Paula Jenkins

Paula Jenkins is a contemporary landscape artist based in Walcha on the Northern Tablelands of NSW. Her expressive paintings are characterised by nuanced colour and gestural mark-making, moving between representation and abstraction. With a background in environmental studies, the natural environment has remained central to her practice. Immersion in diverse terrains and environments is integral to her process, providing both the subject matter and impetus for her work.

More recently, Paula moved away from oil paint as one of her primary mediums due to health considerations. While initially a challenging transition, the shift became an unexpected turning point in her practice, changing not only the materials she works with, but the way she approaches and thinks about painting. It has prompted greater experimentation with layering, drawing, mixed media, raw surfaces and more intuitive mark-making, allowing her to explore the physicality and possibilities of the surface more deeply. This expanded approach has brought a greater sense of freedom and discovery to her work, moving beyond a purely representational response to landscape towards a more conceptual exploration of place, memory, experience and the environment.

“My art is a continuous journey of discovery as I explore, through painting, the diverse environments of Australia. I look deeply into a landscape, searching for the subtleties, histories and associations that lie within. My aim is to evoke emotion and a sense of place, to create connections with the Australian environment that invite a deeper understanding of the beauty, wildness, ruggedness and mystery of our unique landforms.”

Paula has held numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout Australia, including solo exhibitions at Maitland Regional Art Gallery, New England Regional Art Museum and Tamworth Regional Gallery, and has been selected as a finalist in numerous art prizes. Her work is held in private and public collections in Australia and internationally, including the University of New England and the State Library of NSW.

Her practice has been featured in a range of publications, including A Painted Landscape by Amber Creswell Bell, published by Thames & Hudson. A significant curatorial project was Earthed at the New England Regional Art Museum, for which Paula brought together 14 artists from across Australia to explore environmental concerns and our relationship with the natural world.

Where The Wild Rivers Run

 This suite of paintings is inspired by the wild rivers and World Heritage-listed landscapes of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. The works traverse the country from Apsley Gorge near Walcha to Kunderang on the Macleay River in NSW, with Apsley Gorge just a short drive from Paula’s home. She has explored this wild and remote country over many years, and its rivers, gorges and rugged terrain continue to provide a rich source of inspiration for her practice. Where The Wild Rivers Run is also the slogan for Walcha and its surrounding region, referencing the network of rivers, deep gorges and dramatic landscapes that characterise this country.

In this body of work, Paula has enjoyed experimenting with a range of mediums across polycotton and paper, pushing her landscapes further towards abstraction. Her characteristic gestural mark-making and expressive use of colour remain, while layers, textures and more experimental forms allow the landscape to emerge, dissolve and shift between the recognisable and the abstract.

 CV

Born 1978, Sydney Australia

Solo Exhibitions

2026     ‘Sentiments of Snow’, AK Bellinger Gallery, Inverell NSW

2026     ‘Moving Mountains’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2025     ‘Nirvana’, Tamworth Regional Gallery, Tamworth NSW

2024     ‘Terranum’, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney NSW

2023     ‘Shorelines’, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney NSW

2022     ‘Sea Me, As I Am’, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney NSW

2022     ‘Aspects of Apsley Gorge’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2021      ‘Lhere Pirnte’, Weswal Gallery, Tamworth NSW

2021      ‘Impressions of a Journey’, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Maitland NSW

2020      ‘Riverbeds & Spinifex, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW

2019      ‘Land & Sea’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2019      ‘Lifeblood’, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney NSW

2018      ‘Our Beautiful Land’, Weswal Gallery, Tamworth NSW

2017      ‘Interview with Landscapes’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2016      ‘Luminous’, The Moree Gallery, Moree NSW

2015      ‘Bush Tracks’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2014      ‘As One’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

Group Exhibitions

2026     ‘Summer Impressions’, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW

2025     ‘Fifty/50’, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW

2024     ‘In Essence’ (trio), Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff VIC

2024     ‘3 Generations’ (trio), Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2024     ‘Earthed’, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW

2023     ‘Summer Express’, Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff VIC

2023     ‘Living Colour, New England’ (trio), Weswal Gallery, Tamworth NSW

2023      ‘Fifty/50’, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW

2022      ‘Kunderang’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2022      ‘Interconnected – Beautiful Bizarre Magazine International Exhibition’, New England Regional Art

Museum, Armidale NSW

2021      ‘Five at the Finke’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2021      ‘Friends of the Gallery Fundraising Exhibition’, Tamworth Regional Gallery, Tamworth NSW

2020      ‘Compass – Generations of Walcha Artists’, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW

2020      ‘Painting Journeys’ (trio), Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2020      ‘The Panorama Project’, sketch book project touring regional libraries. Curated by Arts North West

