If Very Fishy and The Swim Team had a baby, this would be it. Lady in Red is my newest art series for Alicia Bourley Art. A bold, collection that brings together water, femininity, quiet rebellion and a slightly ridiculous love of swim goggles.
The red comes first: vivid, unapologetic, impossible to ignore. In these artworks, red reflects my inner unrest over inequality, a quiet defiance that never quite fades. It’s not rage, but a steady, constant refusal to shrink or soften who I am.
Then there are the frills. They speak to my femininity, but without the labels or expectations attached. These frills are part armour, part adornment, playful and exaggerated and a reminder that feminine doesn’t have to mean “nice”, “small” or “easy to digest”.
As with many of my collections, the Lady in Red art series drifts naturally back to the water. Living on the Mornington Peninsula, I feel most like myself near the sea. The water in these works ties everything together, it’s where I go to calm the inner turmoil, to float, to reset. It turns the intensity of the red into something soothing and familiar.
And the goggles? Honestly, they’re just for fun. This series might be thoughtful and fiery, but it’s also deeply playful. There is so much joy in living by the water, salty hair, squinty eyes, swimming laps at golden hour, and the goggles are a little wink to that side of my life.
Lady in Red is all of that at once:
- a mash-up of emotion and idea
- a love letter to the sea and coastal living
- a quiet protest painted in lipstick red
- and a celebration of women who refuse to be simplified
Lady in Red is about integration, letting all my worlds coexist in one figure, one outfit, one gaze.
This series was an absolute joy to create, and I hope my limited edition artworks become statement pieces that make your walls feel a little braver too.