Sallie Saunders can’t remember a time when she wasn’t creating art in some form. Her encounter with an inspiring art teacher at high school in the mid 1960s gave her an excellent grounding in art history, a lifelong love of abstract art and a recognition of her need for creative expression.  

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Like so many other “artists in waiting”, retirement opened up the space and time to develop her art practice and continue learning. For the last 15 years, Sallie has been “largely self-taught but much mentored” in her work. This has included formal encounters with artist mentors and teachers, private mentorships, workshops and artists’ retreats in various parts of Australia.  

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Sallie loves the challenge of creating abstract art in a variety of media – including encaustic, acrylics, mixed media and textile art. Her work takes her into memories, places and connections with people from every stage of her life. Her focus on colour, form, line and composition contributes to a ‘visual language’ which aims for expression of complex layers of emotional and environmental experience.