Soft Landing

Art is a lifeline for Febe Zylstra; an anchor through the highs and lows of living with bipolar disorder and anxiety. For over 27 years, Febe has created instinctively and daily, using painting and sculpture to navigate her internal world. 

Febe's figurative, landscape, and abstract work draws from raw emotion, expressed through mixed media, oils, acrylics, ink, and charcoal. Each piece becomes a living document of her surroundings and state of mind. Creating helps Febe externalise chaos, offering calm, clarity, and connection. 

Having exhibited across Australia and internationally, Febe's art lives in homes and public spaces around the world. More than expression, art is Febe's daily maintenance. She hopes her journey encourages others to explore creativity as a path to self-compassion, balance, and belonging.

A bird rests soft on her open hand, not caught, not caged, but gently planned. It comes with wings once torn by flight, now drawn to stillness, not to fright. Her fingers, calm, a quiet shore, where fear need knock no more. Eyes speak of ache, of healing slow, of letting something fragile grow. This is the place where silence sings, where pain uncoils and spirit clings. Not every landing means goodbye, some come to rest and learn to fly!