ALISON MACKAY
ABOUT ALISON MACKAY
Alison’s work has focused mainly on still life painting using oils over the last 2 decades.
Alison has shown her work throughout Australia during this time, with 12 solo shows, many group shows and over 50 finalist places in major art prizes.
These include 7 times in the Portia Geach Memorial Award for female portraiture, 4 times in the NSW Parliament’s Plein Air Painting Prize, 7 times in the Gallipoli Art Prize, along with other major prizes such as the Archibald, the EMSLA, the National Still Life Award, The Dobell Drawing Prize, the Mosman Art Prize, Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize, Percival Portrait Prize, Muswellbrook Art Prize and The Black Swan Prize.
She was the winner of the 2020 Gallipoli Art Prize with her work, ‘Breathe’.
Alison works mainly from her studio at St George’s Basin (Jervis Bay) and paints directly from life. Her paintings have reached a broad audience both here and overseas and are held in private and public collections.
Born in the UK, now lives and works in St Georges Basin (Jervis Bay), on the NSW south coast as a painter, photographer and writer. Founder/director of Jervis Bay Art Workshops 2009Founder/director of Alison's Artworkshops at Jervis Bay 2014
AVAILABLE WORKS:
CV
Solo and 2-Person Exhibitions:
2022 'Passionflower" at Project Gallery 90, Sydney
2021 'Same same but different..."still lifes and abstracts at Project Gallery 90
2020 Project Gallery 90 - still life works with Nic Mason
2019"Still and Within" at Project Gallery 90, Sydney with Nic Mason
2018 "GLASS Works" at FORM studio and gallery, Queanbeyan.
2016 "STILL" Recent still life paintings at Weswal Gallery, Tamworth
2015/2016 "After Olley" Shoalhaven City Arts Centre & Regional Gallery
2013 Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral "Inside/Out" with Richard Morecroft
2011 Glass Gallery, Milk Factory, Bowral “Objective”
2009 Locavore , Huskisson “Everything... and the Kitchen Sink”
2007 Jervis Bay Kiosk, Huskisson “Mostly Flowers”
2006 Jervis Bay Kiosk, Huskisson “59 Apples…”
2005 Jervis Bay Kiosk, Huskisson “Cut from Above”
Selected Group & Joint Exhibitions
2023 Works on Paper exhibition, Defiance Gallery Sydney
2023 Feed the Soul at NERAM
2023 'Shucked' Group exhibition Project Gallery 90
2023 Muswellbrook Works on Paper - Finalist
2023 Dobell Drawing Prize - Finalist
2022 Semi-Finalist Moran Portrait Prize
2022 Fisher's Ghost Art Prize - Finalist, Campbelltown Arts Centre
2022 Portia Geach Memorial Award for Portraiture - finalist
2022 Waverley Art Prize - Finalist
2022 Still Life - group exhibition at Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2022 Percival Portrait Prize - Finalist
2022 The Painted Table - Group still life show at Grainger Gallery, Canberra
2021 Portia Geach Memorial Award - Finalist
2021 Objets de la Vie Group still life show at Grainger Gallery, Canberra
2021 Abstract 2021 at Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2020 Salon Des Refuses (Archibald)
2020 Kangaroo Valley Art Prize - Finalist
2020 John Copes Portrait Prize - Finalist
2020 Inside Out at the Milk Factory, Bowral
2020 Portia Geach Memorial Award - Finalist
2020 Norther Beaches Art Prize (online) - Finalist
2020 Gallipoli Art Prize - Finalist and Winner
2019 Portia Geach Memorial Award - Finalist
2019 Kickerbell Artists at Walcha Gallery of Art
2019 Salon Des Refuses (Archibald)
2019 Gallipoli Art Prize - Finalist
2018 KAAF (Korean Australian Arts Foundation) Prize - Finalist
2018 "A Shared View" Group landscape show at WesWal Gallery, Tamworth
2018 NSW Parliament's Plein Air Painting Prize - finalist, Highly Commended
2018 Project Gallery 90, Sydney - group show
2018 "About Face" Group exhibition at Sheffer Gallery curated by Amber Creswell Bell
2018 The Archibald Prize at the ANGSW - Finalist
2018 "Off the Shelf and Beyond" The Moree Gallery
2018 The Gallipoli Art Prize, Sydney - Finalist
2018 The Percival Portrait Painting Prize - Finalist
2017 Portia Geach Memorial Award - Finalist
2017 30 x 30 Art Award, Art Piece Gallery - Finalist
2017 STILL - National Still Life Award - Finalist
2017 HOMESCAPES 3 person show at St Cloche, Paddington curated by Amber Creswell Bell
2017 Doug Moran Portrait Prize - semi-finalist
2017 Black Swan prize for portraiture (WA) - finalist
2017 NSW Parliament's Plein Air Painting Prize, Sydney - finalist
2017 Waverley Woollahra Art Prize, Sydney - Finalist
2017 The Gallipoli Art Prize, Sydney - Finalist
2017 'Where are they now?' Group show at Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral
2017 Kelton Plain Artist Residency exhibition at Raglan Gallery, through Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2016 'Step up to the Plate' Ceramic show at Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2016 Korea-Australia Arts Foundation exhibition - finalist
2016 'The Nature of Things' 3-person show of still life paintings at FORM Gallery, Queanbeyan
2016 'Spring Fever' Group exhibition at Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2016 NSW Parliament's plein air painting prize 2016 - Finalist
