The Lost Embrace #01 Painting

Mish Maudsley, aka Mishfit is an internationally acclaimed contemporary urban artist, seamlessly blending the raw energy of street art with the refinement of fine art painting. With a career spanning over two decades, she has left her mark on the global stage—painting everywhere from the streets of Melbourne to Europe’s most prestigious street art festivals. After over 20 years in Brighton, Mishfit has embarked on an exhilarating new chapter, relocating to the untamed coastal landscapes of Western Australia. This bold move marks a pivotal evolution in her artistic practice, as she immerses herself in the region’s vast, cinematic skies and shifting horizons—infusing her work with an intensified sense of scale, light, and emotional depth. From her studio, she crafts striking, colour-rich works using premium oil paints layered over spray paint and acrylics—marrying classical techniques with a contemporary urban edge. Her practice is a fearless fusion of tradition and rebellion, challenging the boundaries between Fine Art and Street Art. Inspired by old master paintings, neoclassicism, abstract realism, Japanese ukiyo-e, surrealism, retro-futurism, and dystopian cinema, Mishfit has developed a distinctive visual language. Her luminous dreamlike cloudscapes serve as metaphors for human emotion, often intertwined with obscured, elegant figures. Themes of transformation, empowerment, escapism, and defiance run through her work, creating alternate realities where anything is possible. A graduate of Brighton University with a background in illustration and digital design, Mishfit’s deep appreciation for art history and global culture informs her work. Her love of travel and mythology, alongside a reverence for the wild forces of nature, lends her paintings a sense of both adventure and transcendence. A trailblazer in the historically male-dominated street art world, Mishfit made her mark by painting powerful female figures—challenging the hypersexualized imagery prevalent in graffiti culture. This unwavering commitment to female empowerment remains a defining thread in her practice. Her murals and paintings have appeared in a wide range of settings, from luxury interiors to urban landscapes. She has been commissioned by global brands such as Royal Caribbean, Brugal Rum, and TEDx, and her work is sought after by collectors, interior designers, and private clients worldwide.