Bluethumb’s 10 Must-Watch Artists In 2025
Bluethumb, Australia’s most popular online gallery, reveals its Rising Stars shortlist for 2025—a selection of 10 must-watch emerging local artists we need on our radar this year.
Bluethumb is Australia’s largest online gallery, representing over 20,000 local emerging and established artists, working with over 20 of Australia's most remote Indigenous Art Centres—the platform provides access to more Australian artists and their art than anywhere else globally.
For 2025, Bluethumb has revealed a selection of 10 artists from its vast portfolio that we need to place on our artists to watch list. From abstract landscapes to still life, portraiture and sculpture, the works of Bluethumb’s Rising Stars reflect the uniquely varied and diverse range of original artwork available on the platform. The shortlist includes emerging artists whose works and style have become increasingly in demand over the past 12 months, strongly resonating with Australian collectors.
‘Our annual Rising Stars list represents the diversity and breadth of artistic talent in Australia, and this year’s shortlist of emerging artists is no exception. From self-taught painters to those who’ve been practicing their whole life, this year’s crop is a reminder that it’s never too late to cultivate your creative talents or find an avid fanbase for your work,’ says George Hartley, Bluethumb co-founder and co-CEO.
We share Bluethumb’s 2025 Rising Stars below…
Sydney-based Natalie Popovski joined Bluethumb in June 2024 and is the artist behind Austin Flowers. As a still life sculptural artist, she is best known for her playful, tongue-in-cheek interpretations of much-loved, iconic objects. Natalie began her art career creating still life paintings, it was three years ago when she began exploring ceramics and a process known as 'slip casting, enabling her to use liquid clay to transform everyday items into works of art by subtly manipulating them to appear as though they’re melting.
Average price of work: $230
Based in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Gina Andree is a still life artist known for her joyful paintings of books, gardens, flowers and interiors, drawing on her background in graphic design and interior design. After a cancer diagnosis in 2022, Gina embarked on her painting journey from her Bowral home studio, committing to a full-time practice. Today, she says she has never been more content—she joined Bluethumb in 2023 and has sold more than 35 works in the past 12 months.
Average price of work: $520
Greta Hounslow is an abstract landscape artist who joined Bluethumb in 2020. She is best known for her evocative paintings that draw deeply from her connection to nature, Australia and to her extensive travels. Her work blends abstract forms and elements of Australiana in a colourful patchwork that transcends time and place. Greta paints from her sunlit home studio in Hobart, drawing on her travels around remote Australia and her relaxed lifestyle to create eclectic and highly collectible works.
Average price of work: $1255
Self-taught landscape, still life and portraiture artist, John Poole, is known for his sensitive portrayals of places he has visited. John develops most of his paintings from plein-air sketches, his work traverses contemporary realism and impressionism through to occasional abstract work. He won the Best Oil Painting Award at the St George Art Society Annual Exhibition in 2023 and held a solo exhibition in 2024. Most recently he’s expanded his practice to use black and white photos that show aspects of everyday life from the 1930s–1960s in Australia. Retired from his career as an architectural documenter, John joined Bluethumb in 2023 and has sold close to 40 works on the platform in the last 12 months.
Average price of work: $360
Gold Coast-based Taylor Rose is an abstract painter known for her large format, flowing compositions of natural elements of the ocean, jewels, landscapes and much more. After four years working alongside her father, the top-selling artist ‘Franko’, Taylor embarked on exploring her own style. She now paints full-time and is looking forward to releasing a series of more tropical-inspired, vibrant works in 2025. Taylor joined Bluethumb in 2024.
Average price of work: $1440
“Our annual Rising Stars list represents the diversity and breadth of artistic talent in Australia, and this year’s shortlist of emerging artists is no exception.”
Melbourne-based Komal Sharma joined Bluethumb in 2023. She is a still life painter known for her portrayals of dogs (and sometimes other animals) in domestic settings. Komal credits her profound connection with animals for helping her reflect on the invaluable lessons we can glean from them, inviting viewers to sit in the present just as her subjects do. She is an architect by trade, and donates a portion of all her artwork sales to The Lost Dogs Home.
Average price of work: $290
Melbourne-based Neil Whalebone is a self-taught landscape artist who joined Bluethumb in 2020. His work draws on urban landscapes and everyday subject matter. Drawn to painters such as Edward Hopper and Jeffrey Smart, Neil’s life-long passion and interest in art took on a new momentum during Melbourne’s extended Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, when he was able to paint en plein-air. Combining traditional realism with the energy of abstract painting, Neil’s work strives to find a balance between two seemingly unrelated styles.
Average price of work: $405
Swapna Namboodiri is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Adelaide, who joined Bluethumb in 2024. Her work is a unique combination of mixed media artworks exploring various patterns and forms in nature around her. Swapna’s practice is inextricably intertwined with sustainability, drawing inspiration from repetitive and organic patterns found in the natural environment. Her use of heavy textures in her 2D artworks often highlights the unique beauty of various terrains. She has also created commissioned artworks and installations for many esteemed clients in Qatar, where she resided for the past 9 years.
Average price of work: $425
Adelaide-based Thomas Orrin is an abstract painter who joined Bluethumb in 2021. Thomas’ large format works draw from diverse and varied influences, including his youth. During his school years, he began doodling on the back of books, which led him into graffiti art in his teenage years. A house painter by trade, Thomas continues to experiment and evolve his artwork with his main inspiration based on old exposed brick—building layers and texture into his vision.
Average price of work: $1275
Wendy Wang is an abstract still life, interior and landscape artist based in Hampton, Victoria. Wendy’s works depict colourful interpretations of everyday life—she is drawn to simple objects with untapped beauty. Her work aims to reimagine and reorganise the world around her in new and meaningful ways. Wendy joined Bluethumb in August 2023, and has sold more than 40 works in the past 12 months.
Average price of work: $540
For more information about Bluethumb, visit their website or follow @bluethumbart on Instagram.