10 of the Best Emerging Australian Landscape Artists of 2021
Australia has some incredible contemporary landscape artists, especially here on Bluethumb, so we think that’s worth celebrating. Below we’ve made a list of our bestsellers, plus some new up and comers and big-name prizewinners. Of course, we couldn’t list everyone, and there are heaps more incredible landscape artists to discover – just click here to explore our entire landscape collection!
Focus on Form: Katie Wyatt
Katie Wyatt has been painting since 2007 and aims to make art that people can connect with. Her landscapes, like much of her work, tend to be created using oil paint, brushes and palette knives, together creating a richly textured effect. They are deliberately pared back to focus on the outlines of forms, while the level horizon grounds the composition. Katie paints these pieces entirely from memory.
Autumn Drift by Katie Wyatt.
Rich and Vibrant: Susan Trudinger
One of Bluethumb’s most successful landscape artists, Susan Trudinger paints rich, vibrant landscapes that emphasise the incredible colours and shapes in the natural world around us. Her work has been influenced by many years and life experiences, including parenthood, career changes and some time in the Middle East, where she found herself “in awe of the landscape, the culture and the fine intricate designs on mosques and other buildings.”
Susan at home with just a few paintings from her prolific body of work, including some floral still lifes.
The Essentials: Ron Brown
Ron Brown works across different genres, however his signature work depicts the Australian bush as seen from a distance, focussing on the essential, organic shapes in the landscape through subtle variation in colour and brush work.
One of Ron’s pieces, Abstract Trees.
Impressions of the Bush: Sue Bannister
Like Ron and Susan, Sue Bannister also paints a variety of subject matter, however her landscapes exemplify her signature style. Using an Impressionist approach, these pieces tend to be bright and bold and particularly focus on the play of light. They also tend to depict peaceful scenes of rural Australia, with trees and water featuring heavily.
End of the Day 4 by Sue Bannister.
Contrast is Key: John Graham
Landscapes are an important part of John Graham‘s portfolio, and demonstrate his love for contrasting colour and texture. Often, these pieces depict a wide stretch of land, however recently he has also painted some close-scale pieces depicting small copses of trees. John’s work has been selected for many significant art prizes, including the Waterhouse, Heysen and ANL Mission to Seafarers.
John Graham at work on his art.
A Breath of Fresh Air: Lise Temple
Lise Temple has been making art for 20 years. She says that “moving back to South Australia in 2003 started a quiet period of consolidation. The quiet, the isolation and the physical beauty of the environment facilitated an artistic focus.” Lise’s latest series is a body of semi-abstract landscapes, created in response to broad vistas and translucent light. She is now using a similar method to examine built environments and interior spaces.
Spring Drive IV by Lise Temple.
From the Traditional to the Unexpected: Meredith Howse
A relatively new member of Bluethumb, Meredith Howse describes landscapes as her speciality. She paints a variety of scenery in her somewhat impressionistic style, both manmade and natural. Some of her pieces are more traditional and realistic, while others, like those depicting children being carried away on their kite strings, incorporate elements of fun and surrealism. Meredith generally creates her pieces using oil paint with a wet-on-wet technique.
Springbrook Lookout, ‘The Best Lookout of All,’ by Meredith Howse.
Unique and Bold: Clair Bremner
Clair Bremner‘s landscapes have a clear, distinct style that sets them apart. She combines a bright, bold colour palette with fine pattern work to capture elements of nature such as trees, water and foliage. Clair’s artistic process begins with a series of splashes, paint strokes and bleeds, and she allows her creations to evolve intuitively as she builds each layer of paint.
Clair in her studio.
Recollections of Harsh Country: Greybeard
A self-taught landscape artist, ‘Greybeard‘ says he is largely inspired by artists Fred Williams and John Olsen. Like Ron Brown, his landscapes are an impressionistic homage to the bush, depicting hills and river banks as seen from a distance. Greybeard writes that he became familiar with the harsh country in his work as a result of his time as a young stockman and dozer driver, when he first acquired his unusual nickname.
The Bunyip Hole by Greybeard.
Minimal Flow: Marian Quigley
A finalist in the 2017 Portia Geach and ANL Mission to Seafarers art prize, Marian Quigley‘s style is instantly recognisable. Using acrylic paint and a hard edge technique, Marian employs abstraction, vibrant colour and flowing line in her interpretations of the rhythms inherent in nature, the human form and blues music. She aims to capture the spiritual and physical elements inherent to nature, and thus her representations of landscapes and seascapes are minimal, often devoid of human figures and wildlife.
Surfer by Marian Quigley.
Looking for more landscape artists? Click here to find more.
Fabulous and inspirational!
A great selection. Good variety! Love it ?
Hi! Thanks for this info! Really enjoyed reading this page.
Your article is really very good and i have bookmarked your website for the further update. I am happy to share this post to my friends.
Hi, lovely post – just wondering whether Autumn Drift by Katie Wyatt is still for sale? RSVP and regards.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your enquiry! Unfortunately that piece has sold but you can see all available artworks on Katie’s profile below:
bluethumb.com.au/katie-wyatt
All so beautiful and inspiring. I need to get out my paints. My daughter needs to get on blue thumb. It’s a wonderful website. I hope to be in a position to buy from your artists for my future home. Thanks for the eye candy of landscapes. Gorgeous!
Decorative abstraction and naive hangings have a place on people’s walls