October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1 Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1 2018
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1Judith SinnamonOctober Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #12018
oil on canvas
95.5 x 96 cm
SOLD 
Yellow Jackets (Corymbia Leichhardtii) Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Yellow Jackets (Corymbia Leichhardtii)
Yellow Jackets (Corymbia Leichhardtii) 2018
Yellow Jackets (Corymbia Leichhardtii)Judith SinnamonYellow Jackets (Corymbia Leichhardtii)
Yellow Jackets (Corymbia Leichhardtii)2018
Oil On Linen
104 x 134 cm
SOLD 
Portrait of Corymbia Aparrerinja with Rufous Whistlers Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Portrait of Corymbia Aparrerinja with Rufous Whistlers
Portrait of Corymbia Aparrerinja with Rufous Whistlers 2018
Portrait of Corymbia Aparrerinja with Rufous WhistlersJudith SinnamonPortrait of Corymbia Aparrerinja with Rufous Whistlers
Portrait of Corymbia Aparrerinja with Rufous Whistlers2018
Oil On Linen
154 x 119 cm
SOLD 
Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1 Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1
Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1 2018
Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1Judith SinnamonBark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #1
Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #12018
Oil On Canvas
54.2 x 44 cm
SOLD 
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2 Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2 2018
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2Judith SinnamonOctober Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #22018
oil on canvas
95 x 95 cm
SOLD 
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis Detail Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Eucalyptus Camaldulensis Detail
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis Detail 2018
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis DetailJudith SinnamonEucalyptus Camaldulensis Detail
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis Detail2018
Oil On Linen On Ply
33.5 x 33.5 cm
$1,500  ENQUIRE
Corymbia Tessellaris Of The Galilee Basin Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Corymbia Tessellaris Of The Galilee Basin
Corymbia Tessellaris Of The Galilee Basin 2018
Corymbia Tessellaris Of The Galilee BasinJudith SinnamonCorymbia Tessellaris Of The Galilee Basin
Corymbia Tessellaris Of The Galilee Basin2018
Oil On Linen
104 x 134 cm
SOLD 
Dancing Ghost Gum (Corymbia Dallachiana) Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Dancing Ghost Gum (Corymbia Dallachiana)
Dancing Ghost Gum (Corymbia Dallachiana) 2018
Dancing Ghost Gum (Corymbia Dallachiana)Judith SinnamonDancing Ghost Gum (Corymbia Dallachiana)
Dancing Ghost Gum (Corymbia Dallachiana)2018
Oil On Linen
124 x 154 cm
SOLD 
Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2ju Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2ju
Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2ju 2018
Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2juJudith SinnamonBark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2ju
Bark Study (Corymbia Dallachiana) #2ju2018
oil on canvas
54.2 x 44 cm
$2,500  ENQUIRE
Corymbia Tessellaris Detail Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Corymbia Tessellaris Detail
Corymbia Tessellaris Detail 2018
Corymbia Tessellaris DetailJudith SinnamonCorymbia Tessellaris Detail
Corymbia Tessellaris Detail2018
oil on canvas
33.5 x 33.5 cm
SOLD 
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #3 Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #3
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #3 2018
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #3Judith SinnamonOctober Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #3
October Shedding (Corymbia Dallachiana) #32018
oil on canvas
95.5 x 95.5 cm
$9,000  ENQUIRE
Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #1 Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #1
Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #1 2018
Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #1Judith SinnamonBimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #1
Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #12018
Oil On Canvas
65 x 65 cm
SOLD 
Silver-Leaved Ironbark Detail Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Silver-Leaved Ironbark Detail
Silver-Leaved Ironbark Detail 2018
Silver-Leaved Ironbark DetailJudith SinnamonSilver-Leaved Ironbark Detail
Silver-Leaved Ironbark Detail2018
Oil On Linen On Ply
33.5 x 33.5 cm
SOLD 
Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #2 Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #2
Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #2 2018
Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #2Judith SinnamonBimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #2
Bimblebox (Eucalyptus Populnea) #22018
Oil On Linen On Ply
33.5 x 33.5 cm
SOLD 
Yellow Jacket Detail Judith Sinnamon Judith Sinnamon - Yellow Jacket Detail
Yellow Jacket Detail 2018
Yellow Jacket DetailJudith SinnamonYellow Jacket Detail
Yellow Jacket Detail2018
Oil On Linen On Ply
34 x 34 cm
SOLD 

