VR MORRISON
CONTEMPORARY REALIST PAINTER
Personal Bio
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VR Morrison was born in 1976 in Sydney, Australia, and is of Samoan, Chinese, and Scottish heritage. Growing up in Sydenham, directly beneath the flight path in inner-city Sydney, she often describes her early life as "a famine of beauty." To escape, she sought refuge from the chaos and noise through immersion in art history, fashion and pop culture, developing a deep appreciation for wildlife in her limited natural surroundings. This led her to pursue a career in the fashion industry.
In 2001, Morrison enrolled in art college, dedicating the next three years to mastering the art of oil painting through self-directed study and experimentation. Her talent was recognised in 2004 when she was discovered by Sullivan & Strumpf, a prominent fine art gallery that played a pivotal role in shaping her artistic career. This opportunity led her to the South of France, where she lived for seven years, creating and exhibiting her work and achieving critical and commercial success.
Upon returning to Australia in 2012, VR Morrison continued to evolve her artistic practice, balancing her painting career with family life while developing new digital art and illustration skills. These abilities enabled her to work as a commercial illustrator and teach at the University of Technology and the esteemed National Art School in Sydney for nearly a decade.
In 2021, Morrison relocated to the Gold Coast, joyfully balancing her family commitments with her artistic endeavours. She remains active as a fine and commercial artist (under the name Rose Morrison), continually exploring new dimensions in her work.
Artist Statement
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VR Morrison is renowned for her intricate and opulent oil paintings, which meld classical master techniques with contemporary practice. She uses beauty as a vehicle to delve into complex and often unsettling contemporary themes. Her work serves as both a poignant reflection and a playful commentary, offering a distinctive lens through which to examine the world. While the presentation of beauty and glamour is evident, each piece is imbued with narrative depth, intricately woven into the fabric of its realism. By harnessing the allure of hyper-slick imagery, Morrison invites viewers to engage with the deeper meanings and stories that lie beneath the surface. Her art is deeply connected to female subject matter, informed by her interests in feminism, pop culture, high fashion and natural history.
Curriculum Vitae
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​PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
2013 - 2023: Lecturer Short Courses, Oil Painting, Illustration and Digital Art Making, National Art School, Sydney
2018 - 2021: Illustration Lecturer, University of Technology Sydney, NSW

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ARTISTIC AWARDS & PRIZES
2024 John Villiers Art Prize, Outback Regional Gallery Winton, Qld. Finalist

2022 Portia Geach Prize, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney, Finalist

2022 42nd Alice Art Prize, Alice Springs, Finalist
2012 Portia Geach Prize, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney, Finalist

2011 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, State Library of NSW, Sydney, Finalist

2010 Redlands Art Award, Redland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Finalist

2010 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, State Library of NSW, Sydney, Finalist

2007 Fisher’s Ghost Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney, Finalist

2007 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, State Library of NSW, Sydney, Highly Commended

2006 Fletcher Jones Art Prize, Geelong Gallery, Geelong, Finalist

2006 Redlands Art Award, Redlands Gallery, Brisbane, Finalist

2005 Sir John Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Finalist

2005 Metro Art Award, Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne, People’s Choice Award, Winner

2003 Conrad Jupiter’s Art Award, Gold Coast City Gallery, Gold Coast, Finalist

2003 Nudgee Art Prize, Nudgee Arts Festival, Brisbane, Second prize winner

2003 NEIS Grant Recipient, State Government of Queensland

2002 Nudgee Art Prize, Nudgee Arts Festival, Brisbane, Winner

2001 Conrad Jupiter’s Art Award, Gold Coast City Gallery, Gold Coast, Finalist

2000 Rapid Graphics/Brisbane Institute of TAFE, Brisbane, Award for Achievement in Art
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COLLECTIONS
HOTA Collection, Gold Coast, Australia
BHP Billiton Collection, Melbourne

Private collections in Australia and overseas
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SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011 Enchanter Moi, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2008 Rouge, Melbourne Art Fair, Sullivan Strumpf Fine Art, Royal Exhibition Centre, Melbourne

2007 Blood and Bourgeoisie, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2006 Paintings from France, Schubert Contemporary, Gold Coast

2005 Liberte, Egalite, Gastronomie, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2004 Front Row, Hardy Brothers Jewellers, Brisbane
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GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Summer Salon, Lorraine Pilgrim Gallery, Southport, QLD

2016 Love- More Than a Four-letter Word, Caboolture Regional Art Gallery, QLD

2014 Telling, Adelaide Central School of Art Gallery, Adelaide

2013 Rapture of Death, Gippsland Art Gallery, VIC

2012 SSFA12, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2011 SSFA11, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2010 G20 World Arts Festival, Seoul, Korea

2010 SSFA10, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2010 Time Travel: Re-imaging the Past, Tweed River Gallery, Murwillumbah

2009 Horror - Come Darkness, Macquarie University Art Gallery, Sydney

2009 SSFA09, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2008 The Year of the Bird, Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Sydney

2008 Neo Goth: Back in Black, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane

2008 SSFA08, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney 

2007 SSFA07, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2007 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney

2007 Come Hither: Interpretations of the Boudoir, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga 

2007 Twenty/20: Twenty Years of the Churchie Emerging Artists Award, Museum of Brisbane

2006 Flaming Youth, Orange Regional Gallery, Orange

2006 Art Sydney 06, Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney 

2006 Winter 06, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2006 SSFA06, Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, Sydney

2005 Sullivan+Strumpf Fine Art, opening exhibition, Sydney

2003 Churchie National Emerging Art Award, Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane 

2002 Straight Out Of Brisbane Festival (Exhibitor of “Homestays” Project), Brisbane 

2002 SOFA +Art, Art History Society Of University of Queensland, Brisbane

2002 Looking for Ones Roots, Multicultural Arts Centre, Brisbane

2002 Zeitgeist, Stephens Gallery, Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
2013 Trunk Books, Volume 2 Blood, Boccalatte, Sydney

2010 Gibson, Prue. The Rapture of Death, Boccalatte, Sydney

2009 Arnaut, Manuel. ‘A Morte Fica- Fhes Tao Bem’ Vogue Portugal, July

2009 Sorenson, Rosemary. ‘ How Death Becomes You’, The Australian, 12 March

2008 Neo Goth: Back in Black, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, Gibson, Prue. ‘Arts Focus'
2008 Neo Goth: Back in Black, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, Kubler, Alison, 'As Black as Stone'
2008 Gibson, Prue. 'Figuratively Speaking’, Vogue Australia, August

2008 Gibson, Prue. ‘Deathly art: VR Morrison, Nell & Therese Howard’, Art Monthly, Issue 210, June
2007 Taylor, A. ‘Tortured Inspiration’, The Sun Herald, October

2007 Kubler, Alison. ‘Blood and the Bourgeoisie’ catalogue essay, October

2005 Ingram, Terry. ‘BHP Billiton mines art’ Australian Financial Review 17 November 

2005 ‘Exhibition Review’, The Art Life, November, www.artlifeblogspot.com

2005 Sorensen, Rosemary, Novice Sweeps Award, The Courier Mail, 17 February
2005 Makin, Jeff, In Paise of Caravaggio, The Herald Sun, 14 February
2005 Anderson, Peter. ‘Decadent Morsels’ catalogue essay, November

2004 VR Offers Front Row Seat, Northside News, Brisbane, 3 March
2003 Johnston, Tracy. ‘Glamour is Back’, Style Magazine, February 

2003 MacIntyre, Alasdair. ‘A Cinematic Sensibility’, VR Morrison