TRUDY RICE

(b.1970 AUS)

Currently living and working in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 

BIOGRAPHY

Known for her delicate yet evocative works that celebrate the intricate beauty of nature, Australian artist Trudy Rice draws inspiration from the landscape. Her practice explores the rich textures, patterns, and rhythms found in flora and fauna. 

She specialises in solar plate etching and monotype, and her processes are deeply rooted in an environmentally conscious approach, using sustainable materials to reflect her commitment to conservation and preservation.

A graduate of the Advanced Diploma in Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft (2012), Trudy has exhibited widely across Australia, with representation at Queenscliff Gallery and Lauriston Press. She has been a finalist in prestigious awards, including the Burnie Print Prize, Firestation Print Studio Monoprint Prize, and Castlemaine Museum Experimental Print Prize.

Her layered, intuitive process captures fleeting moments in nature - the imprint of a leaf, the shimmer of a bird’s wing, or shifting bushland patterns. Beyond the studio, she has created public commissions, large-scale installations, and design collaborations, including projects with Australia Post and Ashdene. A dedicated educator, Trudy has taught workshops across Australia for over a decade, sharing her expertise at Sydney Contemporary, The Art Room, and Firestation Print Studio.

With a deep reverence for the natural world, Trudy’s work is an invitation to slow down and observe - capturing the delicate balance of fragility and resilience in Australia’s unique environment.

 

ARTIST STATEMENT

Imagine standing in the dappled light of a eucalyptus forest, where the scent of earth and leaves lingers in the air. The wind moves through the trees, casting shifting shadows, and birdsong weaves into the stillness. This is the essence of my work—born from nature’s quiet rhythms, layered like the landscapes that inspire them.

When I create, I begin by immersing myself in the landscape, whether physically or in memory. I observe closely—the textures of bark, the intricate veins of leaves, the way light filters through the canopy. Then I step back, absorbing the vastness of mountains and escarpments, finding a meditative stillness in their presence.

My process is layered and intuitive, combining rolling, etching, inking, and wiping to reveal fine details and subtle tonal shifts. Each solar plate etching captures the essence of a drawn image, evolving through a delicate balance of intention and unpredictability. The press yields unexpected textures; ink settles in ways I can’t fully control. These surprises are part of the beauty, mirroring nature’s own wild, organic design.

Growing up surrounded by Australia’s diverse landscapes, I’ve always felt deeply connected to the environment. My work invites stillness—a chance to slow down and notice the intricate beauty of the natural world. Through each piece, I hope to share that sense of wonder—the feeling of being small yet deeply connected to something vast and alive.

I want my work to be felt as much as seen—to guide the eye like a wandering path, to invite touch through imagined textures, to immerse the viewer in the landscape. Not just as an observer but as part of its quiet poetry.

 

REPRESENTING GALLERIES

·   Queenscliff Gallery – qgallery.com.au (Queenscliff, Victoria)

·   Lauriston Press, Prints & Drawings – lauristonpress.com.au (Kyneton, Victoria)

 

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EDUCATION

·   2018 – Certificate IV in Assessment and Training

·   2012 – Diploma & Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts, CAE

 

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EXHIBITION HISTORY

Selected Exhibitions

·   Sept 2024 – Sydney Contemporary PAPER, Print Council of Australia, Melbourne Studios

·   Aug 2024 – Land, Life & Legacy, Queenscliff Gallery

·   Oct 2023 – Finalist, Monoprint Prize, Firestation Print Studio

·   Sept 2023 – Finalist, Castlemaine Experimental Print Prize, Castlemaine Museum

·   Sept 2023 – Sydney Contemporary PAPER, Print Council of Australia, Melbourne Studios

·   Aug 2023 – Finalist, Burnie Print Prize, Tasmania

·   June 2023 – Pastoral & Flight, Queenscliff Gallery

·   Sept 2022 – Sydney Contemporary PAPER, Print Council of Australia, Melbourne Studios

