Living Between the Sunlit and the Unspoken
As I prepare for my daughter’s wedding celebration, I am – in parallel – preparing and painting as much as I can for my upcoming exhibition at the beginning of November.
Two thresholds, arriving at almost the same time.
And what I am beginning to see is that both are asking the same deeper attentiveness of me, just in different forms.
Weddings require a lot of organising: lists, timings, who sits where, and the hundred small decisions that make a day hold together. And yes, I am doing some of that.
But underneath all the logistics is the part I actually care about: being present as a mother. A nurturing person. A carer – for my daughter, for her husband, and for my grandson, who will be there too, small and wide-eyed in the middle of it all.
I want to speak well when it is my turn. I want to be a loving, attentive host, not a frazzled one.
And I am learning that none of that is possible unless I also take care of myself. Unless I leave room, somewhere amongst all the planning, to actually feel what is happening.
My daughter is getting married.
That is not a logistical event. It is an event of the heart, something very deeply felt, and it asks for a different kind of presence than a seating chart does.
The studio asks for that kind of presence too, only directed inward rather than outward.
At the wedding, I am learning to be present for the people I love, out in the light of it all.
In the studio, I am doing something quieter and more subtle – going deep, becoming introspective, trying to hear what has no words yet. Trying to understand something before I can explain it, and sometimes trying to capture it without ever fully explaining it at all.
Some of what ends up on the canvas I couldn’t tell you the meaning of if you asked me directly.
I can only tell you that I recognised it as true, and beautiful, when it arrived.
SUNLIT, UNSPOKEN has always lived within that movement – between an outward, light-filled space and an inward, contemplative one.
I am realising now that I am living it, not just painting it, this season.
The wedding is the sunlit room: people, love, my grandson’s small hand, and the work of being fully there for the people I love.
The studio is the unspoken one: the deep listening, the reaching for beauty that has not found its words yet, the allowing of something to exist without needing to explain it.
And both, it turns out, ask the same thing of me underneath it all.
Presence.
Just directed differently.
Outward care for the people in front of me. Inward care for whatever within me is still forming, still wordless, still becoming a painting.
I don’t know yet exactly what this means for the exhibition. I am still in the middle of finding it all within myself.
But I wanted to write to you from inside it, rather than afterwards – from this place of two important things happening at once, and the strange grace of discovering that they are teaching me the same lesson, just in different rooms:
Organise where you must.
And everywhere else, be fully, tenderly here.
More soon, from the studio.
With all my love,
Kirana xx
What's On:
Some paintings offer themselves immediately, in the first encounter with colour.
Others reveal themselves more slowly, in what only becomes visible when we stop looking and begin noticing.
This exhibition moves in both directions at once.
The first is outward – sunlit.
These paintings are filled with colour, with light caught and reflected, with the quiet joy that rises unexpectedly from ordinary moments. They are bright because the world, when we truly allow ourselves to see it, is bright. Because colour is its own form of honesty.
The second moves inward – unspoken.
Here, the paintings slow down. They leave space to look, to wonder, and to feel. They are less interested in answers than in what begins to emerge when we sit with stillness long enough. They invite us to notice the quiet things – the feelings, memories and small truths that only reveal themselves when the noise falls away.
In the studio, making these works became its own form of contemplation. Each painting was a gentle negotiation between intention and surrender, between knowing and discovering. That same conversation exists throughout this exhibition.
These two bodies of work are not opposites so much as companions.
The sunlit and the unspoken need one another.
Colour without contemplation can become spectacle. Contemplation without colour can become austere.
Held together, they become an invitation.
To slow down.
To notice.
And perhaps to discover what has been quietly waiting for you all along.
I would love for you to come and experience SUNLIT-UNSPOKEN in person – and perhaps bring a friend, or gather a few of your favourite people and make an afternoon of it.
There is always something very special about experiencing an exhibition together. Art gives us something different to talk about, to notice and to share, and I love seeing the conversations that unfold when people move through the work side by side.
The exhibition will remain open until 28 November, with viewing hours Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10am–2pm.
If those days don't suit, I am also very happy to welcome you for a private viewing by appointment. For those further afield, I can take you through the exhibition personally via Zoom, so you can experience the works, see their scale and details, and talk through any pieces that speak to you.
Private viewings are also warmly welcomed for interior designers, architects and those sourcing artwork for residential, hospitality or commercial spaces. I would be delighted to spend time with you exploring individual works, scale, placement and pieces that may suit a particular project or space.
SAVE THE DATE | SUNLIT-UNSPOKEN
Exhibition Opening Night
3pm, Saturday, 7 November 2026
Kirana’s Home Gallery
Exhibition continues until 28 November 2026
Mondays, Wednesdays + Saturdays
10am–2pm
Private and Zoom viewings available by appointment
I can't wait to welcome you.
With love,
Kirana xx
Open Studio + Walk in Art Class
Next Dates - 30th of September, 3rd, 7th & 10th of October
Studio open by appointment 6th to the 29th of September – due to Kirana’s wonderfully busy schedule, including the wedding of her daughter
Kirana’s studio is open on Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm, and most Saturdays from 9am to 12pm (see dates above). You’re warmly invited to drop in, have a look around the studio, enjoy a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and stay for a relaxed chat. There’s no pressure and no expectations – just an open door and a welcoming space.
By popular demand, Saturdays also include a walk-in art class from 10am to 12pm. This relaxed and friendly session is open to everyone – whether you’re an experienced artist or simply curious to explore your creative side. All materials are provided, $70 per person (GST included), and the focus is on enjoying the process of making art in a calm, supportive environment.
We look forward to welcoming you into the studio.
Art Class Details:
10am – 12pm
$70 per person (GST included)
All materials included
We look forward to welcoming you into the studio.
One on One Art Lessons
Can be booked suitable to your timetable, tailored to your needs and all ages.
$110 p/h (GST inc) | All art materials included
ArtSHINE x Kirana Haag collection on Threadless
Friends & Family Code: FAMd6e722b
Final Notes
All the above are also great gift ideas for a loved one who would benefit from some breathing space and would love to try something new.
If you would like more information on any of these workshops or to book, simply reply to this email or contact me on 0448446466.
With lots of love,
Kirana xx