Original Zelman Lew painting “Cooling Off,” an evocative oil on canvas portraying a woman relaxing in a sunlit pool as a tennis ball splashes into the water beside her. Framed in a distressed white timber frame, this work captures a bold, cinematic moment with Lew’s distinctive realism and warmth.

Artist: Zelman Lew
Title: Cooling Off
Type: Original Painting – Oil on Canvas
Artwork Size: 60cm × 90cm
Framed Size: 73cm × 103cm
Frame: White timber frame
Support: Stretched canvas
Inclusions: Framed artwork

Zelman Lew (b. 1947)

Zelman Lew is a contemporary Australian realist and surrealist artist whose work blends human personality with botanical form. Based in Melbourne, he is best known for his Scent of a Woman series, in which flowers and foliage merge playfully with the features of his portrait subjects. Working primarily in oil and sculpture, Lew uses layered colour, vibrant palettes and inventive negative space to explore themes of femininity and nature.

A full-time painter since 1972, Lew has exhibited widely across Queensland and Victoria. His work has been recognised through selection in major Australian art awards, including the Gold Coast Art Prize and the satirical Bald Archy Prize.