Bimblebox Nature Refuge is situated 1,120 km northwest of Brisbane in the heart of cattle and coal country. The fourteen-hour drive to this remnant semi-arid woodlands transforms an artist’s eye along the way. One leaves behind the city and the suburbs, the lush green gardens and rainforest, the endless malls and carparks: to Dalby, Roma, Emerald, Alpha, and finally, Bimblebox. The visuals gradually evolve into a dryer, more austere landscape, wide-open skies and towering clouds, and nature is more prudent with colour.

Judith Sinnamon traveled to Bimblebox late last year due to her lifelong concern for the environment - the fight by activists to save the refuge from Big Coal has been hard fought since 2007, and she wanted to see the land (and its trees) for herself. But, she admits, “I was unprepared for the beauty of the place.” And even though she’d painted trees of southeast Queensland for years, this was another world entirely - and it was under siege. She goes on to say:

'In my work, the celebration and joy of nature is juxtaposed with my (and a collective) sense of alarm in regard to destruction of the environment. My starting point is the awe I feel when in the presence of trees - the trees of the Central Queensland region in this case.'

The balance Sinnamon pursues in her paintings parallels her desire to see equilibrium restored to humanity’s relationship with nature. At the core of her painting concerns is the interplay of opposing energies and dynamics: the stoic stasis of Corymbia Dallachiana contrasted with their vegetal, twisting gestures; her spare, earthy palette applied fluently, quickly in layered daubs, strokes and semi-swirls; and, above all, her sensitive capture of the flicker of light to shadow on the infinite forms and textures of trees, grass and sky. Taken together, these carefully crafted, visual and formal qualities document her deeply felt connection to the natural world.

Portrait of Corymbia Aparrerinja(2018), shares an affinity with Albert Namatjira’s Ghost gum (c.1948) in that both paintings grant their trees the status of individuality. Sinnamon acknowledges the older artist’s influence on her work -particularly the iconic presence of ghost gums in his watercolours. Trees remind her of the human body: “the random twisting of limbs, the bulbous resin growths, pock marks and scarring from lost limbs or insect activity… the luminosity of their trunks evocative of human flesh,” all combine to interconnect the arboreal with the human.

In every canvas, the artist begins with an all-over, bright ochre ground, next carefully mapping out the shapes of trunks and branches, and then building form and volume in layers of single strokes of wet-into-wet paint. Looking close-up at the surfaces of bark in Dancing Ghost Gum (Corymbia Dallachiana)(2018), one enters a microcosm of abstraction. Sinnamon capitalises on the use of subtly-toned complementary greys and taupes on areas of bark to open up space between each stroke, so that a weightless luminosity exists - as if her trees are built from light. Stepping back from the painting, the structured physicality of her brushwork coalesces into volume and heft. Multi-directional movement of lanceolate leaves shimmers dark to yellow-green, forming a canopy energised by light and gravity’s pull. Rhumba-like in dancing gesture, the ghost gums’ branches gyrate, affirming nature’s erotic, dynamic play of creation and destruction.

Sinnamon’s profound fascination with trees motivates this work. “I want people to value nature,” she says. “Trees are loved because their beauty is comforting, however nature is not a given. We can’t know that it’s going to be there forever, unchanged.”

Carol Schwarzman, July 2018

JUDITH SINNAMON 'Bimblebox'

Attunement to light – how it flows over, plays upon and defines structure, shape and colour – is Judith Sinnamon’s primary concern. Her carefully crafted studies of Australian native flora capture each plant’s singular gesture and presence, compelling the viewer to engage with a unique species as well as to witness the artist’s dialogue with paint.

