Monique Tippett is a full-time artist who lives and works in Dwellingup, a town in Western Australia. She trained as a designer-maker of fine furniture at the Australian School of Fine Wood from 2000 to 2002. Monique has been recognized with numerous awards for her art and has created many artworks that can be found in public and private collections in Western Australia and other countries. Her work focuses on the forests of southwest Western Australia and she primarily uses locally sourced timber and veneers..
IIn 2018, Monique established Lost Eden Creative, an Artist Run Initiative in her hometown of Dwellingup. Over the years, her dedication to the arts in WA has resulted in the support of over 250 artists and the curation of more than 25 exhibitions, up until 2023.
Monique was recognised in 2020 when she became the recipient of the Western Australian Regional Artist Fellowship Grant. This prestigious award allowed her to showcase her work through four large scale solo exhibitions over a two-year period.
The first exhibition, titled "My Darling," was held at Edith Cowen University in Western Australia. Second came "My Darling - Orisons" at the Holmes a Court Gallery in West Perth, followed by "My Darling - Forest 14" held at Lost Eden Creative in Dwellingup. To commemorate her body of work from 2009 to 2022, the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery with the support of the the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) showcased a survey show of her work, which also featured cherished pieces by the late Howard Taylor, an esteemed artist and state treasure from the Art Gallery of Western Australia's State Collection "My Darling - Forest Souls".
Monique's influence extends beyond galleries and exhibitions through her numerous public art commissions in Western Australia. She has left her mark at various locations, including the Perth Children's Hospital with her Wintergreen Sculpture, Premier of WA - Hale House in Wandoo Country, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital's Mental Health wing, Merriden Hospital in the Wheatbelt region, St John of God Hospital in Midland, and the Margaret River Augusta Shire offices, to name a few.
In 2019 Monique was chosen as the Western Australian Parliament Artist in Residence, where her work “Golden State” made during the residency which hangs in its foyer.
In 2021, Monique played a prominent role as one of the leading artists in the inaugural international Indian Ocean Craft Triennial, "Curiosity and Rituals of the Everyday” exhibition held at the John Curtin University Gallery at UWA, Perth.
Monique's dedication to her craft is evident through her participation in numerous artist residencies, including an esteemed 5-week residency at the Banff Centre in Canada back in 2016. Most recently, in 2023, she was honored with a residency at Nocefresca in Italy-Sardinia, allowing her to explore new avenues of artistic expression for her upcoming group show in 2024.
Looking forward, Monique's artistic journey continues in 2024 as she prepares to embark on a four-week residency at The Edinburgh Sculpture Workshops in the United Kingdom. This exciting opportunity promises to be a crucial chapter in Monique's creative growth and exploration.
“My art is inspired by the forest environment I live in.
Its moods are my muse. What you see on the wall is an intuitive response to my personal relationship with the forest. My works are all landscapes. They show the changing of light through the day and across the seasons.
Brooding under the brittle, bright light of a Western Australian summer.
Winter light, filtered through mists and rain.
The forest is a place of strong vertical lines and objects that have been shaped by elemental forces. I am intrigued by its cycles of growth and decay. “