Astrid Dahl Artist – Up Close and Personal

Australian Artist Astrid Dahl paints vibrant, semi-abstract works that exude her passion and love of painting the natural landscape. She has been exhibiting widely since 1985 in places such as Hong Kong, Spain, London and throughout Australia. Physical inspiration for her work comes from her travels to deserts in the US, India, Africa, and in WA the vast expanse of the Nullabor Plains.

Astrid holds a Masters of Arts from Charles Sturt University and is a valued arts educator. Public collections of her work include Murdoch University WA, Ministry of Education WA, and Madang City Council PNG. In 2017 Astrid Dahl was a Finalist in the Bay of Fires Contemporary Art Competition in Tasmania, as well as the OBI Competition Queensland Australia.

“A sense of place is within the human mind, but is also stimulated by the environment itself. My work as an environmental and landscape painter reflects a natural human yearning to interact with the land, its energy, its beauty and light, and its darkness.

There are representations or, fragments of memorised parts of earth, sky and water. The aspects or themes are set, or pieced together in my mind, like a mosaic, from different sources or different perspectives of the same source. They then become a reality to me as I paint. I see the paintings as ‘scattered poetic versions of experience and landscape seen’. At times I have overlaid the ‘life force’ swirling around us, the visible and the invisible, in lines and textured shapes.

Physical inspiration for my works, are taken from deserts in the US ( Nevada), India (Rajasthan) Africa, (Namibia, Morocco, Senegal), The Little Desert, in W.A and the vast expanse of the Nullabor Plains that stretches between SA and WA. The human-being is not represented in my work, but I acknowledge human existence through my own endeavors, painting the visible and the invisible.

Each painting is arrived at through a unique unpredictable random process as I present individual crystallised thoughts based on landscaped memory. I respond to that moment in time when life’s energy pushes forward through the communal well of experiences. Although each work is not inextricably bound to the last, certain elements link them together besides paint application, colour, and texture. Another less obvious, intrinsic element is the importance of nature to me. Nature gives us humanity, a sense of belonging through natural history and a global view that is greater than human endeavour. Being part of that ‘life force’; the “macro” and the microscopic elements, we all walk this ancient earth on that delicately balanced line between good and evil, lightness and darkness. I try to tread lightly.”

– Astrid Dahl

Technique

The process begins with having my canvas stretched on custom made timber frames. A component of textured medium is applied first as I map out the painting. The designs are from memory and photographs taken on site along with gathered rocks, sand, seed pods, and other organic material which act as a reminder of the landscape locations. These are laid out on a table as I prepare the painting. Occasionally I do quick sketches to help me remember a certain element that can’t be captured on film.

I then apply a variety of water based and oil based media over the textured surface. These are set in an acrylic painting medium. When dry, the painting is brought to the easel where I begin to orchestrate the colour symphony of rich oil paint, mixed on my glass top palette. A beeswax varnish completes the cycle. The painting is extended around the edges to create its own boundary.

Academic Qualifications

• 4 Year Dip. of Art – Royal Melb. Inst. Of Technology VIC
• Diploma of Education – Hawthorn Teachers College VIC
• Batchelor of Art Education – Edith Cowan University WA
• Masters of Art – Charles Sturt University NSW

Solo Exhibitions

• 2020     Solo Exhibition at JahRoc Galleries, Margaret River WA (Nature’s Smiles)
• 2019     Solo exhibition at the Chenglin Art Centre Shanghai (abstract landscapes)
• 2018     Solo exhibition at Cambridge Studio Gallery Melbourne – Australia (abstract landscapes)
• 2017     Solo Exhibition at Private Gallery Singapore – SAIRA FINE ART
• 2016     Gallery ADA Shanghai (landscapes) 
• 2016     Dilder Fine Art Foundation.  Jakarta – (Conversations with Nature)
• 2015     HOLLANDAISE CLUB Singapore – September (Multi-focus)
• 2015     JahRoc Galleries – Margaret River WA (Earth’s Poetry)
• 2013     JahRoc Galleries – Margaret River WA (New Works)
• 2013     Red Sea Gallery Brisbane – QLD (New Works)
• 2012     Gadfly Gallery – Perth WA – Transitions (Landscape)
• 2011     Atrium Gallery – Australian High Commission Singapore
• 2011     JahRoc Galleries – Margaret River WA (Water, Fire, Rock and Tree)
• 2009     JahRoc Galleries – Margaret River WA (Landscapes Lived and Dreamed
• 2008     GADFLY GALLERY – WA ( Lanscapes Ploughed and wild)
• 2008     MLC GALLERY – SYDNEY (Lanscapes – track and field)
• 2007     Singapore Art Fair
• 2006     JahRoc Gallery – Margaret River WA
• 2005     Artistry / Annex A Gallery
• 2005     JahRoc Gallery – Margaret River WA
• 2003     Gadfly Gallery – Drifting in a sea of Dreams – (Landscapes)
• 2002     Owen Hargreaves Tribal Art Gallery London – (Landscapes, Africa)
• 2002     Gadfly Gallery – A Merger not a Takeover – (Landscapes)
• 2001     Gadfly Gallery (Goddess Figures of the Earth – MA exhibition)
• 2000     Gallop Gallery, Charles Sturt University , NSW – MA exhibition
• 1999     Gadfly Gallery and Allendale Square Perth WA
• 1997     Millennium Gallery WA (Landscapes )
• 1997     Moores Building – Woodcuts inspired by Poetry
• 1996     The Gallery of Fine Art WA ( Mining )
• 1994     Cultural Art Center ( Denia , Spain ) Spanish works on paper
• 1993     A Shed – Spanish works on paper ( European focus)
• 1991     Goldfields Art Board Gallery WA (Landscapes)
• 1989     Gallery 97 Hong Kong (Landscapes)
• 1988     Bay Gallery of Fine Art, WA (Landscapes)
• 1986     Gomboc Gallery WA – Strata 2 (Focus on striations of earth and mining)
• 1985     Alexander Gallery WA – Strata 1 (Focus on striations of earth and mining)

