was Nude Study, (c. 1939–41). It was her first use of bold, fluid black line work, which is what she is known for today. During the early 40s, Hester began depicting the ambience of daily life, via ink drawings of street scenes and factory workers. She was influenced by artist Ailsa O'Connor, who had similar concerns in her work. Hester was also drawn to the work of Vassilieff for his philosophical views about how art and life could not be separated. By the mid 40s, Hester relinquished her interest in oil painting to concentrate solely on watercolor and inks. Her focus shifted towards the motif of the human face, specifically the expression in the eyes. Using minimal and assertive ink strokes, she rendered her figures with emotional intensity. A Frightened Woman (1945) served as a seminal point in establishing Hester's style and media moving forward. Hester works aimed to capture the psychological horror of World War II. Hester and Tucker married 1941. Five years later Hester gave birth to a son, Sweeney Reed (1944–1979). In 1947, when Sweeney was three, Hester was diagnosed with terminal Hodgkin's lymphoma. Believing she had only 2 years to live, she decided to move to Sydney to live with Melbourne artist Gray Smith, and gave her son into the care of John and Sunday Reed, who subsequently adopted him. Illness impacted heavily on Hester's work and left an indelible mark, loading it with emotional content. During this period Hester produced the drawings that became part of her notable Face, Sleep and Love series. These works were exhibited alongside Hester's poetry in 1950 at her first solo show at the Melbourne Bookclub Gallery. Later life Hester had two subsequent solo exhibitions in 1955 and 1956 but struggled to sell her art. She typically worked on a small scale in black ink and wash, however, Australian modernism favoured large oil paintings, like those of Nolan. Hester's work failed to garner the same recognition her male peers received, dismissed by critics as "angst-ridden". The Lovers series (1956–58) were indicative of her maturing and expressive style. She also published poetry and used her drawings to illustrate her words. Joy and Smith had two children, a son, Peregrine, in 1951, and a daughter, Fern, in 1954. The couple married in 1959. After a period of remission Hester suffered a relapse of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1956 and died on 4 December