Secret Fox Business, 2026

The fox has long been my talisman. I love painting them and would consider this my alter ego. I work a lot with Jungian symbolism and archtypes. The fox for me is an animal who survives no matter what. I paint in a very direct way, so this is painted onto the stretcher and resolved along the way. I loved seeing the face emerge and maintaining some of the underpaint in the face and landscape. I have a fascination with snow, probably growing up without any snow around, so love to paint snowy landscapes. I used a minimal palette and loved stretching the colours to what I needed.

I am Janice Gobey, originally from South Africa and have lived in Melbourne for 25 years. I graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with a Masters in Visual Art. I have painted since I was a child and am passionate about my art practice. I am an oil painter primarily, whilst I do like to experiment with watercolour and have also created large fur installations in the past. I have exhibited widely in Melbourne, mostly at fortyfivedownstairs and also internationally. I have attended artist residencies in France, Germany, London and New York and have been shortlisted for a number of prizes, including the Sunshine Coast Art Prize, The Toyota Sculpture Prize, The Kennedy Art Prize and have won the Red Hill Art Show and Artist in the Atrium prizes. Earlier this year, I was selected to be part of Prelude at Australian Galleries and have also just been asked to commission work for Art & Collectors exhibition Elsewhere: Land, Sea, Sky, Beyond.