Teaparty Series – Original Frog and Pig Paintings by Kelly Batsiokis

The Teaparty Series by Australian artist Kelly Batsiokis blends whimsy, nostalgia, and quiet emotion. What began as four ink backgrounds for frog paintings evolved into a collection of mixed media works featuring frogs and pigs sitting in beautifully detailed teacups.

The series includes Royal-Tea, a green tree frog perched in a patterned T2 cup, and Cup of Sanity, a teacup pig inspired by the soft curves of Maxwell & Williams designs. Each piece combines acrylic, Posca marker, and hand-applied gold foil crowns or halos that shimmer gently in the light.

Kelly’s lifelong love of frogs began with her favourite childhood book, Picasso, where a frog turns multicoloured after diving into a jar of jellybeans, and with her own pet frogs, Picasso and Filbert - a memorable lesson that frogs prefer solitude.

Created during her mother’s illness, the series became a deeply personal way to navigate grief and preserve moments of comfort. The familiar cups from her family home, along with new ones collected along the way, connect past and present, memory and play.

Each original painting measures 60 x 60 cm (63 cm framed) and is finished in natural Tasmanian oak. The Teaparty Series brings together humour, tenderness, and the everyday beauty of small rituals shared across generations.