The Hills are Alive...

Edit 21. Elizabeth Gleeson Art, Monbulk.

Elizabeth Gleeson’s beautiful murals bring colour and pattern not only to the streets of the Dandenong Ranges but as far abroad as Japan, sparking curiosity and joy in those who discover them.

Growing up on a small island in East Gippsland in a creative household, Elizabeth was surrounded by making. Her mum was always cooking, crafting and gardening, activities that shaped her every day. “She was really good at encouraging creativity, so we were always drawing and creating.” While Elizabeth’s early passion was textiles and sewing, her creativity evolved into a world where pattern, colour and paper took centre stage.

A period living in Ubud, Indonesia marked a turning point. Elizabeth found herself compulsively drawing. “I couldn’t stop, and it got me through a hard period of grief.” Inspired by architecture and places she’d travelled, her drawings grew into intricate paper sculptures, a world built from memory and imagination.

During this time, she dreamed of a look and colour palette she hadn’t quite seen before. She created it, posted it online, and within two days it sold, a moment that gave her the confidence to shift from clothing to painting. “Once you tap into flow and recognise you’re in it, things start unfolding because you’re part of the journey you’re meant to be on.”

After living everywhere from East Gippsland to Melbourne’s inner north and Ubud, it’s the Dandenong Ranges she now calls home. Elizabeth lives among the mountain ash trees in Monbulk with her partner @gerard.russo.art, finding peace and inspiration in her surroundings.

To view Elizabeths work, visit at the Pieces of Paper exhibition @burrinja, or wander through the Dandenong Ranges, Brunswick or Hokkaido, Japan, to discover her murals. “It’s such an honour to create something that feels like play for me and then watch other people find joy in it.”

Discover more at @elizabeth.gleeson.artist or elizabethgleeson.com.