top of page

Personal Bio

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.

vrmorrison_profile.jpg

Artist Statement

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

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
 

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

COLLECTIONS

HOTA Collection, Gold Coast, Australia

BHP Billiton Collection, Melbourne

Private collections in Australia and overseas

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

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

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

bottom of page