About Amanda Ruck
2018 International
Having just returned from a successful group exhibition at Brick Lane Gallery, London, UK. I am about to participate in a group exhibition in Prague in July and have been invited to exhibit in Rome later this year.
Weather patterns of my Heart
“I have spent many years looking up at the sky, tilting my head, squinting into the sun, working out how light and colour define clouds. This tilting motion gives me a sense of freedom and peace, with the knowledge that these are the same clouds everyone looks at… giggling in search of rabbits, scary giants or massive galleons, or looking into the sunset and taking stock at the end of the day.
“I use cloudy weather patterns as a vehicle for emotion. At the base of some paintings, there is a slither of landscape for scale, and they often include a pathway and trees to suggest an intimate story. These dark broody landscapes provide a ballast for a window of light, allowing the viewer to contemplate where the path leads, or what is over the horizon.
“The local surrounds of the Yarra Valley are part of my inspiration. I recently worked on a series of paintings fierce with Prussian blue, Paynes grey and Midnight black. These works hint at a light known as the ‘magic hour’. I invite viewers into these crepuscular landscapes where night is either leaving the day or descending. Trees become individuals witnessing the sky in the gloaming.”
Amanda Ruck 2018
Artist Amanda Ruck graduated from the Canberra School of Art in 1988 with a Bachelor of Art, Visual, in printmaking and painting. Not long after graduating she moved to Melbourne and when landscapes, and particularly clouds, became a major focus Amanda seized an opportunity and moved to Healesville, in the beautiful Yarra Valley in 1998.
Since 2007, Amanda began painting in acrylic on canvas, creating atmospheric landscapes with sweeping skies and recently she has chosen to work on round wooden panels, using clouds at night to depict the weather patterns of her heart.
The constantly busy and talented Ruck was exhibition coordinator of The Yering Station Art Gallery Victoria, Australia, from 2005-2008 and also co-coordinated the Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition & Awards. On top of her 17 prior solo exhibitions, Ruck has been included in over 20 group exhibitions in Melbourne and the Yarra Valley.
Amanda was artist in residence at Montsalvat in Victoria, Australia, for the month of February 2012. Montsalvat is Australia’s oldest continuously active artists’ community; a place where art in all its forms is made and taught, and art’s transformative power is celebrated in exhibitions, festivals, concerts, workshops and artists’ residencies.
Amanda completed 1 painting a day, ending with a suite of 28, 30x30cm works, exploring her reaction to living in this unique community.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
1984-1988 Bachelor of Art, Visual, Printmaking, Canberra School of Art, A.C.T.
Residency
2014 Painted life-size fibreglass cow over 3 days, Yarra Valley Dairy, Yering, Vic. Purchased and
on display at The Yarra Valley Dairy.
2012 February artist in residence at Montsalvat, Eltham, Vic.
International Exhibitions
2018 March/April, Ghosts, Brick Lane Gallery, Shoreditch, London, UK.
May/June 3 Songs, RossoCinabro Gallery, Rome, Italy
June/July, Prague Cocktail, Prague, The Czech Republic
Australian Solo Exhibitions
2018 BOOA, Biennale of Australian Art, Weather Patterns of my Heart, Ballarat, Vic.
Weather Patterns of my Heart, Yering Station Art Gallery, Yering, Vic.
2016 Near Dark, Alchemy, Maroondah HWY, Healesville
Punt Road Cellar Door, Punt Road Winery, Coldstream, Vic.
2015 Magic hour, MEMO Gallery, Healesville, Vic.
2014 The interdimensional portal of my heart, Yering Station Art Gallery, Yering, Vic.
2013 Waitress with Gun, MEMO Gallery, Healesville, Vic.
2012 LandEscape, Art at Linden Gate, Yarra Glen, Vic.
Montsalvat, 28 works from Montsalvat residency, Artist’s Lounge, Healesville, Vic.
2011 If you go down to the woods today, Wyreena Community Arts Centre, Croydon, Vic.
2010 Quiver, Yering Station Art Gallery, Yering, Vic.
Untitled, Medhurst Winery, Gruyere, Vic.
2009 Cloudy, Wyreena Community Arts Centre, Croydon, Vic.
2007 Come Fly with me, Yering Station Art Gallery, Yering, Vic.
2004 Untitled, Yarra Valley Arts Council Gallery, Rochford Winery, Vic.
2002 Untitled, Oakridge Estate Winery Restaurant, Yarra Valley, Vic.
2001 Untitled, Yering Station Art Gallery, Yarra Valley, Vic.
Shimmey, The Union Club Hotel, Fitzroy, Vic.
