RITA WINIGER
I spent the first 30 years of my life in Switzerland. The power and the drama of the mountains is still influencing my work.
Australia has been my home for the last 40 years. I have always loved the outdoors and appreciate the beauty of nature. In my extensive outback travel the trees fascinate me. They tell me stories about life. I use colour instinctively, shaped by my mood or the story I want to tell. My paintings represent a journey through darker turbulences towards resting places on higher grounds filled with colour, light and joy.
I started my artistic career with a Diploma in Ceramics at the Northern Beaches TAFE in 2003 and completed a Master of Studio Art at the Sydney College of Art in Ceramic Sculpture in 2005. After moving to Armidale in 2006 I embraced painting through studying at TAFE in 2008 and attending weekly classes in 2010 with Kerry Wilson and Ross Laurie from 2013 to 2018. I was award Winner of the Armidale Art Prize in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and was the recipient of the New England Regional Art Museum ‘Helen Dangar Arts Bursary’ in 2018.