Peta West

Peta West is a practicing contemporary Australian printmaker whose work taps into the sublimity of the Australian landscape and diversity of life it supports. Working primarily with linoleum, West is renowned for her 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. 

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 has been steadily gaining the attention of galleries and collectors alike. Her recent exhibitions including: Songlines, Solo Exhibtion, Gallery Alchemy Milton, 2024, The Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, Sydney, 2024; The Alice Prize, Alice Springs, NT, 2024; Linked (group show) and  Frances Keevil, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, 2024.

This year, her work Halcyon Song (2024) was highly commended in the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Prize. West has also recently been a finalist in the The Alice Prize, Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award and the Waverly Art Prize. 

Her work is held in many private collections in Australia and overseas.