PROFILE
Rachel Wolfe is an emerging artist based in Hobart, Tasmania. Her developing practice centres on painting and drawing, using figurative subjects and layered symbolism to create quietly allegorical works. She often works with history, memory, identity, and trauma, drawing on popular culture and everyday experience to invite quiet reflection on the emotional and ethical questions of contemporary life. As she continues her Fine Arts studies, her practice is evolving and widening in scope, holding space for both deeply personal experience and larger shared stories.
Rachel is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) at the University of Tasmania. In 2026 she was the recipient of the Jon Lajos Prize in Fine Arts, University of Tasmania. She previously studied at TAFE Cairns, Queensland, gaining a Certificate III and Diploma of Visual Arts, and in 2021 undertook intensive oil portrait training with acclaimed Australian figurative artist Elizabeth Barden through a RADF Professional Development Grant. Her work has been recognised in group exhibitions and awards, and is held in private collections in Australia and overseas.
Before becoming a full-time artist, Rachel worked as a solicitor and as a Police Prosecutor in Far North Queensland. These earlier careers, and her experience of navigating trauma and recovery, inform the empathy, sensitivity and psychological nuance she brings to her subjects.
Alongside her studio practice, Rachel runs ENDEAR PORTRAITURE, creating bespoke portraits that honour the deep bonds between people and their animals. Across both her fine arts and commissioned work, she is committed to making honest, heartfelt paintings that pay attention to the enduring threads of memory and connection.

ARTIST CV
RACHEL WOLFE
ABN 94 937 150 192
EDUCATION
2022 - present Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) (Visual Arts), University of Tasmania, Hobart
2020 Diploma in Visual Arts, TAFE Qld, Cairns
2019 Certificate III in Visual Arts, TAFE Qld, Cairns
2015 Company Director Course, Austn Institute of Company Directors, Brisbane
2015 Certificate Project Design Essentials, Tafe NSW, Sydney
2013 Foundations of Directorship, Austn Institute of Company Directors, Brisbane
1995 Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
ACADEMIC AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2026 Recipient, Jon Lajos Prize in Fine Arts, University of Tasmania
2021 Regional Finalist : Qld Training Awards 2021 (Tropical North Qld Equity VET Student of the Year)
AWARDS
2026 Finalist, The Percivals Portrait Painting Prize
2025 Winner, Poochibald Art Prize 2025
2022 Finalist Best Watercolour Painting, Cairns Art Society 74th Annual Art Awards
2022 Finalist Best Mixed Media Artwork, Cairns Art Society 74th Annual Art Awards
2021 Shortlisted, Whitewall Art Prize 'Into the Light'
2021 Finalist, Australian Watercolour Muster
2021 Finalist, InkMasters International Print Exhibition
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 SOSWFLY (Some Outstanding Student Work From Last Year), Sunroom Gallery, Hobart
2025 Not Just Paint 11, Salamanca Arts Centre Long Gallery, Hobart
2025 Poochibald Art Prize, Rosny Farm, Hobart
2025 Creative Lab, Hedberg, Hobart
2022 Fifty Squared Art Prize, Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy
2022 Cairns Art Society 74th Annual Art Awards, Cairns Art Gallery
2021 Rock It, The Kite Gallery, Cairns
2021 Cocoloco Electro, Laneway, Cairns
2021 Australian Watercolour Muster, Gallery 247, online exhibition
2021 Grown-Nostalgia, Artview Gallery, Cairns (funded by Regional Arts Development Fund https://www.arts.qld.gov.au)
2021 InkMasters International Print Exhibition, Tanks Art Centre, Cairns
2021 Float, Laneway, Cairns
2021 Pressing, Vivo Gallery, Palm Cove
2020 Open Doors, Banggu Manjaany Art Gallery, Cairns
2020 Pop-up Heads, Banggu Manjaany Art Gallery, Cairns
2020 Five Feet Apart, Banggu Manjaany Art Gallery, Cairns
2020 International Women’s Day, Banggu Manjaany Art Gallery, Cairns
2019 Extract ’19, Banggu Manjaany Art Gallery, Cairns
2018 Rusty’s Botanical, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
GRANTS
2021-22 RADF Individual Professional Development Grant
2021 RADF Small Arts Grant
2020 Flying Arts Alliance Inc Bursary
COLLECTIONS
Private Collections nationally (Qld, NSW, Vic & Tas)
Private Collections internationally (Germany & San Francisco, USA)
Rachel Wolfe, Manifesto of Artistic Resolve, 2024