Susan Schmidt
Susan Schmidt – Art Practice
Belief in the connectedness of all life, responsibility for the natural environment and concern for sustainable living is the underpinning of my work.
My works are Contemporary Realism punctuated with subtle abstract elements and surprises that allow the underlying to emerge, achieving an organic quality echoing transience, loss and memory.
I paint what I know and where I live and feel compelled to transmute an appreciation and awareness through my art of the value and need to conserve the often taken for granted.
‘Seaburbia’ is a series that was born from this ethos and has been a major part of my practice since first exhibited by selection in ‘The Studio’ Art Sydney 2009.
It was witnessing the gradual disappearance of the original beach houses on the Sunshine Coast where I live that was the motivator to create these works. The continuing series is an exploration of the cultural memory and heritage of the quintessential Australian beach house and the value of a more simple way of life. I paint in acrylic and oil, pattern, layer and rub back the works to achieve a weatherworn texture recalling the erosion of matter over time and the residues of nostalgia and decay. Composed from my own photographs, referencing memories and reminiscing retro colour I am documenting the essence of coastal living lost to time and development.
Works from my ‘Seaburbia’ series are represented in the University of the Sunshine Coast Art Collection, the Sunshine Coast Council Art Collection and the Sunshine Coast University Hospital as well as corporate and private collections nationally and internationally.
I have been exhibiting in selected and solo exhibitions since 1998 and since 2012 internationally in the New York Chelsea International Art Competition, in Hong Kong, Istanbul, San Diego and Singapore and in 2016 by invitation artist-in-residence at One & Only – Reethi Rah, Maldives.
Most recently I was one of 25 finalists selected out of 16,000 artists in the Rise Art Prize ‘Global Artist of the Year’ award, a global competition to uncover the world’s most exciting contemporary artists demonstrating creative excellence, original ideas and exceptional technical skill.
https://www.riseartprize.com/finalists
A global panel of judges including Gavin Turk, David Bailey, Harland Miller and Fiona Banner reviewed the finalist’s works in person and winners were announced at an Awards Ceremony on the 8th February at the House of VANS, London. My finalist work has since sold to a London collector.
Following is a comment/review I’d like to share with you by one of the Rise Art Curators:
“I love Susan Schmidt’s use of colour, form, line and pattern in these works. The combination of precision, depth and richness of these elements to create images that visually verge on abstraction, but simultaneously tap into a shared emotional nostalgia for all the summers past conflated with hope for all of those to come.” Alice Russotti – Rise Art Curator
Background
Born in 1960 SA, Australia
Resides
Noosa Heads, QLD Australia
Qualifications
1993-current Visual Arts Practice
1981-1993 Freelance Illustrator/Designer, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane
1978-1980 School of Art and Craft, Adelaide
Exhibitions – solo and selected
2018 l Stanthorpe Art Prize Finalist Exhibition, QLD, Australia
2018 l Rise Art Prize ‘Global Artist of the Year Award’ Finalist Exhibition, London UK
2017 l Singapore Contemporary Art Show (selected solo artist dialogue) Singapore
2016 l Singapore Contemporary Art Show (selected solo artist dialogue) Singapore
2015 l Art San Diego (self-represented) California, USA
2015 l Fibro Coast Exhibition Bribie Island Seaside Museum, QLD, Australia
2014 l Contemporary Istanbul (selected) Turkey
2014 l see.me Takeover Times Square (selected) New York, USA
2014 l Fibro Coast Exhibition University of the Sunshine Coast Gallery, QLD, Australia
2014 l Fibro Coast Exhibition Gold Coast City Gallery, QLD, Australia
2013 l SCOPE see.me Art Takes Miami (selected) Miami, USA
2013 l Seaburbia Art2Muse, Sydney NSW, Australia
2013 l Asia Contemporary Art Show (self-represented) Hong Kong
2013 l see.me Creatives Rising (selected) New York, USA
2013 l Seaburbia Kartspace Gallery, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
2013 l see.me The Story of the Creative (selected) New York, USA
2012 l Asia Contemporary Art Show (self-represented) Hong Kong
2012 l 27th Chelsea International Art Competition Exhibition (finalist) New York, USA
2011 l Seaburbia Sydney Art Show (self-represented) NSW, Australia
2010 l Seaburbia Art Sydney (self-represented )NSW, Australia
2010 l Seaburbia The Studio – Art Melbourne(selected) VIC, Australia
2010 l ‘Up the Coast’, Sunshine Coast Heritage Collections (invitation) QLD, Australia
2009 l Seaburbia The Studio – Art Sydney(selected) NSW, Australia
