Profile
Peta West is a practicing contemporary Australian printmaker whose work taps into the sublimity of her surrounding environment on the South Coast of New South Wales. Working primarily with linoleum, West creates immersive large-scale prints that beguile audiences with their intricate detailing and depth. West’s prints are worlds unto their own, each a self-contained universe, where plants and animals appear in abundance. They are odes to the natural beauty and resilience of the Australian bush.
Prior to printmaking, West was a photographer for over two decades, a medium which allowed her to develop an eye for composition, depth and balance. This initial training in darkrooms forever instilled in her a love for monochrome, as well as the tactile process of working an image out of a medium.
Since taking up printmaking in 2016, her work is increasingly gaining the attention of galleries and collectors alike. Her recent exhibitions including: Peta West, Milton WorkHub, NSW, 2020; Group Exhibition, White Wall Projects, Berrima, NSW, 2021 and a near sell-out show: Songs of the Earth at Van Rensburg Galleries, Milton, NSW, 2021.
In 2021, West was a finalist in the Burnie Print Prize, Tasmania. In the year prior, she was a finalist in both the Arts in the Valley Art Prize, Kangaroo Valley, NSW and the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, Sydney.
