ABOUT RICKY SCHEMBRI
I have always loved art.
I am a self taught artist, but have done a number of two and four day workshops with artist’s such as Maxwell Wilks, Ross Paterson, Regina Hona, and Alvaro Castagnet.
I have recently started entering exhibitions locally and intend to enter more abroad to gain recognition. I want to turn my love of painting into a career.
For me painting is something to look forward to. I especially love plein air painting. There is nothing better than going out to paint on a nice day. By the time my easel is set up everything comes to life. You can hear the leaves rustling in the trees, you can hear insects and birds, and my intense focus on the subject I am trying to portray seems to amplify the beauty of my surroundings even more.
I have always loved art, but my motivation to paint as much as I can began in November 2009, the first time I took my pastels with me on a holiday. I spent three weeks along the Great Ocean Road. The weather was perfect, and by chance I managed to do a weekend workshop at the Anglesea Artist’s Society (Victoria, Australia) with the famous pastel painter Maxwell Wilks. A real bonus!
I was born in 1972, Sydney, Australia. I grew up in rural Gippsland, Victoria, moving to Warrnambool region in 1992, now residing in Killarney, a farming district.
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I only paint with pastel. The colors are so vibrant. I mostly paint landscapes and farm scenes. Putting cattle or sheep into a landscape brings a painting to life.
My ambition is to travel and paint. First Australia and then the world. I love to paint!
Awards List
- “Bushfire Sky” Best Pastel. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2006.
- “Stoneyford Shack” Best Pastel. Port Fairy 27th Annual Art Show. 2011.
- “Conn’s Lane at 3.00pm” Best Pastel. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2011.
- “Cool Water” Best Pastel. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2012.
- “Winter Sunlight” Finalist. The Artist’s Magazines’s 29th Annual Art Competition. 2012.
- “Beef Cattle – Victoria Valley” Second Best Pastel. City of Warrnambool Art Show. 2012.
- “The Pump Station – Crossley” Second Best Pastel. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2013.
- “Impressionist Contrast” Best in Show. Koroit’s 31st Annual Art Show. 2014.
- “Across from Merri View Gallery” Most popular painting-peoples choice award. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2014.
- “Just out of Koroit” Best local scene-second. City of Warrnambool Art Show. 2014.
- “Road to Koroit” Best Pastel. City of Hamilton Rotary Art Show. 2014.
- “The old cypress tree” Highly commended. Portland Rotary Art Show. 2014.
- “Cows in Calf” Second Best Pastel. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2015.
- “Sunrise” 5th Place in the Impressionist – Landscape Category. 2015 American Art Awards.
- “Great Ocean Road” Highly Commended. City of Warrnambool Rotary Art Show. 2015.
- “Maria, Jude, and Alf” Best Local Scene. City of Hamilton Rotary Art Show. 2015.
- “Tree Study – Cobden” Second Best Pastel. Birregurra Art Show. 2015.
- “Spent Dandelions” Best in Show. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2016.
- “Just out of Koroit” Best Pastel in Show. Coleraine Art Show. 2016.
- “Spent Dandelions” Best Local Artist. City of Warrnambool Art Show. 2016.
- “Plein air Tree” Highly Commended. Birregurra Art Show.2016.
- “Scotts Road – Koroit” Highly Commended. City of Hamilton Rotary Art Show. 2016.
- “Scotts Road – Koroit” September Finalist. The Sedona Art Prize – America. 2016.
- “Sunrise” Best Pastel in Show. Portland Rotary Art Show. 2016.
- “Summer” Best Pastel in Show. Port Fairy 33rd Annual Art Show. 2016.
- “Nice Day” Best Pastel in Show. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2017.
- “It’s Still Winter” Judges Commended. Warrnambool Rotary Art Show. 2017.
- “Portland Boats” Best Small Painting. Portland Rotary Art Show. 2017.
- “Spent Dandelions” Best in Show. Winchelsea Art Show. 2017.
- “Drifting” Best Pastel in Show. Port Fairy 34th Annual Art Show. 2017.
- “3 Steers” Best Oil in Show. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2018.
- “Spent Dandelions” Best Pastel in Show. Coleraine Art Show. 2018.
- “Across from Merri View Gallery” Best Painting – Any Medium. City of Hamilton Rotary Art Show. 2018.
- “Scotts Road” Best Pastel in Show. Birregurra Art Show. 2018.
“Across from Merri View Gallery” Highly Commended. Winchelsea Uniting Church Art Show. 2018.
“Jesse’s Creek-2” Best Pastel in Show. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Annual Awards. 2019. - “Across from Merri View Gallery” Best in Show. Coleraine Art and Photography Show. 2019.
- “Looking Down at Apollo Bay”. Best Pastel in Show. Coleraine Art and Photography Show. 2019.
- “Late November”. Highly Commended. Coleraine Art and Photography Show. 2019.
- “Evening Glow “. Finalist – Circle Foundation for the Arts quarterly magazine contest. 2019.
- “The Union Bank”. Third Place. Warrnambool Artist’s Society’s Summer Show.. 2020.
