bio

In my paintings humble objects of both play and service sit in gentle, quirky arrangements exploring banality and sacredness, triviality and holiness. These, at times artless, worthless, anonymous relics of childhood and household are collected and arranged to hint at shifting memory, collections, service and sacredness. My work is built around the search for personal objects which can become metaphors for these ideas. I have found objects from my own childhood collections and have combined these with cast away plastic toys, old tin toys and miniatures from other sources.

I am also exploring the connection of my Christian faith with my art. In attempting to illustrate the sublime and spiritual truths, I choose to work with the banal, ordinary and humble. I’m particularly interested in ‘Rhopography’ (from rhopos meaning trivial, small wares, trifles) which describes the humble things as opposed to the grand.

Additionally, my work represents a continuing desire to look for paradoxes. These paintings show emptied items…lost, forgotten and passed over objects…yet they also show the wear of service, of play, they hold memory and they startle us with recognition. They are at once both sacred and banal. They are painted to look real but they are obviously not. They are worthless to some and at the same time precious to a collector. The scale of the objects is designed to confuse and delight, and often incompatible pieces sit in comfortable tension.

The works can be read in many different ways as the objects become reflectors of the experiences of the viewer. My works aim to reveal the narratives that can lurk beneath the humble surfaces of plastic, porcelain and tin.

Education

  • 2004-2006
    • Bachelor of Fine Art, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Australia.

Prizes & Awards

  • 2009
    • WINNER Sponsor’s Prize, Eutick Memorial Still Life Awards, Coffs Harbour
  • 2008
    • WINNER New Generation People’s Choice Award, Art Brisbane.
    • 1st Prize Still Life section Wilston Art Show, Brisbane.
  • 2007
    • WINNER Best of Show: Ipswich Art Awards, Ipswich.
  • 2005
    • Queensland Times Acquisition prize. Ipswich Annual Art Awards
  • 2004
    • 3rd prize Watercolour. Brookfield Show, Brisbane
  • 2003
    • 1st Prize Watercolours. Noosa Outdoor Art Show, Noosa, Queensland
  • 2002
    • Highly Commended – Ipswich Annual Arts Awards
    • Acquisition prize – Ipswich Art Gallery
  • 2001
    • 1st Place Watercolour. Brookfield Show, Brisbane
    • 1st place Watercolour – Ipswich Annual Art Awards
    • 1st Place Local Artist – Ipswich Annual Art Awards
    • Acquisition prize – Ipswich Art Gallery.
  • 2000
    • 1st Place Watercolour. Brookfield Show, Brisbane
    • Highly Commended. Redlands Art Show, Redland Bay, Brisbane

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2013
    • Recovery – The Flood Objects Project  Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich, QLD.
  • 2012
    • Collectie Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, Coffs Harbour, N.S.W.
  • 2011
    • Honestly! Lorraine Pilgrim, Broadbeach
  • 2010
    • Vroom! Albury Regional Gallery, N.S.W
    • Untold Stories, Lorraine Pilgrim + Nyst Gallery, Southport, Gold Coast.
  • 2009
    • Bugs on Toy Cars, Iain Dawson Gallery, Paddington, N.S.W.
  • 2008
    • Small Wares and Trifles, Lorraine Pilgrim + Nyst Gallery, Southport, Gold Coast.
  • 2007
    • Sacred and Banal – the collection continues, Hardy Brothers, Brisbane.
    • Interpreting the Collection- an artist’s view, Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich.
    • Banality & Sacredness – A Collection, Hardy Brothers, Brisbane.
  • 2006
    • Holland, Belgium, France, Hardy Brothers, Brisbane.
  • 2005
    • A Postcard a Day, Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich.

