Her paintings are delicately executed using oil paint on canvas through layers and detail. A variety of brushes and palette knives are used to create rich textures and subtle gradients that seamlessly work together to capture a moody ambience. 

The cooler seasons can feel prolonged and evoke feelings of isolation and loneliness. Van Ruiswyk embraces this experience as a way to truly see and appreciate her surroundings, believing that there is beauty and spiritual growth to be found in moments of solitude.

"There is a deep connection to place, but also a sense of misplacement and humbling awareness of merely passing through. I am constantly trying to absorb and document my experience, taking photographs and capturing memories that I can then collage together in the studio. The resulting artworks are mostly fiction in nature; the psychological weight of the loneliness and isolation manifests itself as vast farmland under grey ominous skies.’"

Brooke van Ruiswyk's artistic journey has been marked by notable achievements, including winning the People’s Choice Award in the esteemed Henry Jones Art Prize in 2024. Her artworks have been selected for highly coveted awards, including the Glover Prize in 2023 and 2024, the Lethbridge 20000 Award in 2022 and 2023, the Bay of Fires Art Prize in 2024, and the Tidal.24 Art Award in 2024. These accolades underscore her growing influence and acclaim within the artistic community, as she continues to captivate audiences with her vision of the Tasmanian landscape.

Qualifications

2005 - 2008
Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours, University of Tasmania

2009 - 2010
Bachelor of Teaching, University of Tasmania

Selected Solo Exhibitions 

2024
The Places We Know, Manyung Gallery Malvern

Selected group/finalist exhibitions

2024
Glover Prize, Evandale, Tasmania
Bay of Fires Art Prize, St Helens, Tasmania
Tidal.24, Devonport Regional Art Gallery
The Henry Jones Art Prize, The Henry Jones Hotel
Summer Salon, Poimena Gallery
Peninsula Panoramas, Manyung Gallery Flinders

2023
Glover Prize, Evandale, Tasmania
Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award, Salon des Refusés
Fifty Squared Art Award, Brunswick Street Gallery
Peninsula Panoramas, Manyung Gallery Flinders
TATA Members Exhibition, QVMAG, Salamanca Arts Centre 
Northern Exposure, Poimena Art Gallery
The Henry Jones Art Prize, The Henry Jones Hotel

2022
Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award, Lethbridge Gallery
The Doyle's Art Award, mudgeeraba, Queensland 
Fifty Squared Art Prize, Brunswick Street Gallery
BlueThumb Art Prize, BlueThumb 
The Henry Jones Art Prize, The Henry Jones Hotel

Awards

2024
The Henry Jones Art Prize People’s Choice Prize Winner

2009
Zonta International Award for Young Emerging Artist Winner

Publications

2024
Lume Magazine, Issue 16, pg. 40-41