About

BIOGRAPHY

Lisa Woolfe has a BFA (Hons) from UNSW Art & Design/National Art School, Sydney. Previous studies include a Dip Fine Arts at Sydney Gallery School Meadowbank TAFE and studying drawing at Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney.

She has completed residencies internationally at Vermont Studio Center USA and in Australia including the Hill End Artist Residency and Grafton Regional Art Gallery Artist in Residence program. Her work has been included as a finalist in awards including Kedumba Drawing Award, Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing, Burnie Print Prize and Mosman Art Prize among others. She received the Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Award (Noosa Regional Art Gallery) in 2020 and Earle Backen Award for Excellence in Printmaking from UNSW Art & Design, and received a William Fletcher Foundation Tertiary Grant.

Her work is held in private and public collections in Australia and the United Kingdom.

I situate my work within the field of contemporary drawing practice. I make two dimensional drawings on paper as well as three dimensional drawings that I call drawings in space. The materials I use can be as varied as traditional charcoal or ink on paper, hand-drawn animations, video projections, aluminum insect screen, wire, bamboo reed and copper.

I am curious about human behaviour, specifically the tension between our reliance on and desire to protect our natural world and be good citizens on one hand, and our desire to be comfortable on the other.



Photo: JTL 2020
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Birds, commissioned by Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
2018 In Flight, Peacock Gallery
2014 Ficus Macrophylla, Depot II Gallery, Danks Street
2014 Coppice 4.0, SLOT Gallery
2012 Undergrowth, Depot II Gallery, Danks Street

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Forested, Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Sydney
2020 By a Thread , May Space
2018 Recent Acquisitions, group exhibition of work acquired for the Blacktown City Art Collection, Blacktown Arts Centre
2017 From Another Perspective with Paper, Grace Cossington Smith Gallery
2016 Kedumba Drawing Award,
2016 Just Draw, Newcastle Art Gallery
2016 Just Draw, Bathurst Regional Gallery
2015 Heaven and Earth, Gaffa Gallery
2014 Strung, Drawn and Quartered, Jean Bellette Gallery (BRAG)
2014 Certain Nature (curated by Warringah Council), Warringah Creative Space
2014 Drawn Out, Art Est. Gallery
2013 National Art School Post Graduate Exhibition, NAS Gallery
2011 College of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition, UNSW Round House
2011 Flux(Density), Dirty Hands Print Collective, The Paper Mill
2010 a picture show, Breathing Colours Gallery

RESIDENCIES + GRANTS
2020 Sidney Myer Fund, National Assistance Program for the Arts
2020 New York Studio School Drawing Marathon Scholarship
2019 Vermont Studio Center, USA
2017 Hill End Artist Residency, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
2015 Grafton Regional Art Gallery Artist in Residence
2013 William Fletcher Foundation Tertiary Grant Recipient

AWARDS + PRIZES
2019 Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Award, Noosa Regional Art Gallery
2015 Painting Award, Warringah Art Prize
2014 Highly Commended Oil Painting Section, Waverley Art Prize
2013 Highly Commended, Works on Paper Section, Glebe Art Prize
2012 First Prize, Artist Print Section, Lane Cove Art Award
2012 Honourable Mention: General Category, Warringah Art Prize and Exhibition
2011 Earle Backen Award for excellence in Printmaking, College of Fine Arts, UNSW
2011 Highly Commended, CPM National Print Awards, Tweed Heads Regional Gallery
2008 Works on Paper Award, Waverley Art Prize

ART PRIZES
2020 Finalist, Calleen Art Prize, Cowra Regional Gallery
2020 Finalist, Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Regional Art Centre
2019 Finalist, Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Award, Noosa Regional Art Gallery
2019 Finalist, North Sydney Art Prize
2018 Finalist, Grace Cossington Smith Art Prize
2018 Finalist, Blacktown City Art Prize, Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
2018 Finalist, Hidden, Rookwood Cemetery
2016 Finalist, Calleen Art Prize, Cowra Regional Gallery
2016 Selected Artist, Kedumba Drawing Award, Orange Regional Gallery
2016 Finalist, Hidden, Rookwood Cemetery
2015 Finalist, Blacktown City Art Prize
2015 Finalist, Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Regional Art Centre
2015 Finalist, Warringah Art Prize
2014 Finalist, Waverley Art Prize
2014 Finalist, Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown Art Centre
2013 Finalist, Hornsby Art Prize
2013 Finalist, Muswellbrook Art Prize, Muswellbrook Regional Art Centre
2013 Finalist, Calleen Art Prize, Cowra Regional Gallery
2013 Finalist, CPM National Print Awards, Tweed River Art Gallery
2013 Finalist, Lane Cove Art Award
2013 Highly Commended, Works on Paper Section, Glebe Art Prize
2012 Salon des Refuses, Blacktown City Art Prize
2012 Finalist, Heysen Prize for Interpretation of Place, Hahndorf Academy, South Australia
2012 Finalist, Lane Cove Art Award
2012 Finalist, Warringah Art Prize and Exhibition
2011 Finalist, CPM National Print Awards, Tweed Heads Regional Gallery
2011 Finalist, Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Gallery
2010 Finalist, Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Gallery, Tasmania
2010 Finalist, Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Association Scholarship
2010 Finalist, Warringah Art Prize
2010 Finalist, Hunters Hill Art Prize
2010 Finalist, Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing
2009 Finalist, Port Jackson Press Graduate Printmaking Award
2009 Finalist, Mosman Art Prize
2008 Finalist, Waverley Art Prize

EDUCATION
2020 New York Studio School Drawing Marathon with Graham Nickson
2013 BFA (Honours), National Art School, Drawing Faculty
2010-2012 Bachelor Fine Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of NSW
2008 Diploma Fine Arts, Sydney Gallery School Meadowbank TAFE
2003-04 Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney (drawing)
2003 Art History and Theory (Western Art), Sydney University

COLLECTIONS
Private collections
Blacktown City Council/FordLand