John Edwards has been exhibiting since 1984. He has been shortlisted twice times for the AGNSW´s Archibald Prize, three times in the Sir John Sulman Prize, six times in the S.H. Ervin Galleries, Salon de refusés, twice in the Kilgour Art prize, three times in the Blake Prize, and most recently John was a finalist in the NSW Parliament Plein Air Art Prize, to name a few of his extended and recent achievements.
My current body of work, Captain Thunderbolt and the travails of Australian bushrangers, evolved from looking at Sidney Nolan´s ‘Kelly’ paintings with their brilliant colour and modernist depiction of home-made armour hammered out of ploughs. Kelly´s masked dressing has something of the spirit and grit of an Australian ethos of ‘making do’.
Narratives surrounding convict and bushranger images are integral to our Australian psyche with figures such as Ned Kelly, Captain Thunderbolt and Jack Doolan thriving in the imagination. Bush ballads are penned and images painted about such figures famed for stealing, philandering, ‘mateyness’ and murder. Despite such waywardness, they attract enormous sympathy and public intrigue, in part because of skill and stealth in evading the law. Less is known about their feisty, gun-toting partners.
One such woman was the Indigenous Mary-Ann Bugg, also known as ‘Black Mary’. She was Thunderbolt´s, ‘the gentleman bushranger’ second wife.
John Edwards, 2020
2021 John Edwards: A Painted Journey, Artsite Galleries, Sydney, NSW
2020 John Edwards: Trackers, Artsite Galleries, Sydney, NSW.
2018 John Edwards: A Bushranging Tale, Artsite Galleries, Sydney, NSW.
On the Trail with Captain Thunderbolt & Mary Ann Bugg, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, NSW.
2016 Colonial and On The Run, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, NSW.
2011 Edited Letters from the new Frontier, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, NSW.
2008 Pictographs and letters from the New World, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, NSW.
2007 New Works, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, NSW.
2006 new world, King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney, NSW.
2004 Water Worshiper Series, King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney, NSW.
2003 Ten Year Survey Exhibition, Sir Herman Black Gallery, University of Sydney, NSW.
2002, 00, 98 King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney, NSW.
1997, 96, 95, 94, 93 The Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
1992 First Draft West, Sydney, NSW.
1990, 89 Fiveways Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
1988 Fourteen Roses Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
2020,19, 06, 03,02 Packsaddle Art Exhibition, New England Regional Gallery, Armidale, NSW.
2020 Finalist Exhibition, Gosford Art Prize, Gosford Regional Gallery, NSW.
2020,19, 18 Collectors' Choice 2018, Artsite Galleries, Sydney, NSW.
2019, 18, 17, 16, 13, 98 Salon des Refusés, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2019,18 The Vincent Prize, Duck Rabbit Gallery, Sydney NSW
2018,16 Finalist Exhibition, Grace Cossington Smith Biennial Art Award, Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
2018 Semi-finalist 2018 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize.
2017 Finalist Exhibition, NSW Parliament Plein Air Art Prize, Sydney NSW
New Space, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney
2017,14 Finalist Exhibition, Kilgour National Art Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
Finalist Exhibition, Hazelhurst Works on Paper Prize, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, NSW
2016 Finalist Exhibition, Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Regional Art Gallery, Sydney
2016,15 Salon des Refusés Travelling Exhibition, Mornington Peninsula Art Gallery, Victoria
2014 Finalist Exhibition, Watercolour Acquisitive Prize, Wollongong Art Gallery, NSW.
2014,12 The Big Picture, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, NSW.
2013 Looking Forward, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, NSW.
Finalist Exhibition, Paddington Art Prize, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
2012 Finalist Exhibition, Norvill Art Prize Murrurundi, NSW.
2009,05,94 Finalist Exhibition, Sir John Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW), Sydney, NSW.
2007 Compositions, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, NSW.
The Depot, Danks Street, Sydney, NSW.
2007,06,03,00,99,98 Last Show of the year, King Street Gallery on Burton, Sydney, NSW.
2003 Picture Paradise, Mori Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
2002 Finalist Exhibition, Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.
2001 Bat, Ball and Brush: A Summer of Cricket and Art Sydney Cricket Ground Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
1999 On the Tiles, Sir Hermann Black Gallery, University of Sydney, NSW.
1997 Surface Tension Sir Hermann Black Gallery, University of Sydney, NSW.
Director´s Cut, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
1996 ,95,92 Finalist Exhibition, Blake Prize for Religious Art, Mitchell Galleries, State Library of NSW, Sydney, NSW.
