Art

Sally Lee Anderson

Growing up in NSW’s lush Northern Rivers region, and going on to undertake a residency amongst the dramatic scenery of Reykjavik, Iceland, it’s no surprise that Sally Lee Anderson’s paintings take cues from the natural world.

We recently popped by Sally’s Sydney studio to discover more ahead of her exhibition, The Washdown and Salvation Jane, which opens at Edwina Corlette Gallery in Brisbane next month.

Written
by
Elisha Kennedy

Sydney-based artist Sally Lee Anderson. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Detail of artwork by artist Sally Lee Anderson. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Sally splits her time between Sydney and the Northern Rivers region. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Sally prefers to use a muted colour palette. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Salvation Jane in a Jug (Birthday Jug), 2017, artwork by Sally, which will be on exhibit this month as part of her exhibition, The Washdown and Salvation Jane at Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Sally grew up in the town of Alstonville, which has inspired her abstract botantical and landscape works. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Sally’s Sydney studio space. The artist has also completed a residency in Iceland. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Guy’s Painting of Lord Howe on Dillings Bromeliads (Worlds in Worlds), 2017, from Sally’s upcoming show. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Detail of artist’s workspace. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Writer
Elisha Kennedy
2nd of February 2017

Sally Lee Anderson originally studied printmaking at UNSW Art and Design, but first decided to focus on painting during an artist residency in Reykjavik, Iceland. ‘I think my printmaking always had a painterly aesthetic,’ she describes. ‘Without the tools in Iceland, painting was the natural alternative, and I loved the immediacy of it.’

Sally didn’t look back, and by the time she returned to Australia she’d decided to pursue painting. Her expressive aesthetic quickly garnered attention, with group show invitations coming in from across the country, and support from retailers such as Sydney store Small Spaces.

The fresh-faced artist’s paintings integrate abstracted landscapes with interiors, and take cues from everyday interactions. Sally is interested in how we bring the elements of outdoor landscapes inside our homes – through a piece of art, a plant, or collected fragments of nature.

Originally from Alstonville, NSW, Sally now splits her time between Sydney and the Northern Rivers. Earlier this year, she spent time working on a flower farm growing bromeliads. This plant, with its vibrant tropical colours, made such an impression on Sally that she’s currently creating a series featuring them.

Working predominantly with a muted colour palette, the artist will often add an unexpected contrast, like a brush of bright magenta. ‘For me, working with colour is very intuitive; I might spend weeks working with dusky colours, only to come in one day needing to mix a cyan blue,’ she tells.

The paintings are an ongoing process of adding layers and marks. Sometimes Sally will paint over a work in her studio that she’d thought she was long done with. ‘My partner once said that my pieces are a bit like découpage… with individual snippets and cut-outs layered heavily onto a surface,’ she says. ‘My mum has always loved crafts and used to actually découpage the furniture in our house… maybe that’s unknowingly made an impression on me!’

The Washdown and Salvation Jane by Sally Anderson
February 3rd – 23rd
Edwina Corlette Gallery
2/555 Brunswick St, New Farm, Brisbane

To see more, visit Sally’s website here.

Printmaker-turned-painter Sally Lee Anderson in her Sydney studio. Photo – Nikki To for The Design Files.

Recent Art