·   Nov 2021 – Sydney Contemporary, DISCOVER PAPER, Melbourne Studios

·   Feb/March 2021 – Memories of a Forest Walk, Eagles Nest Gallery, Aireys Inlet

·   Nov 2020 – Queenscliff Gallery (with Kate Hudson and Gwen Scott)

·   Sept 2020 – Sydney Contemporary, Melbourne Studios (Online Exhibition)

·   Oct 2018 – In My Garden, Port Jackson Press Print Gallery, Collingwood

Selected Group Exhibitions & Events

·   Feb 2025 – Pocketful of Sunshine, Rubicon ARI (Curated by Tegan Iversen)

·   Dec 2024-Jan 2025 – Linden Postcard Exhibition

·   Nov 2024 – Off the Wall, Firestation Print Studio

·   Oct 2024 – The Colour of Spring, Neon Parlour Gallery, Thornbury (Curated by Tegan Iversen)

·   Aug 2024 – Show Your West Side, Maribyrnong

·   May 2023 – The Other Art Fair, Sydney

 

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AWARDS & RECOGNITION

·   2023 – Finalist, Burnie Print Prize

·   2023 – Finalist, Castlemaine Experimental Print Prize

·   2023 – Finalist, Firestation Print Studio Monoprint Prize

·   2023 – Finalist, Gippsland Art Gallery, Spring Collection

·   2021 – Selected, TACIT Still Life Prize

·   2017 – Finalist, Peebles Print Prize, Queenscliff Gallery

·   2015 – Best Etching, Firestation Print Studio

·   2012 – Best Mixed Media on Paper, Firestation Print Studio

 

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PUBLIC ART & DESIGN PROJECTS

·   Feb 2025 – Golden Banksia Collection (Ashdene)

·   Jan 2024 – Enchanted Banksia Collection (Ashdene)

·   2021-2022 – 109m Wall Mural, Blacktown Acute Mental Hospital

·   2020 – Proper and Son café mural, South Melbourne Market (5.6m x 3m)

·   2019 – Queens Domain Apartment Lobby, 8m artwork

·   2016 – Work featured in BIRD book (Acquired by State Library of Victoria)

 

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TEACHING WORKSHOPS & PUBLIC SPEAKING

·   March 2025 – Solar Plate Etching Workshop, Emerald Arts Society

·   Feb 2025 – Gel Plate Workshop, The Art Room, Footscray

·   Sept 2024 – Printmaking Without a Press, The Art Room, Footscray

·   June 2024 – Linocut & Gel Plate Printing, Sandringham Primary School

·   April 2024 – Solar Plate Etching Workshop, Firestation Print Studio

·   Oct 2023 – Artist Table Talk & Printing Demonstration, Sydney Contemporary

·   Nov 2022 – Solar Plate Etching Workshop, Firestation Print Studio

·   Sept 2022 – Demonstration, Sydney Contemporary

 

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CURATION & LEADERSHIP

·   March 2021 – Curator, Short Stories by Lisa Sewards, 45 Downstairs, Flinders Lane

·   2009-2021 – Curator/Convenor, Albert Park Secondary College Art Show

·   2010-2012 – Gallery Manager & Curator, Firestation Print Studio

·   2010 – Manager & Curator, Melbourne Fashion Incubator Gallery

 

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MEMBERSHIPS & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

·   Member, National Association for Visual Artists (NAVA)

·   Member, Print Council of Australia (PCA)

·   Former President (2012-2015), Firestation Print Studio

·   Active Member, Firestation Print Studio, Victoria

 

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DONATED WORKS & CHARITY CONTRIBUTIONS

Contributed to fundraising efforts for organisations, including:

·   Variety, The Children’s Charity

·   Greens Party MacNamara Fundraiser

·   Lungitude Foundation

·   Cancer Council

·   Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre

·   Think Pink (Breast Cancer)

·   The Margaret Pratt Foundation

 

As at March 2025