Sally Ross Roslyn

Roslyn Oxley OAM is a renowned Sydney gallerist.

‘Roslyn is a true bohemian of great visual intelligence, acumen and spirit. Opened in 1982, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery has embraced new artistic practice including Indigenous artists and international figures like Yayoi Kusama,’ says Sally Ross.

‘Roslyn Oxley has dragged the blokey art establishment away from clichés of the Australian landscape or bad-boy artists painting the breasts or arse of a faceless woman. For over three decades she has championed a new generation of artists like Tracey Moffatt, Hany Armanious and Bill Henson, here in Australia and overseas.

‘By chance I dined with Roslyn last year. After days of exhibitions and openings at MONA, Roslyn still devoted considerable time to talk insightfully about the art we had experienced. I was struck by her unique physical appearance: porcelain skin, bright eyes and glorious hair – a perfect subject for me. I instinctively knew I wanted to paint her,’ says Ross.

‘I want my paintings to be a bridge between the past and the present, between the traditions of painting and extraordinary people now.’

Born in Melbourne in 1969, Ross has completed graduate and post-graduate degrees in Australia. She lived in France for eight years, where she completed another post-graduate degree while regularly exhibiting in Australia and overseas. She was an Archibald finalist in 2014 and 2015. Her portrait of Oxley is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.