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2010 – 2015 Affordable Art Fairs Singapore 
• 2012  Traffic Jam Gallery Sydney 
• 2011  Florence Biennale (Italy) – awarded a High Distinction Medal 
• 2009 Represented by Red Sea Gallery in the Singapore Art Fair 
• 2009 Red Sea Gallery (Australia)
• 2007 Prometheus Art Awards
• 2003 Scroptomists 50th Anniversary Exhibition WA
• 1997 Accent Gallery 
• 1992 Stafford Gallery of Fine Art WA 
• 1990/1997/1998 Printmakers Association WA 
• 1985 ACTA Maritime Touring Exhibition VIC

Awards

• 2020 Finalist in the Muswell Brook Landscape Art Prize
• 2019 Finalist in the Paddington Art Prize
• 2019 Finalist in the Leithbridge Gallery QLD – Clayton UTZ award
• 2018 Finalist in the London Sunny Art Competition for Contemporary Art Exhibition 
• 2017 Finalist in the Bay of Fires Contemporary Art Competition TAS
• 2017 Finalist in OBI Art Competition QLD
• 2011 High Distinction Medal Florence Biennale Italy
• 2008 Finalist in the John Leslie Landscape Prize Gippsland Regional Gallery VIC
• 2007 Finalist in the Prometheus Art Awards
• 2003 Finalist in the Soroptimists 50th Anniversary Exhibition WA
• 1997 First Prize Coolgardie Kaleidoscope Painting and Drawing
• 1997 Two Awards Coolgardie Municipal Art Exhibition “Kaleidoscope”
• 1998 Finalist in Burswood Art Award WA
• 1995 Highly Commended City of Melville Art Award Exhibition
• 1994 Finalist in WA Arts Industry Award
• 1994 2 Arts Industry Awards Sponsored by Gallery 360 WA
• 1993 Highly Commended Windsor & Newton – Australian Awards
• 1991 Merit Certificate Mossman Park Purchase Award WA
• 1985 Finalist in the ACTA Maritime Touring Exhibition VIC

Publications

• 1989 Artlook Magazine – two issues – drawings
• Book of Poetry “Love” with 48 art works illustrated John Joseph Jones’ Poetry
• 1994 Finalist in WA Arts Industry Award
• 1996 Australian Artist (feature article WA)
• 1996 Artist’s Chronicle (feature article WA)
• 1996 Coolgardie Municipal Art Exhibition “Kaleidoscope” (two awards)
• 1999 Artist’s Chronicle (feature article WA)
• Represented in Book ‘Contemporary Australian Woman Artists’ by Max Germaine Soon to be represented in; McCulloch’s Encyclopedia of Australian Art published by Aus Art Editions

Selection of Public & Private Collections

• Hurlingham and Chelsea Art School, London UK
• Kamirice P/L – Kador Group of Companies (Collins St Melb VIC)
• Maya Hotel and Resort Bali
• Hawthorn Teachers’ College, Vic
• Travel lodge- Art Collection Perth WA
• Rheem (Aust.) Pty. Ltd. Vic.
• The French Bank – Perth WA
• Ministry of Education – Public Art Collection, WA
• Holyspirit Hostpital Northside – Public Art Collection QLD
• Madang City Council – Art Collection, PNG
• Speciality Cereals P/L
• Parker and Parker (Law Firm) WA
• Red sea Gallery – Singapore
• Magic Star Mercedes WA
• Axa Australia (Melb) Public Art Collection VIC
• Philips Fox (Law Firm) WA
• Murdoch University, Public Art Collection, WA
• Zarich Tech Trust WA
• William Tan – Mectron P/L
• Dr Rohan Mendis – Aesthetics Singapore
• Sharon and Graham Garside
• Jackie Mitchell
• Boo Leok Khoo
• Anne Mathison
• Bill Barr
• Gillian Arnold
• Jenny Brand-Miller
• Kelly Teo
• Keith McDonald
• Nanette James

Represented in other public and private collections in:

• UK
• Spain
• America
• Canada
• Hong Kong
• Singapore
• New Guinea