KEN DONE IS MY DOLLY PARTON
PAINTINGS BY LEONA DEBOLT
The artist would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which she lives and works, the Widjabul/ Wia-bul people of the Bundjalung nation.
Grafton Regional Gallery acknowledges the Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl people as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work. We honour the First Nations people’s culture and connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
KEN DONE IS MY DOLLY PARTON PAINTINGS
BY LEONA DEBOLT
GRAFTON REGIONAL GALLERY
27 September – 23 November 2025
About the exhibition
Ken Done Is My Dolly Parton is a celebration of influence. The exhibition was sparked by a chance meeting between Leona DeBolt and Ken Done, leading her to explore the idea of honouring an artistic hero. Drawn to Done’s remarkable abstracts, his embrace of the everyday, and his unwavering commitment to his own visual language, DeBolt embarked on a journey of immersion and study. During a residency at Grafton Regional Gallery, she examined and responded to the Ken Done works in the Gallery’s permanent collection before travelling to Sydney to spend time with Done in his studio. The conversations and shared moments of practice profoundly influenced both her creative approach and the mindset she brings to her work.
The resulting paintings are responses born of reflection, research, and risk-taking — works that have challenged, surprised, and stretched her own practice. They may not be what she first imagined, but as a wise artist once said: “If they don’t like it, fuck ’em.”
Opposite: Leona DeBolt with Ken Done, in his studio. May 2025.
A Hibiscus for Ken, acrylic on canvas, 76cm x 76cm
After the Sun Sleeps, oil, enamel and acrylic on canvas, 150cm x 150cm
Leona
About the artist
Leona DeBolt lives and works in Lismore, NSW. A largely self-taught painter, she works with acrylic, pigment, charcoal, and oil to create vivid, layered compositions that blend personal storytelling with colour as an emotional language. Her practice is rooted in sensory experience and expressive mark-making, moving fluidly between playfulness and autobiographical narrative.
Leona has carved her own path through experimentation and intuition, developing a distinctive visual voice that ignites curiosity and invites viewers to feel and remember. Since beginning her exhibition journey in 2022, she has held solo shows across New South Wales and Victoria, building a growing audience for her raw, vibrant, and unfiltered approach to contemporary painting.
Mara Creek , oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 101cm x 76cm
The Pumpkin Patch at the Grafton Gallery, enamel and acrylic on canvas, 61cm x 45cm Paintings by Leona DeBolt
Just Outside of Maclean, acrylic, oil and ink on canvas, 101cm x 76cm
Watching the boats in Maclean, acrylic & oil on canvas, 40cm x 30cm
Text copyright: Grafton Regional Gallery and The Artist
Images copyright: Leona DeBolt
Photography: Mia Zapata
Catalogue Design: Taylor Made Graphics
© Grafton Regional Gallery
ISBN: 978-1-7641885-1-7
This publication has copyright. Apart from fair dealing for purposes of research, study or otherwise permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without permission. Enquiries should be made to Grafton Regional Gallery.
Grafton Regional Gallery is a cultural facility of the Clarence Valley Council.
Grafton Regional Gallery acknowledges the funding support of the NSW Government through Create NSW.
www.graftongallery.nsw.gov.au
Image opposite: Mini Portrait (unknown), acrylic, pigment & charcoal on canvas, 40cm x 30cm
Image on back page: Lovers Swimming in the Moonlight , enamel and acrylic on canvas, 30cm x 40cm
