Trisha Lambi (Australian painter, 1962)

I am an Australian painter born in Warwick, a small country town in Queensland. I was raised on a farm as part of a large, happy family. My earliest memories are of drawing and reading for my maiden aunts when I was about 4 or 5 while my brothers and sisters were having a great time playing outside! I still love to draw and read - the maiden aunts didn't put me off..

Light on form is my inspiration. My latest work represents a fusion of the figurative into landscape using strong lighting and moody palettes to provide dramatic narratives.

After school I started a Bachelor of Visual Arts however the lure of money and independence proved too strong and I joined the workforce.

In the ensuing 16 years I continued to dabble however the birth of my son in 1996 proved to be a catalyst - I gave up work and soon I was painting and drawing every spare moment I got. I began advertising my portraits in a national parenting magazine and portraits still form a part of my work.

Since 2001, however, I have been concentrating more on oil painting and I turned professional in 2003. The high point in my career to date was my participation in the Fourth Edition of the Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte Contemporanea in Florence-Italy in 2003.

Participation in this event was by invitation only and an International Committee chose artists solely on merit. Since then I have exhibited locally, interstate and internationally and interest in my work is growing. Recently I was selected as one of 30 finalists for the 2005 Cromwell’s Art Prize, a prestigious event comprising of a $50000 first prize coupled with a touring exhibition of Australia, USA, London and Paris for the selected finalists".