Ann Owen Art

10/06/2026

Well. It's really happening. 🎉
I'm thrilled to announce my debut exhibition — Top End Characters — opening at Darwin Visual Arts on Friday 31 July alongside four other talented artists.
Original watercolours of the birds and wildlife of Australia's Northern Territory — the personalities, the quirks, the moments that make you reach for a paintbrush. Come and see them in person.
📅 Opening night: Friday 31 July, 6–8pm — free entry
📍 Darwin Visual Arts, 1/8 McMinn St, Harbour View Plaza, Darwin City
🕐 Gallery hours: Wed 12–5pm · Thurs & Fri 10am–5pm · Sat 10am–2pm
More characters to be revealed between now and opening night. Watch this space. 🌿

02/06/2026

The layers are going in and he is starting to show his hand.
Allow me to introduce the Pied Heron — one of Darwin's most elegantly turned-out locals. Slate-black body, brilliant white neck, a crest he carries with complete confidence.
If the Top End had a best-dressed list, he'd be on it.
I've been deep in the plumage detail today — building up the darkness of that slate-black body so the white neck really sings against it. This is the stage of a painting I love and slightly dread in equal measure. Every layer either adds or takes away and you don't always know which until it dries.
Once the layering is complete, he is going to be a very handsome Territorian. Watch this space. 🌿
38×56cm original watercolour — this one is something special.

11/05/2026

Meet the Dustbin Diva. 👑
Now before you scroll past — this is NOT your bin chicken. This is the Straw-necked Ibis, and she deserves a proper second look.
Those electric feathers — deep green, purple, bronze — absolutely glisten in the NT sunlight as she strolls along foraging for snacks, completely unbothered by anyone's opinion of her family. Dignified. Glamorous. Entirely self-assured.
I've been painting Australian wildlife for a long time, and this species is one of the most underrated birds I've ever put a brush to. That iridescent frock is something else in real life — and even more fun to paint.
This one is heading somewhere special very soon. Stay tuned for details. 👀

01/05/2026

Almost there. 🌸
Moonglow, Magenta Rose, and Opera Pink — three colours that together capture exactly what a Galah is. But honestly, Australia's birds don't need an artist to exaggerate anything. The colours are already there, already extraordinary. My job is just to do them justice.

There's nowhere else on earth where the wildlife comes in quite these shades — that fierce, saturated, unashamed colour. It's what draws me back to Australian subjects again and again.

Galahs are one of the cleverest birds in the cockatoo family too — they talk, they mimic, and they absolutely recognise faces. Cheeky, bold, and utterly Australian.

28x38cm on 640gsm archival cotton paper — a beautiful size if you're just starting a collection.
As for where she's heading in July. More soon. 👀

26/04/2026

It's all in the eye.
Every painting lives or dies in that one small detail. Get the eye wrong and the whole thing goes flat — no matter how good the rest is. Get it right and suddenly it's looking back at you.
Swipe through my favourites — see how different they all are. Six completely different personalities. Same watercolour, same paper, completely different world.
Which one stopped you? ↓
Original watercolour · Link in bio

20/04/2026

One of my all-time favourite birds — and honestly, one of the hardest to actually see in the wild.
The Azure Kingfisher is pure theatre. You're sitting quietly by a creek, feeling very zen and at one with nature, and then — whoosh — a flash of blue and gold and he's gone before your brain has even registered what happened. Blink and you miss him entirely.

Thank you to the incredibly talented Darwin wildlife photographer for capturing what my eyes never quite managed to — this painting simply wouldn't exist without his skill and generosity.

Painted in my loose expressive watercolour style on premium 640gsm archival paper. 28 × 38cm. The first work in my new Wild Territory wildlife series.

This one might just be heading to an exhibition in the not-too-distant future — so stay tuned. 😊

10/04/2026

17/03/2026

A flash of blue along the water’s edge…
the Azure Kingfisher never sits still for long.

This piece was all about capturing that electric colour — bold cobalt blues against warm golden light, painted loose to let the watercolour do its thing.

28 x 38 cm
Painted on 640gsm archival paper

One of those birds that stops you in your tracks… if you’re quick enough to spot it.

✉️ Available — feel free to message for details

14/03/2026

Hello, I'm Ann — the paint-splattered human behind these watercolours. 🎨

I'm an Australian watercolour artist based in Darwin, creating original works inspired by the wildlife, wild places and cheeky characters I encounter across this extraordinary country.

A childhood in Papua New Guinea gave me an early obsession with colour, creature and jungle — and I've never quite recovered.

From the tropical Top End to the red heart of Central Australia, from Queensland's coastal wetlands to the remote Kimberley — I travel widely, photograph everything, and paint whatever stops me in my tracks. Native birds are a particular passion. So are emus with attitude, galahs with opinions, and the occasional camel who thinks he owns the road.

Working in watercolour, I love the medium's honesty — it rewards confidence and punishes hesitation in equal measure. My style is loose and expressive, but every brushstroke is deliberate.

Each painting is a one-of-a-kind original on archival paper, created for collectors who value individuality, craftsmanship and a genuine connection to the Australian landscape.

My work is held in private collections across Australia, and I'm always open to commissions for subjects close to your heart.

Thanks for being here — I hope something on these walls speaks to you. 🌿

06/03/2026

The owl that isn’t an owl…
Australia’s wonderful Tawny Frogmouth — master of disguise and perfectly at home against the bark of a paperbark tree. If he freezes still enough, he becomes almost invisible.

This little character was captured in the wild by my favourite local photographer , showing off his creamy brown feathers and those wonderfully shaggy grey whiskers.

Such fascinating birds to paint.

Original watercolour
28 × 38 cm on 640gsm archival paper

A lovely addition to my growing Australian bird collection. If this quiet little guardian of the night speaks to you, feel free to get in touch.