Molly Stephenson is an American-Australian emerging artist undertaking a Master of Visual Arts at the Queensland College of Art. Specialising in oil painting, her work has been collected across Australia and the USA, exhibited in group shows including Paradise Gloss at Side Gallery, and selected as a finalist in the 2025 Swell Art Prize.

Molly’s work explores relationships between forms of the refined versus the unkempt; the vase and the swaying flower, the hotel and the splashing pool, the city and the winding river. This serves as a meditation on the desire to be both structured and spontaneous in her painting practice. Scrubby marks and creamy oils create texture play while the earthy tones reference colour palettes from her former career in makeup design. Following a number of studies, Molly paints her works usually in one sitting using the alla prima technique to keep the brushstrokes instinctive.

Molly is currently practicing in Meanjin/Brisbane and taking select commissions.