Translating the Unseen and the Ephemeral Through Abstraction in the Invention Series

Charlotte Wensley
Jan 1, 2012
6 min read

Updated: Nov 5

In abstract painting, the unseen often becomes the most compelling subject. Emotions, fleeting experiences, and subtle states of consciousness resist direct representation, yet they can be evoked through the deliberate movement of paint, the layering of texture, and the rhythm of recurring forms.

Abstract art with red and black circles and wavy patterns. White dots and lines create a dynamic flow. Bold, vibrant, and energetic.

Patterns and circles, in particular, provide a visual language for these ephemeral experiences: their repetition suggests continuity, their curves imply flow, and their intersections hint at the complex overlaps of human feeling.

Through abstraction, the intangible gains form, allowing viewers to sense what is being expressed. Circles have long been associated with cycles, wholeness, and the continuity of life.

In this series of abstract paintings, they become vessels for invisible currents—holding memory, desire, tension, and release within their boundaries. Patterns amplify this effect, creating a rhythm that mirrors the subtle patterns of thought and emotion.

You are invited into a space that is at once structured and infinite, where the eye can wander over contours and connections, encountering layers of feeling that are difficult to articulate but easy to recognize in their emotional resonance.

By focusing on patterns and circular forms, this collection captures the fleeting, transient nature of human experience. Moments of joy, doubt, longing, or quiet reflection emerge as visual echoes, creating a dialogue between the seen and the unseen. These paintings become a mirror for internal landscapes, a space where ephemeral emotions are given a temporary home, and where each observer can trace their own inner rhythms within the shapes and repetitions. In this way, abstract art transcends literal depiction, offering a portal into the subtle, shifting currents that define our lived experience.

There are 13 paintings in this collection (2011/2012).

| Beyond

Beyond explores the quiet pull toward what lies outside the visible and the known. Through layered colour fields and shimmering circular forms, the painting evokes a sense of passage—of moving through thresholds of emotion, memory, and perception. It invites you to look beyond the boundary to where the promise of something, just out of reach, feels both mysterious and deeply familiar.

Acrylic on Canvas

122cm x 91cm

Abstract artwork with vibrant red, purple, and black patterns. Concentric circles and rectangles overlap, creating a dynamic, vivid composition.

Original - Acquired by the Gold Coast Hospital Public Art Collection.

| Bloom

Bloom captures the moment when energy unfolds into form—an emergence of colour, rhythm, and light from within the canvas. Layers of paint pulse with quiet vitality, suggesting cycles of growth and renewal. Rather than depicting a literal flower, this painting evokes the feeling of expansion itself—the slow, inevitable opening that accompanies transformation and creative becoming.

Acrylic on Canvas

76cm x 76cm

Abstract artwork with red and black circular patterns and white lines, featuring a central blue-tinted area with intricate designs. Energetic mood.

Original - SOLD

| Chosen

Chosen reflects a moment singular clarity, a recognition of purpose that rises gently from within. Through its interplay of contrasting colours and circular motifs, the painting describes a feeling that something unseen has quietly selected its own pathway forward. It speaks to the tender strength of accepting one’s place in the unfolding pattern of things.

Acrylic on Canvas

76cm x 76cm

Abstract art with red, blue, and orange circles and patterns. Central red sphere with black lines. Energetic and vibrant mood.

Original - SOLD

| Cloudtime

Cloudtime is an ode to slowing down—to the quiet act of watching clouds drift and reshape above us. The painting captures the meditative rhythm of looking upward, where time stretches into infinity and thoughts dissolve into the vastness of the sky. Through its soft transitions and airy layers, it invites a return to presence, reminding us of the simple beauty found in observation from a point of stillness and the gentle passage of unique moments in time.

Acrylic on Canvas

61cm x 76cm

Abstract painting with circular patterns in various shades of blue, depicting a serene seascape and night sky. Hints of green and subtle textures.

Original - SOLD

| Cocoon

Cocoon evokes a moment of quiet introspection. Through layered textures and enveloping forms, the painting suggests a space where growth unfolds unseen, protected from the outside world. It captures the delicate tension between withdrawal and emergence, inviting you to reflect on moments of pause, renewal, and the subtle power of inner change.

