Highlight in the moonlight

‘This is Isabella. She is a marvellous person, amazing. She is a curator. I met her when I was working on Love owls and mermaids singing in the rainbow pop, a mural at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She was amazing to me, my favourite, the highlight of my time,’ says Meagan Pelham, one of the artists from Studio A who painted the mural in 2020.

In October 2023, Isobel Parker Philip was appointed the director of curatorial and collections at Canberra’s National Portrait Gallery.

‘I miss her. She got married to a beautiful husband and wears a pearl love ring. I am so happy for her,’ says Pelham, a two-time Archibald finalist.

‘She came to visit our studio for the portrait. It was amazing when she visited. She looked so beautiful. She wore a beautiful black outfit with red lipstick. She was like a top model in moonlight.’