Brenda Runnegar
Website: www.brendarunnegar.com.au
These paintings are from a series of works titled
Plants from the Arid Zone which focuses on plants from the southern arid
regions of Australia. – predominantly western New South Wales and
Victoria. They were included in an exhibition Hills of Sand which was
shown at Stefano’s Gallery 25, Mildura in January 2010.
I believe that many people are unaware of the diversity and beauty of
the plants from this area of Australia and my wish is to highlight their
quirkiness and sometimes, their desirability as appropriate plants for
the garden in our changing climate.
I found the Dancing Tree on the Walls of China at Lake Mungo National
Park and was entranced with the beauty of its form and survival in a
very harsh environment.
Porcupine bushes or Triodia irritans is from the Spinifex family and is
found in the Lake Mungo National Park and throughout outback Australia.
The Mighty Mallee represents several species of the mallee tree which
grows from multiple stems and has a large fibrous root system. It grows
in red-brown earth on sand plains and dunes. It was extensively
cleared in western Victoria for grazing and wheat growing but is
fortunately well preserved in national parks and conservation reserves
in the region such as Lake Mungo National Park.
Paddy Melons are a non-edible species of the Cucurbitaceae family which
have been naturalised in inland Australia. They are found on bare
sandy or loamy soils and sandy river beds. Although they have been
proclaimed a noxious weed in some States they are usually ignored. My
aim with the work is to highlight the quirky nature and endearing
qualities of the plant. They can be found at Perry Sands near
Wentworth.
2007 - Master of Fine Arts, Monash University
1997 - Bachelor of Visual Arts in Fine Art (Hon), Qld College of Art
1984 - Diploma of Arts in Visual Art, Canberra Institute of the Arts
2008
Displacement, ANCA Gallery, Canberra
Memories of Gardens, Meeniyan Art Gallery, Victoria
2007
Landscapes of Desire and Melancholy, Monash University, Victoria
2006
Landscapes of Desire and Melancholy, ANCA Gallery, Canberra
1997
Tous saints Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
1994
One Western Woman aGOG, Canberra ACT
1999
‘Fishnets’, Dick
Bett Gallery, Hobart
1989
Left for Dead, Galerie Constantinople, Queanbeyan
1985
Bitumen River Gallery, Canberra
Avago Gallery, Sydney
Group
Exhibitions
2009
Some real gems I’ve come across, Mogo Raw Art & Blues Gallery, Mogo,
NSW
2008
Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, South Australian Museum
Chair Art, Gallery 12, Pialligo Plant Farm, Canberra
Window on Sardinia, Civic Library, Canberra
2005
Sardinia Through Australian Eyes, Italian Institute of Culture, Melbourne
2004
Chiuso per ferie, Monash Centre, Prato Italy
2000
CWA Art Award, Tennant Creek NT
1998
Griffith University Alumni Exhibition, Qld College of Art Gallery
1997
Post grad students’ exhibition, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
A Humid State, Qld College of Art Gallery and Touring
Postcards from the Edge, SoapBOx Gallery, Brisbane
Diverse Visions, Qld College of Art Gallery
1996
Solitary Confinement, Boggo Road Gaol, Brisbane
Diverse Alliances, Centre Culturel de Ku We Kara, Noumea
Examinations, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
RAWing, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
1995
Beyond the Picket Fence Australian Women’s Art in the National Library’s
Collection, National Library of Australia
Collision, Loading Bay, Museum of Contemporary Art, Brisbane
1990
The Arsonists, Galerie Constantinople, Queanbeyan
1986
Visual Artists Tenants Show, Art Council of ACT
1984
The Sexuality Show, Canberra School of Art Gallery
Graduate Show, Canberra School of Art Gallery
1982
Rites of Passage, Photospace Gallery, Canberra School of Art
1990
Earthly Delights aGOG, Canberra ACT
Sun, Smoke & Steel Studio One traveling exhibition
2008-09 - Full time
artist
2001-Feb’08 - Project Officer, Exhibitions Branch, National Library of
Australia
2000 - Manager, Anyinginyi Arts & Cultural Centre, Tennant Creek NT
1998-99 - Member Services Officer, Museums Australia (Qld)
1987-94 - Administrator, Canberra Contemporary Art Space
1993 - Acting Director, Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Residencies, Grants and Prizes
2008 - Waterhouse
Natural History Art Prize, Highly Commended
2004 - Sardinianian Cultural Association Grant to travel to Sardinia,
Italy
2004 - Residency at Monash University Centre, Prato, Italy
2000 - CWA Art Award, Tennant Creek NT
1999 - Grant - Arts Qld to attend Remote Area Museum Conference in Tennant
Ck
1997 - Residency at Qld College of Art, Griffith University, Manila
Studio, Philippines
2008 - Window of
Sardinia, Exhibition catalogue, Sardinian Cultural and Social Association,
Canberra.
2000 - Bush Fruits, Anyinginyi Arts Touring Exhibition catalogue
1999 - Photography and its uses in a Museum Context, ARTeFACT Magazine
Dec’99
1996 - Solitary Confinement Exhibition catalogue – self-published
1986 - Works of Art in Canberra Vol 2
1984 - Craft Australia Yearbook
1982 - Craft Australia – autumn
2008
Artnotes, Art Monthly, #215 November 2008 p55
Sasha Grishin, Where once was beauty, Canberra Times, 31 October
Diana Streak, Wonders from the deep, Canberra Times 25 October
Ron Cerabona, Natural artist winds by an “unusual nose”, Canberra Times,
26 Sept
2006
Sonia Barron, ‘Idiosyncratic treatment of different landscapes’ The
Canberra Times, 21 January
Jennifer Kingma, ‘Fantasy in mixed visions’, The Canberra Times, 4 January
2004
Jennifer Kingma, ‘Local artist off for diverse study in Italy’, The
Canberra Times, 20 March
2003
Monash Research Graduate School, Annual Report
2000
Alison Alder, ‘Like mother like daughter: Brenda and Emma get animated
about their art,’ Barkly News Pictorial, No.14, December, pp.14-15
1997
Marilyn Carney, ‘Toussaints’ catalogue essay, November
1989
Lisa Waller, ‘Multi-media personality’,The Canberra Times, 6 April
1986
Sonia Barron, ‘Housewarming exhibition by 22 tenants’, The Canberra Times