Elizabeth Cummings
Born in 1934 in Brisbane, Elisabeth Cummings was born into a family of architects but she chose to study art instead. After winning the NSW Travelling Art Scholarship in 1958, Cummings headed to Europe and stayed for many years. She continued to paint and saw first-hand the European modern masters who so inspired her - artists like Cezanne, Matisse and Bonnard.
From the early Bonnard-inspired still-life's and studio paintings, Cummings work gradually became more and more abstract. In 1970, she bought land with a group of artists in the bush at Wedderburn on the outskirts of Sydney. It is not so much an artists colony but rather a painters retreat, with the artists keeping to themselves and thriving on the privacy of the bush. For a long time, Wedderburn was a big inspiration and the bush outside her mudbrick studio would creep into much of her work. It still does, but these days, Cummings regularly travels to the outback - the Flinders Ranges, the Pilbara and the Northern Territory have become new subject matter for her.
However, her paintings are anything but literal impressions of the landscape - she describes them more as a memory. They might start out as representations of what she has seen but then layers upon layers of paint are applied. With a deep respect and love for the landscape she finds a translation for it which is not necessarily a literal translation, more the spirit of place. Whilst she paints her surroundings most often in its immediacy, she also abstracts memories of interiors and places.
Cummings is represented in the Australian National Gallery, all state galleries and universities.
Exhibitions
2008 'New Work', King Street Gallery on William, Sydney
2007 'Monotypes', King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
2006 'New Paintings', King Street Gallery on Burton
2005 'New Paintings', Chapman Gallery, Canberra
2005 'Salon Des Refuse', S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2004 'Fire Dreaming', University Art Gallery, University of Sydney, Sydney
2004 'Bukmak - Galiwinku (Talking and Sharing - Elcho Island)', Framed Gallery, Darwin
2004 'Same Place, Many Views', Defiance Gallery, Sydney
2004 Framed Gallery, Darwin
2004 Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
2004 'Salon des Refuse', S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2004 'Prints from Whaling Road Studios', Australian Galleries, Sydney
2004 King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
2003 King Street Gallery at Span Galleries, Melbourne
2003 Pandanus Art, Currumbin Beach
2003 '4 Wedderburn Painters: Common Ground', Campbelltown Bicentennial Art Gallery
2003 '64 Years', King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
2002 New Paintings, King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
2002 'Elisabeth Cummings & Clara Hali', Orange Regional Gallery
2002 '2002: The Year in Art', S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2002 'Salon des Refuses', S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2002 The Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
2002 King Street Gallery at Span Galleries, Melbourne
2002 'A Silver Lining & A New Beginning', Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney
2001 'Paintings and Prints', Chapman Gallery, ACT
2001 'Collaborative Pots', (with Barbara Romalis), Chapman Gallery
2001 'Floating', King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
2000 'Women and the Landscape', King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
2000 'Common Ground', Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney
2000 The Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of NSW & touring throughout Australia
2000 The Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
2000 'Dogma', King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
2000 'Recent Work', King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney
2000 'Works on Paper', Sturt Gallery, Mittagong
Collections
Artbank, Australia
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
Gold Coast City Art Gallery
Griffith University, Brisbane
Jackson Smith Solicitors
Macquarie Bank
National Gallery of Australia, ACT
University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Manly Art Gallery and Museum
Queensland Art Gallery
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