Within her work, the nonhuman (plants, trees, flowers, fruit) and the nonliving (fabric, bowls, baskets) offer a source for contemplation of the world’s strange familiarity. Whether painting a still life of domestic objects or a landscape en plein air, Sinnamon’s ability to see and capture the intimacy of things is founded upon intuitive use of the palette of native flora balanced with a personal, almost sculptural rendering of her subject matter.

Judith brings tree branches, blossoms and leaves into the studio, where compositional decisions crop branches, celebrate negative space or experiment with pattern and overlapping, chaotic movement. These indoor specimen studies, while loosely related to early botanical illustration, are executed with an eye toward propagating foliage across the canvas, much like the natural generation of tree limbs, to surpass botany’s cool empiricism and embrace a deeply felt coexistence with nature.

Judith Sinnamon has a Diploma of Fine Art majoring in Painting from Queensland College of Art, Griffith University. Judith was a finalist in the 2023 Archibald Prize and the Brisbane Portrait Prize. Her work is held by the Mater Private Hospital Brisbane Art Collection, the Kawana Private Hospital Art Collection and numerous private collections in Australia as well as internationally.

Carrie McCarthy, 2021

Judith Sinnamon

Lives and Works in Queensland

EDUCATION

1984

  • Diploma of Fine Art (Painting), Queensland College of Art

1992

  • Bachelor of Teaching, Griffith University, Brisbane

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023

  • 'Foliage II', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2021

  • 'Foliage', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2020

  • 'Illuminations', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • Preview of 'Illuminations', The Getty, Los Angeles, USA

2018

  • 'Bimblebox', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2017

  • '1770', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2015

  • 'Yangon Downtown', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2014

  • 'Wallum', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2013

  • 'Melaleuca', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2012

  • 'Flora from a Fragile Land', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2011

  • 'New Paintings', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2010

  • Solo Exhibition, Marks and Gardner, Mt Tamborine
  • Solo Exhibition, Doggett Street Studio, Brisbane

2009

  • Solo Exhibition, Marks and Gardner, Mt Tamborine

2006

  • 'Artefacts', Art Factory, South Brisbane

1999

  • 'Solo Exhibition', Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Ferry Road Studio, South Brisbane

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023

  • The Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney

2020

  • 'Plants', Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

2019

  • 'The New Gallery Show', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2018

  • '10th Anniversary Exhibition', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane
  • 'Small Works', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2017

  • 'Coast', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2013

  • 'Small Works', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

2011

  • 'From the Heart', QWLS, Riverside Centre, Brisbane

2010

  • 'Christmas Exhibition', EDWINA CORLETTE, Brisbane

AWARDS AND PRIZES

2023

  • Finalist, The Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
  • Finalist, Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra Regional Gallery, Sunshine Coast
  • Finalist, Brisbane Portrait Prize, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane

2022

Finalist, Brisbane Portrait Prize, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane

2021

  • Finalist, Salon de Refuses Brisbane Portrait Prize, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane

2020

  • Finalist Salon de Refuses Brisbane Portrait Prize, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane

2019

  • Finalist, Brisbane Portrait Prize, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane

COLLECTIONS

  • Museum of Brisbane
  • Herbert Smith Freehills
  • AVEO Art Collection
  • Kawana Private Hospital Art Collection
  • Mater Private Hospital Brisbane Art Collection
  • Sunshine Coast University Hospital Art Collection

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2018

  • Judith Sinnamon: Bimblebox, Feature, Brisbane Art Guide
  • Artist - Judith Sinnamon, Post, Montville Village Association

2017

  • Feature Article, Brisbane News, April

2015

  • Phil Brown, Foreign Affair: Rich tapestry of life in Yangon thrills Aussie expat artist, Feature Article, Brisbane News, 9 December
  • Margie Fraser, Hawker Women of Yangon, Feature Article, More Margie, 3 November
  • Judith Sinnamon – New Paintings, Feature Article, MYANMORE, 29 October
  • Molly Glassey, Take a Peek at a City in Transition, Review, 30 November