Acrylic on Canvas

40cm x 30cm

Abstract artwork with circular patterns in red, orange, and blue hues. A central dark square contains a blue circle with white rays.

Original - SOLD

| Darkling Dream

Darkling Dream explores the delicate space between consciousness and the dream state. Swirling forms and muted tones suggest visions that are both elusive and intimate, like fragments of a dream just out of reach. The painting invites contemplation of the hidden, mysterious aspects of experience—where imagination, memory, and emotion converge in quiet intensity.

91cm x 91cm

Acrylic on Canvas

Abstract artwork with concentric red and blue circles forming a wave pattern on a textured background. The mood is dynamic and intricate.

Original - SOLD

| Fade and Blow Away

This piece captures the fragile beauty of impermanence, as forms and colours rise and dissolve into thin air. Gentle, flowing brushstrokes evoke moments that slip quietly from grasp, like petals carried on the wind. The painting reflects on letting go, the transience of experience, and the quiet poetry found in things that are fleeting yet profoundly felt.

Acrylic on Canvas

76cm x 76cm

Abstract artwork with red vertical shapes and circular patterns on a dark background. A horizontal blue stripe divides the composition.

Original - SOLD

| In Between

In Between explores the space of transition, where one state flows into another and certainty is intangible. Layered shapes and organic forms evoke the tension and possibility of liminal moments—neither here nor there, yet full of quiet significance. This painting invites reflection on thresholds, pauses, and the subtle beauty found in the spaces we often overlook.

Acrylic on Canvas

30cm x 40cm

Abstract painting with red and orange dots and swirling patterns on a purple background, creating a vibrant and dynamic visual effect.

Original - SOLD

| Out There

This piece evokes the pull of an undefined place—a space that exists between memory, imagination, and longing. The soft, flowing forms suggest spindrift-like movement without destination, inviting you to wander within through an environment of whimsical possibility. The painting captures the quiet mystery of a place that is felt more than seen, where presence and absence can coexist.

Acrylic on Canvas

76cm x 76cm

Abstract art with swirling blue and red patterns, featuring concentric circles. The mood is dynamic and vibrant. No text visible.

Original - SOLD

| Passenger

Passenger explores the experience of movement and of being carried through life rather than following an intentional and conscious personal pathway. Through layered forms and shifting perspectives, the painting evokes the tension between agency and surrender, presence and detachment. It reflects the human experience of navigating change—watching, feeling, and responding while being carried along by forces larger than oneself.

Acrylic on Canvas

100cm x 100cm

Abstract artwork with colorful circles and squares against a vibrant background of reds, oranges, and blacks. Geometric patterns create a dynamic mood.

Modern living room with a gray sofa and pastel pillows. A vibrant abstract painting with circular patterns and bold colors hangs on the wall.

Original - SOLD

Prints available on request - see below.

| Rainbow Man

This painting radiates energy and vibrancy, capturing the interplay of colour, movement, and spirit. The composition and use of bold hues suggests an emanating life force that embodies joy, transformation, and the multifaceted nature of identity. The painting celebrates presence and vitality, inviting you to feel the resonance of in this piece as an expression of life’s energy.

Acrylic on Canvas

100cm x 100cm

Abstract circular pattern in blue and red hues on a dark red background. Concentric circles create a hypnotic, vibrant effect.

Original - SOLD

Prints available on request - see below.

| Somewhere

Somewhere evokes a sense of journey and the unknown—a place that exists beyond the edge of the map. Gentle layers of colour and shifting forms suggest movement, memory, and possibility, inviting the viewer to drift into a world of imagination. The painting captures the feeling of drifting towards a place that is both elusive and deeply familiar, where the possibility of reflection quietly exists.

Acrylic on Canvas

91cm x 61cm

Vibrant abstract painting with orange, red hues, and circular patterns. Geometric shapes create a colorful mosaic, evoking a lively mood.

Original - SOLD

| The Hatch

This piece evokes a moment of emergence, where something hidden begins to reveal itself to the world. Tension, anticipation, and the fragile beauty of beginnings. come together to create a sense of a delicate threshold between concealment and exposure, and the quiet power of life as it unfolds.

Acrylic on Canvas

61cm x 76cm