2000 Untitled, The Yarra Valley Pasta Shop, Healesville, Vic.
1998 One Night Only, The Great Britain Hotel Basement Bar, Richmond, Vic.
Group Exhibitions
2018 The Art of Speech, MEMO Gallery, Healesville, Vic.
The Art Fair, Tarrawarra Museum of Art, Vic.
2017 Open Studios Exhibition, Memo, Healesville, Vic.
2016 Open Studios Exhibition, Memo, Healesville, Vic.
2015 St Michael’s 2015 Art Competition, Collins St, Melbourne, Vic.
HelmArt, Coombe Gallery, Melba Estate, Coldstream, Vic.
2014 Art of Response, Lilydale Museum, Lilydale, Vic.
Yarra Valley Open Studios Group Exhibition, Oakridge Estate Winery Restaurant, Yarra Valley, Vic.
2013 30×30, Brunswick St Galleries, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Vic.
Group Show, Art at Linden Gate, Yarra Glen, Vic.
Extinction, Three Stories, Healesville, Vic.
2012 Memories, MEMO Gallery, Memorial Hall, Healesville, Vic.
Untitled, The Artist’s lounge, Healesville, Vic.
2011 Castellavile Art Prize, Highly Commended, Stones of the Yarra Valley, Vic.
2011 BSG Small works Prize 2011, Brunswick St Gallery, Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Vic.
2011 Emergence, Federation Square, Melbourne, Vic.
2010 Paper Scissors Rock, Three Stories, Healesville, Vic.
2008 Art Melbourne, Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne, Vic
2006 Salon de Refuse, Monsalvat, Vic.
2005 Valley Girl, Fitzroy St Gallery, Fitzroy, Vic.
2003 Summer Series Yering Station Art Gallery, Yering, Vic
2002 Art by Three, Yering Station Art Gallery, Yering, Vic.
1996 Newport Power Art Prize, Williamstown Town Hall, Williamstown, Vic.
1995 Salon Steam Melbourne Fringe Festival, The George Ballroom, St. Kilda Vic
Television
2011 ABC news, reporting on the Archibald Prize.
2011 Eastern News Beat, Channel 31, 20 min. a segment on current paintings.
1994 Imagine S.B.S. Arts Program, Artist’s Profile.
Radio
2018 The conversation Hour, Yarra Valley FM, Arts Show, 99.1 FM.
2016 Art Journal with Cora Zon, Yarra Valley FM, Arts Show, 99.1 FM.
2015 Art Journal with Cora Zon, Yarra Valley FM, Arts Show, 99.1 FM.
2014 Arts Show with Jade Bitar, 99.1 FM.
2012 Vox Pop with Ann Creber at TWMA Archibald prize, Radio 3MDR, 97.1FM.
2011 The Groove is on Janette Connell, 97.1 FM.
2010 Drive, Lindy burns, 774, ABC.
2009 Drive, Lindy burns, 774, ABC.
1993 Art and About, Arts Program, 3PBS.
Awards/Prizes
2015 Best in Show, Mount Evelyn Secondary College Exhibition, Mount Evelyn, Vic.
2014, 2012, 2011, 2006 Entered and unaccepted, The Archibald Prize and The Wynn Prize, Sydney, NSW.
2011 Castellavile Art Prize, Highly Commended, Stones of the Yarra Valley, Yering, Vic.
1987 Inaugural Canberra International Hotel Acquisitive Award, Second Prize, ACT.
1982 Canberra Times National Art Award, Consolation Prize, ACT.
Publications
2018 Yarra Valley Arts May Newsletter, Header Photograph of Brick Lane Gallery, London, UK.
2012 Mountain Views, an article on Montsalvat residency.
2011 Lilydale Yarra Valley Leader, colour images and article.
2011 Maroondah Journal, colour images and article.
2009 Maroondah Leader newspaper, colour images and article.
2009 Lilydale Yarra Valley Leader, colour images and article.
2009 Maroondah Journal, colour images and article.
1988 Craft Australia, June edition, Colour Reproduction of Amanda Ruck screen print,
Open Day Advertisement, Canberra School Of Art (now City Institute of the Arts) A.C.T.
Judging
2012 Mooroolbark Community Annual Art Show, Mooroolbark, Vic.
2011 Contemporary Sculptors Association, Annual Exhibition, Vere St, Melb, Vic
2009 Visions at heritage ’09, Heritage Art, Sculpture and Photography Exhibition and invited
artist, Chirnside Park, Vic.
2009 Yarra Valley Art Show, Balgownie Estate, Vic.
Exhibition Coordinator 2004- 2009, Exhibition Coordinator, Yering Station Art Gallery, and
Co Exhibition Coordinator-Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition and Awards, Indoor and outdoor,
Yering, Vic.