2020      ‘Art Word Place’, Regional Australia Institute, Canberra ACT

2020      ‘Perception of Landscape’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2019      ‘Dignity’, Christmas fundraising exhibition, The Happenstore, Sydney NSW

2019      ‘Art Word Place’, Tamworth Regional Gallery, Tamworth NSW

2019      ‘Centenary Anniversary of Tamworth Regional Gallery’, Tamworth Regional Gallery NSW

2019      ‘A Tree in the House’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2018      ‘A Painted Landscape’, Ray Hughes Gallery, Sydney NSW

2018      ‘An Artist’s Life’, Walcha Gallery of Art, Walcha NSW

2016      ‘Eclectica’, Frensham, Mittagong NSW

2016      ‘The Drawing Project’, Gallery 126, Armidale NSW

Prizes

2025     Fishers Ghost Art Prize, Finalist – Campbelltown Art Centre, Campbelltown NSW

2025     Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, Finalist – Broken Hill City Art Gallery, Broken Hill NSW

2024     Kennedy Art Prize, Finalist – Royal South Australian Society of Arts, Adelaide SA

2024     Stanthorpe Art Prize, Finalist – Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, Stanthorpe QLD

2023     Environmental Art & Design Prize, Finalist – Manly Art Gallery and Museum, Sydney NSW

2022     Heart of the Bush Art Prize, Finalist – Goondiwindi Artspce, Goondiwindi QLD

2021     Kennedy Art Prize, Finalist – Royal South Australian Society of Arts, Adelaide SA

2020     Fishers Ghost Art Prize, Finalist – Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown NSW

2019     Fishers Ghost Art Prize, Finalist – Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown NSW

2019     Paddington Art Prize, Finalist – Menzies Art Brands, Sydney NSW

2019     Hawkesbury Art Prize, Finalist – Purple Noon Gallery, Freemans Reach NSW

2018     Muswellbrook Art Prize, Finalist – Muswellbrook Arts Centre, Muswellbrook NSW

2017     New England Art Society Art Prize, Runner Up – Armidale Art Gallery, Armidale NSW

2016     Frensham Fellowship Art Prize, Finalist – Frensham, Mittagong NSW

2016     New England Art Society Art Prize, Winner – Armidale Art Gallery, Armidale NSW

1997     Berrima District Art Prize, Winner – Berrima Art Gallery, Berrima NSW

1996     Award for Outstanding Excellence in Visual Arts – Frensham, Mittagong NSW

Education + Residencies + Appointments

2023-CURRENT       Artist-in-Residence & Art therapist – BackTrack, Armidale NSW

2023     Art therapist – Mental health & wellness outreach program to small remote schools – funded by the New England Regional Art Museum

2022-2024      Walcha Arts Advisory Council, delegated artist

2022 – 2026    Master of Counselling, Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors

2020-2022      Diploma, Art Therapy – College for Educational and Clinical Art Therapy

2017        Artist trip to Fowlers Gap, UNSW

2002       Residency with Piers Bateman, Casarabonela, Spain

1999       One-month residency – ‘Art, Place & Culture’ (University of Western Sydney), Central Australia NT

1997-1999    Bachelor of Environmental Science, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury

1991-1996      Frensham, Mittagong NSW

Curated Exhibitions

2024    ‘Earthed’, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale NSW.

14 artists from a range of disciplines and geographical environments across Australia came together to form EARTHED. Earthed recognised the unravelling and decline of the earth and its fragile environments. There is a desperate need to reverse the damage and preserve our ecosystems going forward, and to rewild the earth. Earthed was a snapshot in time, providing a vision and hope for the future.

Publications +  Media

2024       Interview with ABC New England North West, ‘3 Generations’ exhibition

2024       Artisans of New England, Written and published by Jim A Barker

2022       Art Edit Magazine, ‘In Conversation’, spring edition

2022       Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, May and June issues, re ‘Interconnected’ exhibition at the New England Regional Art Museum

2021       Interview with ABC New England North West, ‘Five at the Finke’ exhibition

2020       Interview with The Asian Curator (available on my website under ‘CV’)

2020       Interview with ABC New England North West re ‘Riverbeds & Spinifex’ exhibition

2018       ‘A Painted Landscape’. Published by Thames & Hudson. Written by Amber Creswell-Bell

2018        Interview with ABC New England North West re ‘Our Beautiful Land’ exhibition (available on my website under ‘CV’)

2018        Australian Country Magazine

2017        Downtown Magazine

2017        New England Living Magazine

2017        New England Focus Magazine

2017        Graziher Magazine

Public Commissions

Backtrack Murals, Armidale NSW (2025)

Public Collections

State Library of NSW, Sydney NSW (2021)

University of New England, Armidale NSW (2021)