Description
Dr Sylvia Ditchburn, DFA, GDMC, MCA, PhD
Since coming to north Queensland from the Darling Downs in the 1960s, Sylvia has been inspired by the tropical environment for her work. After graduating with a PhD in 2000 at James Cook University, Townsville, Dr Ditchburn continues to depict Australian natural environments in her typically vibrant gouache and acrylic palette. A freelance fine artist and essentially plein-air painter, Sylvia brings together images from her extensive painting trips throughout Australia. These include the Kimberley and Broome in Western Australia, MacDonnell Ranges, Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Devil’s Marbles in central Australia, Simpson and Painted deserts, Lake Eyre, Flinders Ranges in South Australia, Lost City and Kakadu in the Northern Territory, contrasted with the lush and dry tropics of north Queensland coastal fringe. As an artist-in-residence at Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon Trust in 2000, Sylvia’s field of reference also extends to the Shoalhaven River area in NSW. In 2007, an Art Residency in Beijing, China, with Red Gate Gallery, was an amazing experience, resulting in inclusion in a group show at Pickled Art Gallery, Beijing. In 2008, Sylvia held 5 solo shows in the Tomsk region in Russia, Framed Gallery Darwin, selected for the Olympic Fine Art 2008 Exhibition in Beijing, China, receiving an Olympic Medal. Exhibiting for many years with local galleries, Sylvia opened her own boutique gallery at Metro Quays in Townsville’s CBD in July 2008. In 2012-13, Sylvia was represented by Agora Gallery, New York. Sylvia has been with Art In Transit since 2018, following the Douglas Shire Retrospective Exhibition in 2018.
