Sally Elmer
Sally Elmer
Sally worked for 15 years as an artist with the Qld Museum, and in 1995 decided to take the plunge and become a self-employed artist. From a studio in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, surrounded by the sights and sounds of what inspires her, she enjoys observing and researching our native wildlife, discovering a diversity of colour, texture and character. She spends up to two months each year exploring the wide open spaces of our deserts, observing and collecting information. Using pencils and paint as her tools, she enjoys recreating these discoveries, putting life onto a flat canvas.
1980-1995, worked as an artist with the Qld. Museum, illustrating books and posters, painting casts of animals for display, designing and constructing displays.
- Museum poster “Toxic Plants and Animals” won a gold medal for illustration
- Museum poster “Insect Giants of Australia” featured on the ABC’s 7.30 Report
1991- Selected to exhibit in the $75,000.00 James Hardie Wildlife Art Prize
1995- painted habitat backgrounds in displays at Taronga Zoo’s Reptile House
- Won “Best Bird”, Qld Wildlife Artists (QWASI) annual Exhibition
- “Birds of a Feather” exhibition – 13 Australian Women Artists
1996- Won “Best Animal”, QWASI
1997- organised and participated in “Brisbane’s Backyard Naturally”, 9 wildlife artists
- Won “Best Classic Moment”, QWASI
- Commissioned to illustrate endangered Coxen’s Fig Parrot, used on a poster for conservation purposes
1998- First, very sucessful Solo Exhibition at Bold in Gold, Maleny
- organised “Wild Neighbours!”, 9 wildlife artists
1999- organised “Wild Things and Wild Places”, 10 wildlife artists
2000- “Sacred Ibis” selected for “Birds in Art”, the prestigious international annual bird art exhibition at the Woodson Art Museum In America
- organised “Window to the Wild”, 9 wildlife artists
2001- “Australasian Little Grebe’ selected for “Birds in Art”. Museum bought this painting for their permanent collection
- one of 34 contemporary bird artists to feature in “Feather and Brush – Three Centuries of Australian Bird Art” by Penny Olsen
- Second highly sucessful Solo Exhibition
- Commissioned to paint a 14m long x 2m mural, “Rainforest Through Time”, at Mary Cairncross Park in Maleny
2002- “Australasian Pelican” selected for “Birds in Art”
2003- “Moorhen - ObiObi Creek” selected for inaugural “Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize”, SA Museum
2004- “Australasian Silver Gulls” selected for “Birds in Art”
- “Preening Pelican” selected for “The Waterhouse”
2006 - produced 24 Limited Edition Prints
2007 – commissioned to illustrate the “Isisford Crocodile”, (from a recently described fossil) for the Outer Barcoo Interpretation Centre in Isisford
2008 - worked with Peter Slater to produce his Second Edition of “The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds”
2014 - “Glimpses of Australian Birdlife” published, a book of Sally’s and Peter Slater’s favourite bird photographs with evocative text
- commissioned to produce an informative book, “Green Guide to Garden Birds”, one of the Green Guide series published by New Holland
2015 - “Spring - Bribie Pelicans”, selected for inaugural “The Holmes Art Prize”