My interest in painting still life is to represent everyday objects and spaces as I believe that beauty exists in reality and can be found anywhere around me. My still life painting is a collection of produce that suggests the Ratatouille dish. The focus was firstly to create a pleasing design but also to tell a story through the selection and arrangement of the items in the composition. My still life paintings are painted entirely from life without the use of photography, a practice which is essential when aiming to reproduce an individual and unique vision of the subject.
2022 Sally Ryan BIO
Sally Ryan is an Australian contemporary realist painter based in Sydney. Her practice encompasses various genres of painting but with a focus on still life, figurative painting and portraiture. She has commissioned works hanging in private collections as well as in Universities and Schools, the Parliament (of Victoria) and the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney (including St Mary’s Cathedral) within Australia.
Sally began her training at the Julian Ashton Art School (Sydney) where she was awarded a scholarship year in 2010. She has further refined her skills through workshops at Studio Escalier, Paris, Grand Central Academy, NY and Menorca Pulsar, Spain.
For some years now, Sally has been working full time as an oil painter and has had her work recognised in numerous competitions both nationally and internationally, including the Archibald, Doug Moran and Portia Geach to name just a few. In 2019 she was awarded Signature Status with the Portrait Society of America for excellence in portraiture.
Finalist in the following competitions:-
Archibald (2013)
Salon des Refuses (2016, 2018-Winner People’s Choice)
Doug Moran (finalist 2012, semi-finalist 2014, 2017, 2018)
Kennedy Prize (Winner 2014), finalist 2017
Lester Prize (2013, 2015,2017, 2021 Highly Commended)
Portia Geach Memorial Award (2010, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2022)
Brisbane Portrait Prize (2019, 2020)
Ravenswood Art Prize (2018, 2021)
Hunters Hill Art Prize (Highly Commended 2018)
Eutick Memorial Still Life Award (2016)
Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize (2011, 2012)
Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize (2012,2018,2020)
AME Bale Painting Prize (2016)
Nora Heysen Centenary Still Life Award – Judges Commendation (2011)
Manning Naked and Nude Art Prize (2017)
Stanthorpe Art Prize (2020)
Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award (2020)
Mortimore Prize (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012), winning two sections.
Calleen Art Prize (2020)
Mosman Art Prize (2022)
ARC International Salon (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020,2021)
Portrait Society of America Members Competition (2017, 2018, Signature Status 2019)
Julian Ashton Art School -Scholarship 2010
