Inward Urge Painting

Heidi Yardley was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1975. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art majoring in painting in 1995 at Monash University. From 1996 to 2000 she was a committee member and artist in residence at Roar Studios, an artist run initiative in Brunswick Street Fitzroy. Yardley also completed an Honours Degree in Drawing at RMIT in 1999 and a Graduate Diploma in Education in 2002 at Melbourne University. Yardley has taught Portraiture, Painting and Drawing at Roar Studios, Swinburne University and the Melbourne School of Art. Since 1998 Yardley has held nine solo exhibitions and has exhibited extensively in group exhibitions throughout Australia. She has been a finalist in a number of high profile competitions including The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (2000, 2002, 2004), The Hutchins School Art Prize (2000), The Mosman Art Prize (2001), The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2009) and The City of Albany Art Prize (2010). Yardley has been invited to exhibit in significant group exhibitions including Neo-Goth: Back in Black at The University of Queensland Art Museum (2008), Post Chrysalis at Sullivan and Strumpf (2008), The University of Queensland National Artists Self-Portrait Prize and the inaugural NOTFAIR- a satellite Art Fair (2010). In 2007 Yardley gained representation with Jan Murphy Gallery in Brisbane and since 2009 has also been represented by Scott Livesey Galleries in Melbourne. Yardleys work has been acquired extensively by Private Collectors in Australia and overseas and has also been acquired by major institutions including The University of Queensland Art Museum, The BHP Billiton Collection, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery and The Methodist Ladies' College Collection.