Rachel Milne was born in 1978 in Cambridge, England and moved to Newcastle in 2013. Rachel studied at Cardiff University, UK and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Fine Art Painting, in 2000.
In the past eight years she has been a finalist in the Wynne Prize (twice), the Fleurieu Biennale, Kilgour and Tattersall Landscape prizes, the Portia Geach Memorial Award and the Salon des Refusés amongst others. After a well received solo show at the Newcastle Art Gallery in 2021, she went on to win the 2022 Muswellbrook Painting Prize (acquisitive) and the Evelyn Chapman Award (2022).
In 2024 Rachel was invited to be the Artist in Residence at the LiddellWORKS project. The works created during this residency were exhibited at the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre. “My idea is to create a body of work that I would hope would demonstrate the humanity and history of Liddell, a documentary exercise of pulling the beauty out of the building, to show it again in a new light”. (Rachel Milne, 2024).
Her collections include AGL, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Newcastle Art Gallery, Muswellbrook Art Gallery and Maitland Regional Art Gallery.
Artist: Rachel Milne Camera/Editor: Erling Gronhaug (Duke's Creations) Producer: Newcastle Art Gallery Courtesy Newcastle Art Gallery
This VFA Film features Rachel Milne painting at the former David Jones Gallery where she completed a six week artist in residence in early 2015.
2024
Finding Light in Dark Places, King Street Gallery on William, Sydney NSW
2023
Small works, Straitjacket Gallery Newcastle, NSW
A Room of One’s Own, Women in Still Life, Bett Gallery, Hobart, TAS
2021
Personal Space King Street Gallery on William, Sydney, NSW
Nest Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW
2019
From life King Street Gallery on William
2017
Two Years On King Street Gallery on William
After Olley Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Bathurst, NSW
2015
Rachel Milne: Painter King Street Gallery on William
The Renewal of David Jones former David Jones Store, Newcastle, NSW
2014
Interiors Newcastle Art Space, Newcastle
2024
LiddellWORKS, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, Muswellbrook, NSW
LiddellWORKS, Singleton Arts and Cultural Centre, Singleton, NSW
Ravenswood Art Prize, Sydney
2023
Introductions | Portraits from the MRAG Collection, Maitland, NSW
Salon des Refuses S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
A Room of Ones Own, Bett Gallery, Tasmania
Vincent Prize, Sydney
2022
Evelyn Chapman Award
Muswellbrook Art Prize
2020
Reconnected: a recovery story Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, NSW
Salon des Refuses S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2019
Portia Geach Memorial Award, S.H. Ervin Gallery
Inside/outside King Street Gallery on William
2018
Fleurieu Biennale SA
Tattersalls Club Landscape Prize Qld
Kilgour Art Prize Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
The Wynne Prize Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
2017
The Wynne Prize Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
2016
Kilgour Art Prize Newcastle Art Gallery
Calleen Art Award Cowra Regional Art Gallery, Cowra, NSW
Plein Air Painting Prize Parliament House, Sydney
Fleurieu Prize [Still Life Section], SA
Portia Geach Prize S.H Ervin Gallery, NSW
Art & Dementia Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW
M16 Drawing Prize Canberra, ACT
Curve Gallery, Newcastle, NSW
Artist in Residence at Hill End, Haefligers Cottage
2015
Plein Air Painting Prize Parliament House, Sydney
Salon des Refuses S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2014
Kilgour Art Prize Newcastle Regional Gallery
Newcastle University Acquisitive Prize University Gallery
Calleen Art Award Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW
2013
Newcastle Emerging Artist Awards Newcastle Art Space, NSW
Singleton Portrait Prize [WINNER] Singleton Civic Centre
2012
Open Exhibition Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, UK
2011
Young Artist of the Year The Biscuit Factory Foundation, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
159 Autumn Show Royal West of England Academy
Jamaica Street Studios Exhibition Royal West of England Academy
2010
Holbourne Portrait Prize Holbourne Museum, Bath, UK
Open Painting Exhibition Royal West of England Academy
2009
Autumn Exhibition Royal West of England Academy
2008
Autumn Exhibition Royal West of England Academy
Glories of the Gorge Exhibition Innocent Fine Art, Clifton, Bristol
2007
Orange Christmas Edgar Modern, Bath
Mortal The Old Pro Cathedral Clifton, Bristol
Autumn Affordable Art Fair Battersea Park London
2004
Open Painting Exhibition Royal West of England Academy
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, NSW
Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW
Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, NSW
Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
Royal Marriott Hotel, Bristol, UK
Theological College, Bristol, UK
Sydney Morning Herald
April 14, 2023
ArtsHub Online
2019
Representation of 'the bridging & rebuilding of cultures' wins Kilgour Prize People's Choice
Newcastle Art Gallery publication
8 October 2018
The Kilgour Prize by numbers: 31 finalists, 5 locals, 3 judges by Jim Kellar
The Newcastle Herald Online
July 2018
From Herbert Badham to Matthew Martin: the fine art of drawing & painting pools by Therese Spruhan
swimmingpoolstories.com blog
2018
Maitland Mercury
22 January 2015
Artist Rachel Milne inspired by Archibald Prize exhibition by Belinda-Jane Davis
Newcastle Herald
27 January 2015
