"My work is highly personal and autobiographical. I find I have limitless inspiration for new bodies of work as my mind is always ticking over. I generally come up with an idea for a composition first and then I start the process of physically setting up this image the way I have imagined it in my head. At the same time, I’m hyper conscious of capturing a very specific light across my subject matter in order to tell the narrative."
Q: Tell us about your background. How long have you been making art?
I grew up on the Northern beaches of Sydney where I still live and work today. I’ve been painting for as long as I can remember. I have a very vivid memory of when I was 8 years old, I made a large landscape painting of the beach in class and my primary school teacher announced that I was going to be an artist! I have been obsessed with painting ever since!
After high school, I went straight to COFA, UNSW, where I majored in painting for my Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours Class 1 and a Master of Fine Arts by Research (Painting).
I was represented by Robin Gibson Gallery in Sydney for 15 years where I had several solo and group exhibitions as well as being a finalist in many prestigious art prizes.
Q: Could you walk us through your painting process — from the first spark of inspiration
or reference through to the finished work?
My work is highly personal and autobiographical. I find I have limitless inspiration for new bodies of work as my mind is always ticking over. I generally come up with an idea for a composition first and then I start the process of physically setting up this image the way I have imagined it in my head. At the same time, I’m hyper conscious of capturing a very specific light across my subject matter in order to tell the narrative.
I set up still life objects, a portrait or figures at a particular time of day while simultaneously chasing a glorious glow from the sun in which to photograph to use as a reference image. In winter, the early morning light casting through the windows are perfect and in summer, it’s a late afternoon before sunset. The lighting adds an extra quality to my compositions as I play with contrasting highlights and shadows to create a particular mood.
Once I have my reference images to work from, I draw in the composition, followed by painting the first layer in cadmium red. Working on a painted red surface allows me to control the highlights and push and pull the paint between the layers, revealing a particular light and atmosphere.
Ocean of Memories 2024, Oil on birch panel, Framed in Tassie oak, 80 x 80cm
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Q: You’ve been a finalist in many significant prizes, including the Archibald Prize (2019,
2020), Salon des Refusés (2021, 2022, 2024), Portia Geach Memorial Award (2012, 2014, 2020), Ravenswood Women’s Art Prize (2018, 2019), Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (2011, 2012), STILL: National Still Life Award (2021), and the National Emerging Art Prize (2024). What have these experiences and recognitions taught you, and how have they influenced your journey as an artist?
Over the years, being a finalist in major art prizes has been incredibly important to my practice as these experiences have given me confidence in my work, a wonderful opportunity to exhibit with peers whom I admire and invaluable exposure to new audiences.
Being a finalist in the 2019 Archibald Prize with a pregnant self portrait was critical to my development as an artist. The painting ‘Self Portrait with Ariel’ was the catalyst for a new body of work and changed the way I now approach my compositions and sparked an obsession with sheets and fabric.
Q: The paintings from your series ‘I Want To Lie In The Clouds With You’ feature tightly
cropped sections of swirling fabric. Could you tell us more about the ideas and
inspiration behind this series?
The series ‘I want to lie in the clouds with you’ explores intertwined themes of love, grief, and loss following the recent passing of my best friend. In this body of work, bedsheets become a central metaphor: at once a site of comfort and a colliding landscape of restlessness.
While bedsheets offer security and a retreat from the world, they also hold the imprints of
thought, memory and longing. Within their folds, my mind drifts and my grief becomes visible. Each painting becomes an intimate space where different emotions unfold into material form.
Q: What's next for you?
I will be exhibiting 4 paintings from my recent body work ‘I want to lie in the clouds with you’ at the 2025 Affordable Art Fair in Singapore with Sarah Birtles Art and Advice! This will be a wonderful opportunity to show my work to new audiences and engage with new collectors.
I am also continuing to work on another series which explores fabric and identity as well as other portraits to enter into art prizes.
Sarah Birtles Art + Advice connects people with art. We offer a uniquely personalised service to help individuals and businesses to find, purchase and install original artworks by Australian artists.
Based in the Blue Mountains, Australia our services extend to clients around the world.
