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Ronelle Reid
Artist Statement
My style is a combination of colourful, naturalist work with quirky compositions that pair species who don’t coexist or share habitats. I invite viewers to ask why the rules of land, air and sea no longer apply, and wonder why fish happily swim through the antlers of a bongo antelope and butterflies flutter around a moray eel.
Biography
As a dedicated artist, I’ve spent countless hours studying animals in museums, using the taxidermic displays to understand and convey their forms. However, it wasn’t until I started work with RSPCA that my experience with animal welfare gave me a new perspective. Now, fuelled by this understanding, I combine my formal education in painting, screen and printmaking to plan each composition, purposefully breaking the rules of taxonomic categorisation. Ronelle joins Downlands under the collection of Aspire Gallery (Brisbane, Qld).
Influences
Inspired by my love of animals, I use ink, oils and watercolours to create detailed, visual narratives that explore the relationships between animals and their habitats. My quirky, naturalist portrayals preserve and highlight the beauty and diversity of animals right in our backyards, asking us to imagine if the kookaburra, the koala, or wallaby were lost to us forever.
Awards
Australian Marine Conservation Society Fundraising project artist I 2024 Judge- Nundah Art Show I 2024 Recipient Aether Brewing Artist Amplifier Initiative I 2024 Speaker, Illustration panellist, Logan Writers Festival I 2023 Regional Arts Development Fund, Arts QLD and Logan Arts Council, Australia | 2024 Finalist Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery I 2024 Finalist, Echo, Side Gallery | 2023 Finalist, Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery | 2023 Finalist, Foot Square Aspire Gallery | 2022 Finalist, Inverell Art Prize, Inverell | 2022 Finalist, Whitsundays Art Prize, Townsville | 2022 Artist in Residence. Remember the Wild, Victoria I 2022 Artist in Residence, Devils@Cradle, Tasmania I 2022 Finalist, Camberwell Art Show, Melbourne I 2022 Finalist, Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne I 2022 Finalist, Clayton Utz Art Prize, Brisbane | 2021 Finalist, Whitsundays Art Prize, Townsville | 2021 Gallery Finalist, Lethbridge 20000, Lethbridge Gallery, Paddington | 2021 Finalist, Gallipoli Art Prize, Merrylands, NSW | 2021 Finalist, John Villiers Outback Art Prize, Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton | 2021 1st Prize (Drawing), Aspects Art Show, Goondiwindi | 2021 Artist in Residence, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 2020 Regional Arts Fund, Regional Arts Australia, Flying Arts Alliance | 2020 Finalist, Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award | 2020 Regional Arts Development Fund, Arts QLD and Logan Arts Council, Australia | 2020 BEMAC Creative Booster Pack | 2020 Liquitex Sponsor Prize, Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery | 2020
Exhibitions
Affordable Art Fair Melbourne I 2025 Affordable Art Fair Brisbane I 2025 Aspects Art Show, Goondiwindi | 2025 Toowoomba Grammar Art Show, Toowoomba | 2025 Downlands Art Exhibition, Toowoomba QLD | 2024 Affordable Art Fair Melbourne I 2024 Affordable Art Fair Sydney I 2024 Affordable Art Fair Brisbane I 2024 Brisbane Grammar Art Show Brisbane | 2024 Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane I 2024 Foot Square, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane I 2023 Linden Postcard Show, Linden New Art, Melbourne I 2023 Echo, Side Gallery, Brisbane I 2023 Mini Mix and Match, Quirky Fox, Hawera, New Zealand I 2023 The Art of Nature, Logan Art Gallery Lighting project, Logan I 2023 Poetry in Motion, Artburst Studios, International Online I 2023 Downlands Art Exhibition, Toowoomba QLD | 2023 Nundah Art Show, Nundah Festival I 2023 Roam, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane I 2023 Camberwell Art Show, Melbourne VIC I 2023 Tower Art Show, Marist College, Brisbane QLD I 2023 Art Red Hill Mornington Peninsula Victoria | 2023 Brisbane Grammar Art Show Brisbane | 2023 Tower Art Show Brisbane | 2023 Aspects Art Show Goondiwindi | 2023 All in the details, CStudio Gallery, Newcastle NSW I 2023 Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane QLD | 2023 Burn, Side Gallery, Brisbane QLD I 2022 Foot Square, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane QLD | 2022 Inverell Art Prize, Inverell Art Gallery, Inverell NSW | 2022 Downlands Art Exhibition, Toowoomba QLD | 2022 Whitsundays Arts Prize, Coral Sea Marina Resort, Whitsundays QLD | 2022 Still Life, Verandah Studio and Gallery, Belmont VIC I 2022 Quirky Critters, The Old Auction House Gallery, Kyneton VIC I 2022 The Natural Wonders of the Rainforest, Maleny QLD I 2022 Lethbridge 20000 (Online), Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane QLD I 2022 Camberwell Art Show, Melbourne VIC I 2022 Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne VIC I 2022 Incognito Art Show, Sydney, NSW I 2022 Facets at Fairholme, Toowoomba QLD I 2022 International Animals in Art Logan Art Gallery QLD I 2022 Tower Art Show, Marist College, Brisbane QLD I 2022 Brisbane Grammar Art Show, Brisbane Grammar, Brisbane QLD I 2022 Aspects Art Show, Goondiwindi QLD I 2022 Toowoomba Grammar Art Show, Toowoomba QLD I 2022 Petite Pieces, Aspire Gallery, Brisbane QLD | 2022 Animalia, Tiny Tree, Brisbane QLD I 2022
