In last year’s Archibald Prize, one painting dominated the media coverage. A woman draped in purple and positioned slightly off centre peers across the canvas, poised and almost regal with a twist of fuchsia feathers curling through her piled hair like flames. 

This ethereal, nearly mystical study of singer, songwriter and proud Papua New Guinean woman, Ngaiire, didn’t win the prestigious portrait prize, but the image of her still and pensive face endured. Funnily enough, Ngaiire didn’t win the season of Australian Idol she appeared on as a promising 20-year-old either. But that is neither here nor there. The experience stirred the foundations of a deep, artistic being that would evolve and grow over the next decade and a half. 

Now, Ngaiire’s dazzling character and future soul sound has emerged as a unique force on the Australian music scene; just as strong, fluid and self-assured as she appears in that 2020 portrait.

We dropped in on Ngaiire and her son Nadav (‘Dovey’), 3, at their house on Darkinjung Country to talk about the confluence of art and motherhood. Oh, and those seriously epic matching outfits!

When creating a new home surrounded by owner-built properties on the NSW South Coast, the owners were intent on ensuring the result was modest, not ostentatious, and respectful of the local community. The perfect person for the job? Their daughter, architect Madeleine Blanchfield!

Not only did Madeleine perfectly understand the desires of her parents, her architecture expertise enabled a sympathetic design response perfectly suited to its Bendalong context. 

The 2019-2020 bushfires threatened to destroy this home not long after completion (as evidenced in photos of the surrounding trees), but fortunately it was built to BAL – 19 standards, and thanks to the tireless work of the Rural Fire Service, it is still standing strong!