Sophie Bray

Artist Profile

Sophie Bray’s artworks evince feelings of immersion and the connectedness one senses by the sea. Her painting, drawing and analogue photography practice reflects upon the beauty and fragility of the natural environment.

She explores the physicality of water, wind and salient currents, which create the shifting tides and atmospheres over the tense and captivating point between land, sea and sky. She enjoys exploring tensions in her work, which pull between: abstraction and representation, gestural marks and smooth blended surfaces, monochromatic palettes and vibrant coloured grounds.

Born in Sydney (1986) Bray has lived and worked in Los Angeles as well as in Sydney. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (HONS1) and Masters of Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales and was a recipient of the University of New South Wales Honours Scholarship, The Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence, The Australian Postgraduate Award (2008-2010), The Toyota Emerging Artist Encouragement Award and the William Fletcher Foundation Scholarship for drawing. Since 2004, she has held 6 solo exhibitions and has been included in 24 group exhibitions. Her work has been acquired by the Morton Bay Art Collection and the Moran Art Foundation. Bray’s work was published in a book of international contemporary artists, Super Modified: The Behance Book of Creative Work. She exhibited in Paris as part of the Paris Drawing festival at Galarie ALB, and has been a finalist in the Ravenswood Australian Art Prize, The 20000 Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award, The JADA, The Sunshine Coast Art Prize, The Hazelhurst Paper Awards, The Waverley Art Prize and The National Emerging Art Prize.

Career Highlights

• National Emerging Art Prize Finalist, Michael Reid Art Bar
• Waverley Art Prize Finalist, Bondi Pavilion
• Her work has been acquired by the Morton Bay Art Collection and the Moran Art Foundation