Art2Muse

Annabel Tully is a contemporary landscape artist. She depicts subtle and sensitive, yet dynamic landscapes to demonstrate her strong kinship with the land. Each time a new series of work is explored and created another dimension of country is revealed.

She was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1972 and on the urban fringe the courtship began between artist and homeland with mudfights in the dam and secret hideaways in the scrub. Her career in primary teaching, and as a principal of small schools, led her to many outback destinations. Travelling extensively throughout Australia and taking working holidays on rural properties, she experienced sensory overload. Throughout the nineties, every opportunity was taken to experience life on the land and to continue interests as an artist.

In 1999, she met and married Stephen Tully - 5th generation Channel Country pastoralist. Encouraged by Stephen's deep relationship with the land and fellow outback artists, she began to draw energy from the vast landscapes and channel her message onto canvas.

After working under the tutorship of internationally renowned landscape artist, Mandy Martin, Tully was encouraged to investigate Martin's use of 'colour, mark and texture to become signifiers of special places' within the landscape. Tully now places an emphasis on the use of found ochres to create a sense of place in her works. Her latest works arouse a viewpoint of an altered, yet natural landscape, whereby the subtle landscapes of Central Australia are subtly infused with evidence of human inhabitation.

The last twelve months have been Annabel Tully's most successful and challenging period to date. She was awarded finalist in the Norvill Prize for Australian Landscape Painting in Murrurundi, NSW and 2 prizes in the Winton Outback Art Prize, Qld. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions. In May she travelled to the Simpson Desert for the filming of ABC Television's Painting Australia series. An Artist's Retreat has been established on the family property to foster greater development and appreciation of the Arts in remote areas of Australia. Visiting tutors and artists in residence now can experience the uniqueness of the country that Tully calls home in the Channel Country of far South West Queensland.

Annabel Tully spends endless hours with pigment, ochre, sand and dirt on her hands as she paints en situ.

Born in Brisbane, 1972, Annabel Tully studied education at Griffith University, Brisbane and continued her career as teacher and artist as she travelled throughout Australia and abroad, ever searching for a greater appreciation of the surrounding landscape and the people to whom it inhabits.

Artist Statement

I live in and travel extensively through arid Australia. Each of my landscapes form an integral part of an entire performance, one that extends beyond the linear plain of the painting. I aim to be respectful of the close kinship that humans can experience with the land. In doing this I am quite explicit in my choice of special places, ones of meaning to the inhabitants, and use of found ochres and raw materials to create a sense of place.
- Annabel Tully 2007

Tully is represented in private collections in Australia, Hong Kong and France.

Solo Exhibitions

October 2007 RM Galleries at Palma Rosa BRISBANE, Q.

July 2007 Quilpie Gallery QUILPIE, Q.

October 2006 RM Galleries at Palma Rosa BRISBANE, Q.

September 2005 Ascot Art Gallery BRISBANE, Q.

May 2005 QANTAS Founders’ Museum Gallery LONGREACH,Q.

April 2004 Quilpie Museum & Visitor Centre Gallery QUILPIE, Q.

Group Exhibitions

July 2007 Quilpie Local Artists at Quilpie Gallery, QUILPIE,Q.

March 2007 Arts West “Mustering” Raw Space Gallery BRISABANE, Q.

September 2006 Norvill Landscape Prize MURRURUNDI, NSW.

September 2006 Mitchell Art Show Finalists MITCHELL Q.

August 2006 RADF Grant Recipients Exhibition QUILPIE,Q.

August 2006 Arts West Art Prize LONGREACH, Q.

July 2006 Downlands College Art Show TOOWOOMBA, Q.

May 2006 Spirit of the Outback Art Prize WINTON, Q.

March 2006 Grand Opening RM Galleries BRISBANE, Q.

March 2006 Qld Artists at the Botanical Gardens BRISBANE, Q.

December 2005 Cherish the Children’s Foundation BRISBANE, Q.

November 2005 Art With A Heart TOOWOOMBA, Q.

August 2005 St Aidan’s School Art Show BRISBANE, Q.

May 2005 Windorah Art Exhibition WINDORAH, Q.

April 2005 Birdsville Art Exhibition BIRDSVILLE, Q.

Nov 2004– Jan 2005 Flying Arts Inc Regional Art Awards BRISBANE & WARWICK, Q.

Sept 2004 Quilpie Show Art Prize QUILPIE, Q.

August 2004 St Aidan’s School Art Show BRISBANE, Q.

July 2004 RADF Grant Recipients Exhibition QUILPIE,Q.

July 2004 Arts West Exhibition AUGATHELLA, Q.

(Winner Brian Tucker Regional & Emerging Artist Award)

2003 - 2001 Many more

Grants & Awards

September 2006 Finalist Norvill Landscape Prize, Murrurundi, NSW

September 2006 Mitchell Art Prize (2nd)

June 2006 Finalist SW Qld Mulga Awards for Arts & Culture

June 2006 Artist-in-Residence Muttaburra Show, Qld.

May 2006 Winton Spirit of the Outback Art Prize (2nd & highly comm)

January 2005 University of Southern Queensland McGregor Schools Bursary

July 2004 Winner Arts West Brian Tucker Regional & Emerging Artist Award

2004 & 2000 Arts Qld Remote Arts Development Fund Professional Development Grant

Selected Professional Development & Media

2007 ABC TV “Painting Australia” series

2007 Channel 7 “Queensland Weekender” programme

2005 McGregor Summer School with Gary Miles

2004 Flying Arts “Living the Landscape” with Mandy Martin