2009 l Balmain Art and Craft Show (feature artist) NSW, Australia
2008 l River Neo Gallery, Brisbane QLD, Australia
2007 l Streetscapes Neo Gallery, Brisbane QLD, Australia
2007 l The Mayors Prize (finalist) Kenilworth-Maroochy Art Prize QLD, Australia
2005 l Rivers and Reeds Noosa Regional Gallery QLD, Australia
2004 l Latest Works Artbank Studio, Kin Kin QLD, Australia
2003 l Images of Cape York and T.I. Sheraton Noosa Resort QLD, Australia
2003 l Postcards from Noosa (invitation) Cooroy Butter Factory QLD, Australia
2002 l Five days on Fraser Sheraton Noosa Resort QLD, Australia
2001 l Noosa Bay Series Sheraton Noosa Resort QLD, Australia
2001 l Indigenous Series Noosa Council Library QLD, Australia
2000 l Indigenous Series Artbank Studio, Kin Kin QLD, Australia
1998 l Pandanus, primal seed, savage splendour Framed Darwin Gallery NT, Australia
Awards and Acquisitions
2018 l Stanthorpe Art Prize (finalist) QLD Australia
2018 l Sunshine Coast Council Art Collection – acquisition
2018 l Sunshine Coast University Art Collection – acquisition
2018 l Rise Art Prize ‘Global Artist of the Year Award’ (finalist) London, UK
2016 l Sunshine Coast Public University Hospital – commissioned works
2015 l Local Content Art Prize (finalist) Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
2013 l Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital – commissioned works
2013 l Noosa Integrated Catchment Association – Design for Place Project
2012 l 27th Chelsea International Art Competition (finalist) New York, USA
2012 l Sunshine Coast Art Prize (finalist) QLD, Australia
2011 l Noosa Integrated Catchment Association –Noosa Surface Design Project
2011 l Kenilworth Art Prize (finalist) QLD, Australia
2011 l Sunshine Coast Art Prize 2011 (finalist) QLD, Australia
2009 l Kenilworth Art Prize (finalist) QLD, Australia
2007 l The Mayors Prize (finalist) Kenilworth-Maroochy Art Prize QLD, Australia
2004 l Noosa Art Prize (highly commended) QLD, Australia
2004 l Kin Kin Telstra Exchange – Mural
2002 l Kin Kin State School – Mural
2001 l Sheraton Noosa Resort & Spa – commissioned works for refurbishment
Grants and Residencies
2016 l One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives
2016-2012 l Austrade – Export Market Development Grant
2012 l Sunshine Coast Council –Individual Development Grant
Collections
Sunshine Coast Council Art Collection
University of the Sunshine Coast Art Collection
RACV Noosa Resort
The Luciano Benetton Foundation’s ‘Imago Mundi’, Italy
BraMa Boxhagener, Berlin
Mater Hospital, Brisbane
Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital
Sunshine Coast University Hospital
NewsWhistle
Australian Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong
Noosa Integrated Catchment Association
Rydges Darwin Airport Inn
Rydges Darwin Airport Resort
Kin Kin Telstra Exchange (mural)
Kin Kin State School (mural)
Sheraton Noosa Resort
Cairns International Resort
Grand Pacific Resort, Caloundra
ArtHouse Reproductions, Brisbane (Giclee reproductions)
Origin Publishing, Brisbane (Giclee reproductions)
Private Collections national/international
Publications and Media Coverage
Imago Mundi –Luciano Benetton Collection ‘Looking Down Under, Contemporary Artists from Australia’ 382/3
http://newswhistle.com/archives/2158
http://www.zoneonearts.com.au
Interview – Easy Street, Noosa Community Radio, 14th November 2012
http://www.luxury-insider.com/events/431/asia-contemporary-art-show-debuts-in-hong-kong
ArtMap Express, Hong Kong, Asia Contemporary Art Show, October 2012
Oryx Magazine, QATAR airways, Asia Contemporary Art Show, October 2012
Artplus Magazine, Hong Kong, Asia Contemporary Art Show, August 2012
The Sunshine Coast Art Prize 2012 Exhibition Catalogue, 2012
Chanel 7 News, Sunshine Coast Art Prize, August 16, 2012
The Sunshine Coast Art Prize 2011 Exhibition Catalogue, 2011
Harbour View Magazine, Colourful Stories, Headland Gallery, May 2011
Darwin Life, Bursting with Colour, Claire Melhuish, May 2011
Art Nation Series 1, Episode 13, works featured from Art Melbourne 2010, May 2010
Queensland Getaway, Television Segment, May 9th 2009
Profile Magazine, For Art’s Sake, Angela Bueti, April 2009
River Living, front cover, July 2008
Brisbane Affair, Banking on Colour, Lucinda Dean, August 2007
Style Sunshine Coast, front cover and editorial, Accidental Artist, Janine Hill, June 2007
City Life Magazine, editorial, May 2007
Cairns City Life Magazine, Big, Bold and Bright, Trevor Marsh-Booth, January 2006
Noosa Magazine, front cover and editorial, Kin Kin Creator, Sherine Conyers, July 2005
Noosa Magazine, front cover and editorial, Artistic Hideaway, Gail Arnold, January 2004
Weekender Noosa, editorial, August 2003
beachfrontnoosa (Noosa Journal), front cover and editorial, June 2003
Noosa Magazine, front cover and editorial, May 2003
WIN Television, images from Noosa Bay Series followed local news, July 6th 2001