2016 'Spineless' Group exhibition at Mister Jones, Bermagui
2016 The Gallipoli Art Prize - Finalist
2016 Summer Exhibition, The Milk Factory, Bowral
2015 The 50th Anniversary Portia Geach Memorial Award - Finalist
2015 The Gallipoli Art Prize - Finalist
2015 Artsite Gallery, Sydney - Group exhibition
2015 "Private Lives: The Artist as Collector" Group exhibition S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2014 Fishers Ghost Prize Exhibition, Campbelltown Arts Centre, - Winner Traditional section
2014 Shoalhaven Fine Art Gallery, Group exhibition
2014 "The Meaning of (still) Life" Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2014 "Stuck Together" Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2014 NSW Parliament's Plein Air Painting Prize - finalist
2014 Gallipoli Art Prize - Finalist
2014 'Animalia' International Print Exchange Exhibition at 'Il Bisonte' Florence, Italy 7-30 May
2014 Summer Exhibition at the Gate Gallery Wollombi (courtesy of Defiance Gallery Sydney)
2013 Eutick Memorial Still Life Award (EMSLA) Finalist, Coffs Harbour
2013 Still Life Show at the Gate Gallery Wollombi (courtesy of Defiance Gallery Sydney)
2013 'Animalia' Print Show, Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral
2013 Mosman Art Prize - Finalist
2013 Waverley Woollahra Art Prize - Finalist
2013 BDAS Pirtek Still Life Award - Finalist
2013 Alley Gallery Archies Portrait Prize - Highly commended
2013 "Please Be Seated" Defiance Gallery Sydney
2013 Cowra Calleen Award, Cowra - Finalist
2012 "Larapinta Trail Artists" Shoalhaven City Arts Gallery
2012 Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Finalist , Coffs Harbour
2012 "Kitchen, Garden, Shed" Gallery East, Sydney
2012 "Great Unknown" Artsite Gallery, Sydney
2012 "Under a Grand" Rex-Livingston Gallery, Sydney
2012 Black Swan Portrait Prize - Finalist
2012 Mosman Art Prize – Finalist
2012 BDAS Pirtek Still Life Prize – Commended
2012 Waverley Art Prize, Sydney – Winner, Works on Paper Prize
2012 “Larapinta Exhibition”(travelling exhibition) Moree Plains Regional Art Gallery
2011 “The Larapinta Exhibition” Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2011 Portia Geach Memorial Award - Finalist
2011 BDAS Pirtek Still Life Prize - Commended
2010 “NEW” – Bungendore Wood Works Gallery, Bungendore
2010 “A Meating of Minds” – 2-person exhibition Shoalhaven City Arts Centre
2010 Stanthorpe Art Prize Exhibition – Finalist
2009 “Horse” -Joint exhibition at Shoalhaven City Arts Centre
2009 BDAS Turnbull Prize – Finalist
2009 Mortimore Prize (Dubbo) – Finalist Still Life section
2009 Meroogal Women’s Arts Prize - Touring exhibition
2009 Shoalhaven Arts Society Exhibition – Winner Still Life prize
2009 Alvaro Still Life Prize – Highly commended
2009 “Small is Beautiful” Pyrmont Art Festival/Tap Gallery Sydney
2009 Camberwell Prize Exhibition
2008-9 Wollongong City Gallery 30th Anniversary Exhibition
2008 Shoalhaven City Art Centre “Gender Agenda” - figure paintings
2008 Mortimore Prize Exhibition - Finalist
2008 Meroogal Women’s Arts Prize - “Celebrating Everyday Things”
2008 “Immersion & Observation” - Still life at Jervis Bay Kiosk
2008 “Little Archies” - Winner portrait prize at Lady Denman Museum
2008 Stanthorpe Prize Exhibition - Finalist
2007 Whyalla Prize Exhibition - Finalist
2007 Lexus Mortimore Prize Exhibition - Finalist
2007 Meroogal Women's Arts Prize "Origins & Identity"- Highly Commended
2007 Shoalhaven Arts Society Prize – Winner Wray Owens prize
2006 See Change - Chooks
2005 Fisher’s Ghost prize Campbelltown, Sydney - Finalist
2005 Canberra Art Prize - Finalist
2005 Meroogal Women’s Arts Prize - “Pattern, Stitches and Threads”
Residencies:
2021 Seal Rocks Residency courtesy Defiance Gallery, Sydney and Richard Caldwell
2017 Maffra Female Residency courtesy of Defiance Gallery Sydney
2014 Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence at Tweed Regional Gallery
2013 Kelton All-Female Art Residency, courtesy of Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2012 Kelton and Maffra Residency Cooma, courtesy Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2006 Bundanon Trust, Artist in Residence Programme
Awards:
2020 Winner, Gallipoli Art Prize, Sydney
2020 NAVA Grant
2018 NSW Parliament's Plein Air Painting Prize - Highly Commended
2014 Winner, Traditional section Fisher's Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown, Sydney
2012 Winner, Works on Paper Prize, Waverley Art Prize, Sydney
2009 Winner, Still Life Section, Shoalhaven Art’s Prize, Nowra
2008 Winner, Wollongong Portrait prize, Wollongong City Gallery
2008 Winner “Little Archies” portrait prize at Lady Denman Museum
2007 Winner “Wray Owens Acrylic Prize” Shoalhaven Arts Society
Collections:
Shoalhaven Regional Gallery permanent collection
Gallipoli Club, Sydney
Lucio's Restaurant, Paddington, Sydney
Wray Owens Collection, Shoalhaven
Bundanon Collection, Shoalhaven
Kelton Collection, Cooma
National Gallery of Austalia, Canberra (as part of the Animalia print collection)
Nock Art Foundation, Hong Kong
Private collections throughout Australia, Asia, the UK and Europe.