Sue Briggs

Sue Briggs is an established artist for over 35 years, having had solo and mixed exhibitions in several galleries in Perth and Fremantle!

Sue Briggs completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the West Australian Institute of Technology in 1978 (now Curtin University) and in that year won the Channel 7 Young Artist’s Award. Her art practice at this stage was largely abstract colour field. The next few years saw her developing this theme whilst working part-time teaching art.

The move in 1980 to Margaret River with its stunning landscape proved to be a bit of a challenge. Having been encouraged into landscape painting en plein air by friend and artist Eveline Kotai, Sue’s work remained figurative and pictorial for many years. After establishing her art studio, Sue quickly obtained commissions, two of which were to paint one of the vineyards to be featured in the Margaret Riviera calendar - a project created by Eveline Kotai and Giles Hohnen; and to paint the image for the cover of the book The Road to Prevelly by Geoff Edwards. Sue participated in many mixed exhibitions at Gunyulgup Gallery and Yallingup Galleries. Her first solo exhibition in 1988 was held at the Fremantle Arts Centre and in the following year (also at FAC) participated in Our Town, Our Place- works on paper by sixteen regional artists. This was followed by more group exhibitions and two solo in 1996 at Margaret River Art Galleries and 1998 at Yallingup Gallery.

Sue exhibited at several galleries for over 20 years and in 2001, she moved from Margaret River to Perth to attend Curtin University and embark on a Masters of Creative Art degree (completed 2003). Whilst at University she also co-ordinated a nine week cultural festival held on Sundays in October and November entitled Spring at Curtin - centred around the grounds of the John Curtin Gallery. The experience she gained during this time influenced a change in her artwork. It wasn’t until returning to University that her abstract roots reappeared notwithstanding a definitive landscape influence. After graduating she exhibited solo in 2003 and 2004 at free range Galleries, Subiaco, followed by another larger solo exhibition Fluid State held in 2007 at Heathcote Gallery & Museum in Applecross. With this new approach and several mixed exhibitions later, Sue won the Cossack Art Award (Northwest Landscape Category) in 2007.

Sue ran private tuition classes and workshops from 2010-2013, but 2014 saw her return to Margaret River permanently after participating in a group exhibition Site Lines with Sue Grey Smith and Patricia Hines at the Contemporary Art Space Mandurah (CASM).

In 2017, Sue was invited to participate in the 50th Anniversary Wine Label Art Exhibition, held at Cape Mentelle vineyard. In September 2018, she joined fifteen other artists of Baltic heritage in a group exhibition at the Moores Building Contemporary Art Space in Fremantle.

Sue was recently commissioned to paint a mural for the Mirrambeena Aged Care Facility in Margaret River.

This is the fourth time Sue has been involved with the Margaret River Open Studios event and is looking forward to welcoming visitors to her studio in Rapids Landing.