narelle and her work. Narelle's work has been widely copied, but the sheer joy and love of Australia Narelle captures in her paintings cannot be emulated.

The Sydney Morning Herald commissioned Narelle to do a front cover for Australia day, 2004, and the painting will be featured in their book, commerating 175 years of the newspaper, published late 2005.

Narelle has been living in the Blue Mountains for three years , but is returning to her home, Sydney in 05, and is eager to get back to her blue, blue harbour, forever violet skies and endless summers filled with promise and hope.