2014

  • Katie Adams, Judith Sinnamon ‘Wallum’, Review, Ray White New Farm Blog, 7 November

2013

  • Danielle Krysa, I’m Jealous of Judith Sinnamon, Feature, The Jealous Curator, 8 December

July 23, 2024

JUDITH SINNAMON IS A FINALIST IN THE 2024 BRISBANE SALON DE REFUSES

Congratulations to Judith Sinnamon who is not only a finalist in the Brisbane Portrait Prize for 2024 but has also been selected for the partnered Salon de Refuses for her portrait of Spencer, the protector of Wallum.

From the age of 6 Spencer Hitchen, now 13, has worked tirelessly to try to save the fragile coastal Wallum woodlands and heathlands of the Noosa Shire, that are so important for the survival of the black glossy cockatoo, from clearing and development.

The Salon des Refusés will be held at the Royal Queensland Art Society, Petrie Terrace running in parallel to the Brisbane Portrait Prize, 3 August – 10 November.

IMAGE

'Spencer - Child Protector of Wallum' 2024

oil on linen

80 x 80 cm

July 20, 2024

JUDITH SINNAMON IS A FINALIST IN THE 2024 BRISBANE PORTRAIT PRIZE

Congratulations to Judith Sinnamon who is a 2024 finalist in the Brisbane Portrait Prize for her portrait of Hannah Moloney from South of Timtumili Minanya, Tasmania.

Judith Sinnamon chose to paint Hannah because she helps people do something practical and hopeful regardless of what happens in the world. “The small act of hope by planting a seed and tending to it can be transformative in creating connection with nature, with each other and with the possibilities of a sustainable future.”

The finalists of the Brisbane Portrait Prize will be showcased at the State Library of Queensland from 3 August – 10 November.

IMAGE:

‘Little Big Acts of Hope’ 2024

Oil on linen

103 x 200 cm

READ MORE HERE

September 16, 2023

JUDITH SINNAMON IS A FINALIST IN THE 2023 BRISBANE PORTRAIT PRIZE

We are delighted to announce that JUDITH SINNAMON is a finalist in the 2023 Brisbane Portrait Prize for her portrait of Nathan Appo.

Judith sought to capture Nathan's incredible warmth and generosity and a wisdom that comes from 65,000 years of continuous sustainable culture and land management with a deep love for country and humanity at its core.

The Brisbane Portrait Prize is all about celebrating Brisbane portrait artists and their sitters, while encouraging public engagement with the arts.

Judith is having a solo exhibition with us October 25.

Image:

'Nathan Appo' 2023
Oil on linen
134 x 104 cm

READ MORE HERE

May 6, 2023

JUDITH SINNAMON FINALIST IN THE ARCHIBALD PRIZE

Judith Sinnamon is a finalist in the 2023 Archibald Prize.

Watching the ABC’s political program Insiders, Queensland artist Judith Sinnamon was struck by Katharine Murphy’s ‘paintability’.

‘Katharine often appears on the Insiders panel, where she brings a refreshing, cut-through perspective to the fug of Australian politics,’ says Sinnamon. ‘I feel tremendous gratitude towards Katharine and all journalists of strong conviction and integrity, who speak truth to power at a time of rampant misinformation and media mogul influence.’

Murphy has worked in the parliamentary press gallery in Kamberri/Canberra since 1996. She is currently political editor of Guardian Australia and the host of a weekly podcast, Australian politics. She is the author of On disruption, an analysis of the impact of the internet on journalism.

Sinnamon captures the award-winning journalist, with her colourful clothing and animated face, listening to the podcast Pod save America in her light-filled home.

‘During our sitting, I drew loose charcoal sketches and took numerous photos,’ says Sinnamon. ‘I then returned to my [Sunshine Coast] Hinterland studio and began the month-long process of rendering Katharine’s portrait – my first in the Archibald Prize.’

Read more here.

