In her passion of art, nature, philosophy & political theories, Cinzia (Syndy) Esteves, lends her voice for the Australian Brumbies. Wild Brumbies evolved from domestic horses landing on Australian shores in 1788.

Using meaningful art, Syndy brings awareness to the human condition that affects flora & fauna from human environmental impact & laws. The Australian political upheaval of the brumbies magnifies the problems of our human condition that governs the environmental management of Australian flora and fauna, especially within the unique Australian landscape, as management is at the forefront for what is considered a ‘non-native’ species, and the Wild Brumbies fall under that label, under Australian laws. Hence rehoming of wild brumbies is available but not supported well enough and brumbies that are not rehomed are either ground or aerial culled or sent to knackeries.

The art theories and philosophies attached to the artworks are of Freedom and Speciesism, challenging via juxtaposition the government labelled ideologies. The family and hierarchy of the sentient are thus emphasised as well as the rights of animals questioned within our society, all done via Portraiture. Each Brumby selected for the work, has a family history and backstory about them, relating the family and the sentient behind each portraiture.

It was inevitable that Syndy’s art journey of mnemonic experiences and events that linked her research of family and the individual of the everyday life, starting from a tangent of the mnemonic shaped her path. As a child between the age of 10 to 12 she only drew horses. Her art is based on her love of horses via the ethereal, not just experiences, as she is a city-based artist and has no experience with horses as such, hence at times, uses references of wildlife brumby photographers. To add, Syndy also brings critical thinking to the works by writing their life stories, philosophical discourses or creating poetry, being another of her passions.

The art has expanded to advocacy, and now Syndy advocates with primary rehomers from Clearview Brumby Rescue Queensland and each brumby saved has a story to tell. She visited Clearview in February 2022, run by Moreen & Paul and met her Brumby subject, Spirit of the Mountain previously known in the wild as ‘Elby’s Dad’. Spirit of the Mountain a king of stallions in the wild, had an extensive mob in Kosciuszko National Park and was then rehomed in 2020 to Clearview. After mourning his mob, he settled with a new mob at Clearview. He is now safe, having also with him now one of his original mares from his Kosciuszko mob. He is kept a Stallion to preserve the DNA of the Wild Brumby for future rewilding. Syndy found them different to domestic horses, being curious beings and with independent thinking, unlike their domestic counterpart. Once home, she knew what to express in her painting. Individual and independent sentients with absolute spirit.

Since then, Syndy’s advocacy has taken a tangent, having also spread through social media and to add, runs a brumby transport fund based on donations. But foremost her advocacy is through her art to envision a different world that works with nature instead of against it and give voice to the sentient. Syndy had intended to become a people portrait painter, but her passion for animals and nature and meaningful art, has won her heart, as she found the human faces masked by our human condition. She thus decided to take a not so well travelled road, hoping that it may enlighten a conversation, a thought, a change, in how we view other sentient species. ‘Be their voice in the wind’.

Syndy's method of painting and drawing is expressed through traditional forms of oil painting, using restricted palettes and thinner layers of paint to create movement in her paintings. She sometimes also uses a ‘alla prima’ when painting smaller canvases. Syndy is inspired by many painters especially renaissance painters and has since attending the Julian Ashton Studio in Sydney, adapted the older technique of painting using only linseed oil for her paintings, and uses Grisailles and thin layers of paint, then adds the texture over in the final layers if needed. Some paintings may have as many as 30 sittings.

Her background of architecture associates at times different perspectives and she uses either a realistic approach or an impressionist setting, sometimes with Dalian aspects and colours for mood and shadows. Having also a modern colour palette as colour & colour theory is one of her passions, she uses blues and greys to contrast her works. She makes her own blacks, greens and other hues using a range of primary colours. Colour is at the forefront as she can see and distinguish colours in detail. She understands that colour is personal as we all see it differently, hence her work provides depth even with tonal palettes. She pushes her own boundaries by restricting the palettes so sometimes only a few colours are used.

Within drawing she uses graphite, ink, pastel or mixed media, relating her draughting skills from her architectural background, working also with technical ink pens. Again, having a love for detail, the drawn works are also layered and detailed. For black and white drawings, she uses shade and different sized pens to relate depth and contrast.

Art for Syndy is a dream becoming a reality as she has always ‘felt compelled’ to create. From the first time taking a pencil in hand at the early age of 6 months, and scribbled on walls to her mother’s dismay, her journey is finally becoming a true voice for the wild brumbies through meaningful art.

Cinzia (Syndy) Esteves is now an Australian visual artist and has a Bachelor of fine arts with honours from University of NSW, graduating in 2018. Syndy then attended classes at Julian Ashton in CBD Sydney for human portraiture in 2019/2020. Syndy has also received recognition with Luxemburg art prizes having received 4 off 'certificate of artistic achievement' of the Pinacotheque awards from 2021 to 2024. Syndy is an oil painter, draughtsperson, writer, poet and a wild brumby advocate. Her artwork stretches the boundaries between art & politics by giving a voice to the wild brumbies being wild Australian horses, that roam Kosciuszko National Park in NSW Australia. ‘Be their Voice in the wind.’

ART SITES
syndyartist.blogspot.com
facebook.com/syndyartist/
instagram.com/syndyartist/

ADVOCACY SITES
freethebrumbies.blogspot.com
facebook.com/freethebrumbies/