Selected Group Exhibitions

  • 2012
    • Finalist The A.M.E. Bale Art Prize, Glen Eira Council Gallery, Caulfield.
    • Finalist Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Awards, Grafton Regional Gallery
    • Home Sown Lorraine Pilgrim + Studio 87
    • Good Sports Lorraine Pilgrim + Ord Minnett
    • The Magic of Racing Lorraine Pilgrim, Broadbeach
  • 2011
    • Exchange, Gatakers ArtSpace, Maryborough, QLD
    • Finalist Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery
    • Finalist Launch, Clayton Utz Travelling Scholarship, Brisbane
    • Drawn Forth Lorraine Pilgrim, Broadbeach
    • Finalist Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra Regional Gallery, Sunshine Coast
    • Finalist Moreton Bay Regional Art Awards
    • Finalist Prometheus Visual Art Awards, Gold Coast
  • 2010
    • Network, TLF show. Ballarat Regional Gallery, VIC
    • Finalist  Duke Gold Coast Art Prize, Gold Coast.
    • Finalist  Redlands Art Awards, Cleveland Art Gallery, Cleveland.
    • Finalist  Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery
    • Finalist  Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra Regional Gallery, Sunshine Coast
    • Finalist  Lethbridge 10 000 Small Works Award, Lethbridge Gallery
    • Finalist 2010 Northern Rivers Portrait Prize, Lismore Regional Gallery.
    • Still. Hawkesbury Regional Gallery
    • Brisbane Senses Art, Rotary Art Show, Riverside Centre, Brisbane.
    • The Stanthorpe Art Festival, Stanthorpe Regional Gallery.
  • 2009
    • The Fourth Estate, Lorraine Pilgrim + Nyst Gallery, Southport, Gold Coast
    • Finalist  Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.
    • Finalist  Mortimore Prize for Painting, Dubbo, N.S.W.
    • Innocence? Capturing the Wrongfully Convicted, Nyst Gallery, Southport, Gold Coast
    • Tales from the Cold Ghost 3, 19 Karen Gallery, Mermaid Beach, Gold Coast
    • Finalist  Prometheus Art Exhibition, Gold Coast
    • Finalist  Salon des Refuses, S.H Erwin Gallery, N.S.W
    • Still Life 1930’s – present Gold Coast Art Gallery, Gold Coast
    • Linden Postcard Show, Linden – Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne.
  • 2008
    • Finalist  Launch Clayton Utz Travelling Scholarship, Brisbane
    • Finalist  Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Coffs Harbour
    • Finalist Redlands Art Awards, Cleveland Art Gallery, Cleveland.
    • If you can’t stand the heat… Lorraine Pilgrim + Nyst Gallery, Southport, Gold Coast
    • Finalist  Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra Regional Gallery, Sunshine Coast
    • Finalist  House of Phillips Fine Art Drawing Prize, Mosman, N.S.W
    • Finalist  Pine Rivers Art Awards, Brisbane.
    • Renault New Generation- ART BRISBANE 08, Convention Centre, Brisbane
    • 22 of the Best, Lorraine Pilgrim + Nyst Gallery, Southport, Gold Coast
  • 2007
    • Finalist  Duke Gold Coast Art Prize, Gold Coast.
    • 15 Artists, Redcliffe Regional Gallery, Brisbane.
    • Finalist  Redeemer Award for Excellence in Christian Art, Brisbane.
  • 2006
    • Finalist Theiss Art Prize, Dell Gallery, QCA.
    • Red – The Power of Print, Redcliffe Regional Gallery, Brisbane.
  • 2005
    • 12x12x12 print Exhibition, QCA Project Gallery, Brisbane.
    • Centenary of Women’s right to Vote, Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich.
  • 2004
    • Ipswich Annual Art Awards, Ipswich.
    • Mothers and Daughters, Old Court House Gallery, Ipswich.
    • Compact drawing exhibition, QCA Project Gallery, Brisbane.
    • Konami & South Tweed Realistic Landscape Art Awards, South Tweed
    • Local Artists from the City of Ipswich, Ipswich Art Gallery.
    • Surveying the Local Arts Scene, Ipswich Art Gallery.

Grants

  • 2012
    • Australian Artist Grant
  • 2011
    • RADF funding for Professional Development
  • 2009
    • Janet Holmes a Court Artist Grant August round 2009
  • 2008
    • RADF funding for concept development of ‘Parables’ series
  • 2007
    • RADF funding for 10 week artist in residency at Ipswich Art Gallery

Artist in Residency

    • Coorparoo State School, Brisbane, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,2012
    • Westside Christian College, Ipswich, 2008, 2011
    • Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich, 2007
    • Robertson State School, Brisbane. 2007
    • Bardon State School, 2001

Collections

    • Gold Coast University Hospital  2012
    • Ipswich Art Gallery 2008, 2005, 2002, 2001
    • Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery 2009
    • Private collections in Australia, Netherlands.

Bibliography

  • 2010
    • Front cover Paradise Magazine, Gold Coast Bulletin Dec 11, 2010
    • Art Almanac. Front cover and profile page 5. February
    • Kubler, Alison. Catalogue essay ‘Untold Stories’ Lorriane Pilgrim + Nyst Gallery, Feb
    • Girdham, Ronnie. ‘Toy Story revives past’ The Sunday Mail, Feb 28, pg 16
  • 2009
    • Franklin, Adrian. ‘Collecting the 20th Century’ UNSW Press, image of portrait page 2.
    • Clarke, Suzanna. ‘Forensic Innocence of Castaways’ The Courier Mail Mar 26 pg 52
    • Australian Artist. Image of Niccole Warren portrait April edition, page 2
  • 2008
    • Girdham, Ronnie. ‘Fresh in the Frame’ The Sunday Mail, Feb 3, pg 14
    • Saint Martin, Marina. ‘Deb’s dab with ‘sacred, banal’ Weekend Bulletin, May 17 pg 16
  • 2007
    • Machan, Kim.  Art Notes QLD, Art Monthly Australia, Issue 204, pg 47
    • Ambrey, Katelyn. ‘Forgotten Objects Fill Exhibition’ Queensland Times Oct 20, pg 25
    • Girdham, Ronnie. ‘Strong Signals’ The Sunday Mail, Dec 16, pg 15
  • 2006
    • Berry, Petrina. ‘European Sojourn inspires work’ South West News Feb 1, pg 43
  • 2005
    • ‘Bellbird Park Artist wins accolade’ The Satellite, April 20, pg 27
  • 2002
    • Murdoch, Scott. ‘Exhibition opens to big crowds’ Queensland Times April 12 pg 3
    • Quinn, Ellen. ‘Artist ready to defend her title’ Queensland Times March 25