Isabella Allis immigrated to Australia 2001 and settled in Brisbane. She immersed herself in family life and the community, pursuing art as a career in 2013. Her passion is painting portraits in oils. She says of her work: "At the heart of my process when painting a portrait, is a live sitting where I sit casually across from my subject and have a conversation whilst I sketch. I encourage them to move freely and not lock themselves into a pose. This helps me to see their features in animation and listening to them talk helps me to understand their unique characters. Sketching what I see continuously helps to build a memory that I draw on when working on the final portrait. I use this in conjunction with reference photographs to uncover their story and express it through my art.