Traveling Exhibition: St. John Cathedral, Brisbane; Noosa Regional Art Gallery, Qld; Carnegie Gallery, Hobart; Cathedral of St Paul, Melbourne
For the Pleasure of It, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
1996,95,94 Finalist Exhibition, Fishers Ghost Prize Exhibition Campbelltown Bicentennial City Art Gallery, NSW
Private View, (with Malcolm Benham) The Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
Visibility The Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
Spellbound No. 2, Michael Burke Gallery, Brisbane, QLD.
Three Sydney Painters, Bowen Galleries, Wellington, New Zealand.
The Contemporary Collection, Sir Hermann Black Gallery, University of Sydney, NSW.
1995 Blake Prize, Travelling Exhibition 1995: Orange Regional Gallery, NSW; Campbelltown Bicentennial City Art Gallery, NSW; Hibiscus Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania; Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, NSW.
Red, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
Recent Acquisitions, Sir Hermann Black Gallery, University of Sydney, NSW.
Alumni Exhibition, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales.
1995, 94,92 Finalist Exhibition, Archibald Prize Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.
1994 Random, The Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
Beat the Drum (assemblages), The Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
1993 3/5 Studio Exhibition, Three different locations in Sydney.
1992 Archibald Prize 1992, travelling Exhibition: Campbelltown Art Gallery; Newcastle Region Art Gallery, NSW; Tweed River; Regional Gallery, Qld.
Shadow Images, Arthaus Gallery, Sydney, NSW
Images Congress Project, Pisa, Italy.
The Mental Zoo Wisconsin, USA.
1991, 86 Finalist Exhibition, International Exhibition of Miniature Art Del Ballo Gallery, Toronto, Canada.
1986 International Copy Art Biennial, Taller Galleria Fort, Barcelona, Spain.
1985 Works on Paper, Imprint Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
Sydney Morning Herald Heritage Exhibition, Blaxland Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
1983 The End Game, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
2017 Hazelhurst art on paper award 2017, Catalogue, pp.46-47. Pub: Hazelhurst Arts Centre, Jun 2, 2017.
Kellar, Jim Countdown to Kilgour Prize, Newcastle Herald, NSW, 28 July, 2017
McDonald, John Choice Cuts, Spectrum, Sydney Morning Herald, Aug 5-6 2017, p. 12.
2015 Featured, The Mix, ABCTV Channel 24, 19 July, 2015
2013 Preview, ABC TV, Salon des Refusés S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2011 Fortesque, Elizabeth: Daily Telegraph Arts
2008 Kidd, Courtney: Preview NSW, Australian Art Collector, Issue No. 43
Profiles, Art Almanac, February 2008 p174
2006 Fortescue, Elizabeth: Weekend Planner, Feb 11, p85
2003 Conomos, John: 10 Year Survey Exhibition, catalogue essay
1998 Art Times, Newtown Times, July Issue, Sydney
1997 Kidd, Courtney: Surface Tension, catalogue essay, University of Sydne,y Art Gallery
1996 Smee, Sebastian: Faith, Hope and Clarity, (Blake Prize Review), Sydney Morning Herald, Dec.19
Smee, Sebastian: Bubble, Bubble, Painter Double, Sydney Morning Herald, Nov.1
1995 Fennely, Steven: Homage to Tony Tuckson, Review Program ABC TV, Sept.18
Luckett, Suellyn: Up Down & Across, catalogue essay Campbelltown Art Gallery, NSW
McDonald, John: Dreams of Hope and Menace, Sydney Morning Herald, March 18
Prendergrast, Maria: The Australian Arts Diary, Debden Associates, Australia.
2019 Awarded Runner Up Prize The Vincent Prize 2019, Duck Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
2017 Judges Commendation: Kilgour National Art Prize, Newcastle Regional Art Gallery, NSW.
2014 Highly Commended, Watercolour Acquisitive Prize, Wollongong Regional Art Gallery, NSW.
2013 Highly Commended & Parker Prize, Paddington Art Prize, Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
Artbank, Australia
Australian Embassy, China
University of Wollongong, NSW
Sydney West International College, NSW
The Children´s Hospital, Westmead, NSW
University of Technology, Sydney
Symnans Saker Elliot and Hickman Collection, New Zealand
University of Sydney, NSW.
Australia, USA and Europe.
