Biography

Shirley Peters lives on a 5 acre property in Mulgoa, NSW, Australia, with photographer husband Bob Peters, dog Honey, 5 chickens and two cockateils.

A large out-building serves as her studio space.

Shirley Peters is currently painting landscapes. Often they are 'en plein air' then completed in her studio.

Previous series have focused on Children, Cities, Le Tour de France and recently, Abstraction.

Previously, graphic design, book illustration and photography were her main practice. Prior to that, ceramics and print making.

"Colour In Your Life" TV Series

Shirley Peters' episode was filmed in Sydney and appeared on Australian TV in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3vizeHPpdI

MY BIOGRAPHY

I was encouraged to draw and paint as a young child. I won an award for painting "Little Red Riding Hood" at the age of five. My parents were suportive, as was my school. I chose art as my main specialty throughout my educational years, and at 18 was accepted into art school to train as an art teacher. (Along with my twin sister, Carmel.) After completing 2 of the 4 years, I transferred to graphic design and fell in love with the design world. Later I illustrated children's books and covers. I won awards for illustration and cover design, and later web site design. My painting practice became my main focus in 2008. I enrolled at the Sydney Art School to refresh fine art skills, and my career as a painter was launched from that point. My time as an illustrator have laid a solid foundation for drawing skills, and the graphic design is helpful for composition and colour theory.

My 5x Great Grandmother was an indigenous First Nation's woman from the Dharug region. My other maternal grandparents are mostly 19th century immigrants from England and Ireland. My father was English.

I am married to photographer Robert Peters. We have two adult children, and we live on 5 acres near Sydney, Australia.

My painting practice has evolved through a number of themes. Mainly I paint landscapes from my home and travels. I love painting on large canvasses so as to mimic a window or an actual experience of "being there", in the wild bush or before a waterfall. Before my landscapes I painted cityscapes. These were inspired by my travels through Europe and USA, and in Sydney. Going further back I painted figures, placing small children in the austere environment of the church in Rome. This evolved from my children's book illustration crossing paths with travels to Italy. Another series was based on workmen, construction and interesting interiors that I visited with my photographer husband during his Industrial Photography work.

Many of these paintings are on my web site.

I paint in oils, acrylics and watercolours. My style changes with each medium, and also with the surface. If I'm painting on canvas or linen in oils or acrylic, I have a traditional technique of making "slow art". If I'm painting on paper, I will be much more expressive and free, and I call this "Fast Art". I love to paint 'en plein air' and I have used different techniques for that. Painting with acrylic on very large watercolour paper is one of my unique styles, and I mount the paper onto canvas later when the paint is dry. I have done workshops where I demonstrate this technique, as it is very unusual, and something that I developed for myself.

FUN FACT: I am known for painting Le Tour de France watercolours. Every year I watch the race (overnight!) and I create one painting for each stage of the race. They are uploaded each day and sold. (I used to use EBay as an auction platform, but now I sell them on my own web site.) I have been featured on TV here in Australia as I've been doing this for 10 years.

I am not a sports painter, it is just that I love Le Tour and I think it is an amazing race, and very suitable for "fast art". My web site for TDF is https://www.bikeartbyshirleypeters.com

I have recently been producing YouTube videos, to demonstrate how to paint watercolours and acrylics. https://www.youtube.com/user/sannpet

"I react to everything I see as if it were a painting. My minds eye is constantly visualising composition, colour and tone. I don't think I'll ever tire of painting my world, either mentally or on canvas!"

me. It's easy.

Galleries

2024 Affordable Art Fair Sydney
2024 Affordable Art Fair Brisbane
2023 Affordable Art Fair Sydney
2023 Solo show at Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach, NSW: stockroom - 6 paintings
2023 Group showing at Gallery NWC, St Leonards NSW: stockroom - 7 paintings
2021-2, 2018 Solo shows at Gallery ONE88, Katoomba, NSW Australia: stockroom - 5 paintings

Previous shows at:

Gallery V, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, Australia
Arp’s Gallery, Amsterdam:
Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia

International sales through:

Fine Art America.com for prints.