Artwork:

Judith Sinnamon

'Katharine Murphy'

oil on linen

104.2 x 134 cm

September 10, 2020

JUDITH SINNAMON COMMISSION FOR EMMANUEL COLLEGE

Emmanuel College within the University of Queensland commissioned a portrait of immediate past principal Dr Jane Thomson by artist Judith Sinnamon.

October 18, 2019

MUSEUM OF BRISBANE ACQUIRES JUDITH SINNAMON'S PORTRAIT OF PAMELA EASTON

The Museum of Brisbane has acquired Judith Sinnamon's portrait of Pamela Easton, one half of renowned fashion label duo Easton Pearson. The Museum's Easton Pearson Archive is the largest textile collection from a single Australian fashion house held by a museum.

The Archive features the complete collection of internationally acclaimed fashion house Easton Pearson and comprises more than 3,300 signature garments, as well as accessories, original sketches, look books, ephemera and runway footage.

Easton Pearson, created by Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson, was one of Australia’s most successful fashion houses. From the launch of the label in 1998 to its close in 2016, Easton Pearson’s eclectic, boldly patterned and embellished fashions graced catwalks and showrooms across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, America and Australia.

December 14, 2017

JUDITH SINNAMON IN FRANK VEDELAGO DESIGNED HOUSE

Work from Judith Sinnamon's Coastal Banksia series has been recently featured in a Frank Vedelago designed Queensland renovation in Paddington.

VIEW IMAGES HERE

March 14, 2017

JUDITH SINNAMON WORKSHOPS AT QAGOMA

To coincide with Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art's exhibition O’KEEFFE, PRESTON, COSSINGTON SMITH 'Making Modernism', Judith Sinnamon has been invited to conduct a series of still-life workshops throughout May and June 2017.

O'Keeffe, Preston and Cossington Smith were renowned for their modern adaptation of traditional approaches to still life. In this special hands-on workshop working with oil paints, participants will be invited to join Judith Sinnamon for an exploration of the still life genre and experiment with light, colour and form to depict Australian native flora.

Judith Sinnamon is an artist based in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Judith studied painting at the Queensland College of Art in the early 1980's. The surrounding coastal flora informs Judith's art practice in both her still life and landscape works. She exhibits regularly with the Edwina Corlette Gallery.

VIEW MORE DETAILS HERE

December 2, 2015

Judith Sinnamon on 'More Margie' blog

Thank you Margie Fraser for featuring Judith Sinnamon's recent exhibition 'Downtown Yangon' on her More Margie blog.

Judith's paintings reflect her experience living in Myanmar. Margie writes about Judith's journey painting in a foreign place, far from the familiar Queensland coastal landscape.

“Yangon is an extreme environment, intense. The sounds and smells are so full on. People, people, people. Going from trees to people was probably a most logical thing for me. One of the first things that struck me were the melodic calls of the women hawking in the streets, sounds floating up to us on the 7th floor of our new home on 37th Street.”

Read Margie's article here.

27 November 2024 – 14 December 2024
JUDITH SINNAMON 'Treescapes'

25 October 2023 – 14 November 2023
Judith Sinnamon ‘Foliage II’

29 November 2022 – 28 February 2023
THE SUMMER SHOW

14 September 2021 – 2 October 2021
Judith Sinnamon ‘Foliage’

26 May 2020 – 18 June 2020
Judith Sinnamon ‘Illuminations’

26 June 2019 – 17 July 2019
THE NEW GALLERY SHOW — A Group Exhibition

29 August 2018 – 15 September 2018
THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION

19 July 2018 – 8 August 2018
JUDITH SINNAMON 'Bimblebox'

7 April 2017 – 4 May 2017
Judith Sinnamon ‘1770’

27 November 2015 – 18 December 2015
Judith Sinnamon ‘Yangon Downtown’

21 October 2014 – 8 November 2014
Judith Sinnamon ‘Wallum’

30 July 2013 – 17 August 2013
Judith Sinnamon ‘Melaleuca’ (Gallery 1)