Children’s Hoops

Children’s Hoops is one of the most joyful and dynamic works by Ethel Spowers, a pioneering figure of Australian modernism and printmaking. Created as a linocut, the image captures children absorbed in play, their bodies and hoops reduced to rhythmic curves and repeated circular forms. Movement is everything here: the scene seems to spin, bounce, and pulse across the surface. Isn't it amazing?

Spowers was deeply influenced by European Modernism, particularly the principles of the Grosvenor School in London, where she studied under Claude Flight. Like her contemporaries, she embraced bold simplification, strong contrasts, and a focus on everyday modern life. In Children’s Hoops, childhood play becomes a study in energy and pattern, transforming an ordinary street scene into a celebration of motion, freedom, and modern design.

P.S. Bring the brilliance of women artists to life, one card at a time. The Women Artists vol.2 - 50 Postcards Set captures movement, color, and emotion across 50 works (including the one presented today) — perfect for inspiring friends, sparking conversation, or celebrating creativity everywhere.

P.P.S. Here are 5 Australian artists everyone should know!