Singulart

Australian sales are direct from the studio, via Gallery One88 in Katoomba and Gallery NWC at St Leonards

TV Appearances

“Colour in Your Life” Series, featuring Shirley painting near the harbour bridge in 2014.

https://youtu.be/i3vizeHPpdI

"Behind The News" ABC TV: Peters was interviewed about her children's book illustration: 1990

SBS Shorts: 3 x Le Tour de France mentions, that appeared during breaks or in the news prior to the Le Tour de France coverage..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpB8KPj-TtU

https://youtu.be/9uzj6Dh4YeA

https://youtu.be/t31scV2MXWU

Youtube 9,000+ Subscribers

Shirley has been creating a “Learn To Paint” series with 50 videos , nine thousand subscribers and 450,000 views.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqmYSA4NfGki034mDvkg_9g

Blog

"One Painting Every Other Day"

shirleypeters.blogspot.com.au

Interviews

Podcast in USA

Shirley Peters in conversation with Michael Todoran

December 1, 2012

Podcast in Australia : Art Supply Posse

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/art-supply-posse/id1119393753?i=1000511848091

International Show: ARPS Gallery, Amsterdam

http://www.overdekunst.nl/international-window/shirley-peters-84.html

Media

2014 Print Review of "Sydney Blues" show:

http://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/shirleys-portrait-of-sydney/

2021 Print Review "Abundant Water" show at Gallery One88 Fine Arts

https://www.sydneyartsguide.com.au/a-new-exhibition-by-shirley-peters-galleryone88-katoomba/

From the beginning...

Shirley Peters started painting in the early seventies. She attended the National Art School in 1972/3/4 (studying Art Education and Graphic Design) and pursued a career in graphic design and illustration. Peters progressed through parallel careers as an illustrator of children’s books and a graphic designer in the emerging technology of multi-media.

Excelling in both fields, Peters reputation as an illustrator was cemented when she was shortlisted (Honour Book - 2nd Place) in the coveted CBC Children's Book of the Year Awards in 1991; and as a freelance graphic designer when she won two Netscape website design awards ‘What’s New’ and ‘What’s Hot’, in the late nineties, as well as awards for book cover designs.

In 1997 Peters returned to fine art by enrolling in oil painting classes at her local art society, then in Printmaking, Etching and Painting at the Julian Ashton School and later at Meadowbank’s Sydney Gallery School, and before long Shirley’s career became that of an exhibiting fine artist.

In 2008 Shirley Peters was listed as an “Artist to Watch” in Art What’s On. In 2009 she was Highly Commended in the Noel Chettle Art Award for Portrait and Life Drawing. And in 2010 she staged her first solo exhibition at the Brunswick Street Gallery in Melbourne, and has continued with bi-annual solo exhibitions at Gallery V, Woolloomooloo, and more recently at Gallery ONE88 in Katoomba, NSW.

Shirley Peters has also exhibited her “Le Tour de France” works in Amsterdam through the Arps Gallery.

She was a regular “open studio” member of the Hungry For Art Trail held annually by the City of Ryde, NSW.

Shirley has taught art at her local society, and given workshops and demonstrations. (She has retired from this area of her career.)

Travel

Shirley Peters has been travelling to the home of the impressionists for years with various projects: a commission to paint scenes of Moissac, a small town in the south of France. A series of montages based on Nerac, France.

China for three weeks in 2010 was impressive, albeit soon overshadowed by her husband Bob suffering a severe stroke.

In 2015 she visited middle Europe (Prague and Bratislavia) to persue her interest in the Medieval landscape. In 2016, a tour of Tasmania in a motorhome gave her opportunity to paint every day "en plein air". This trip led to a seascape series, which was shown in the "Time Tide and Decay" Solo Show at Gallery One88. Katoomba, 2018.

Regular motorhome trips around the country are plein-air opportunities, and inspiration for new projects.

En Plein Air

Plein air painting with local artist and neighbour John Rice, Don Talintyre, and other artists became a routine, as well as regular motorhome trips to coast and country.

50+ Youtube videos were filmed in 2019, 2020 in response to requests for lessons. Shirley was able to share her knowledge with a "Learn To Paint" series.

2021 saw the end of a five year drought on her property. This heavy rain inspired a new series titled "Abundant Water". Interrupted by the covid shut downs, her exhibition opening was delayed for months.

2022 was a new start and semi and full abstraction has been a new direction in Shirley's practice.

Le Tour de France

For 11 years, Peters painted the Le Tour de France cyclists.

Over 100 paintings have been uploaded to Fine Art America for reproduction.

Prints are available from www.shirleypeters.pixels.com

Curriculum Vitae

Name: Shirley Peters (nee James)

Born: 1953, Sydney Australia (with Twin, Carmel James)

Married to Bob Peters 1976

Daughter: Natalie Peters b. 1982

Son: Mitchell Peters b. 1983

Lives on 5 acres at Mulgoa: 60km west of Sydney CBD

2023

Solo show at Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach, NSW

Group showing at Gallery NWC, St Leonards NSW

Affordable Art Fair, Sydney.

2022

Solo Exhibition "Abundant Waters" Gallery One88FineArts, Katoomba.

Private commissions

Plein Air Artists Camp at Glen Davis