About the Artist
Dallas Lesley
One of Australia's most vibrant and internationally recognised contemporary painters — celebrated for bold colour, expressive energy, and a deep love of the Australian coast, landscape and birdlife.
Biography
Dallas Lesley is one of Australia's most vibrant and internationally recognised contemporary painters. Her work is characterised by an exuberant use of colour, bold compositional energy, and a deep appreciation for the natural world — particularly Australia's coastal environments and tropical landscapes.
A twice-finalist in the Sulman Prize and exhibited at the Art Gallery of New South Wales alongside the Archibald and Wynne Prize exhibitions, Dallas's reputation extends far beyond Australian shores. Her paintings have been exhibited in Australia, Hong Kong, China, Fiji and the USA, with works held in corporate and private collections across Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico, the UK and the United States.
Dallas's formal training began with a Graphic Arts Diploma at the Sydney Institute of TAFE (1978), later complemented by rigorous studio study of historical painting principles and techniques under Charlie Sheard (2000). This technical foundation underpins the extraordinary energy of her finished works — where spontaneity and craft exist in perfect tension.
A landmark achievement came when the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in Townsville acquired Dallas's portrait of Christine Anu — the celebrated singer and actor — for the gallery's permanent collection. The work was valued and approved under the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
For over two decades, Dallas has served as Arts Curator and Sponsor of the Cancer Council Posh Auction — one of Sydney's most celebrated charity events — demonstrating her commitment to both art and community.
In 2006, Dallas was among only twenty artists and galleries selected by Austrade to represent Australian art at the Australian Art Pavilion at the Shanghai Art Fair. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including the Sydney Morning Herald, Luxury Home Design, the South China Morning Post, Seaspray Magazine and Audi Magazine Australia.
"Dallas's main works express her deep appreciation of the Australian landscape and coastal life, rendered with a boldness that is entirely her own."
Dallas paints original works, regularly paints commissions for clients and also has a selection of Limited Edition prints available.
Curriculum Vitae
Charlie Sheard Studio School – Historical Principles & Techniques, Sydney NSW
Graphic Arts Diploma – Sydney Institute of TAFE, Randwick Campus, NSW
Gallery 109 – Sydney NSW
The Butter Factory Arts Centre – Cooroy QLD
Gallery 109 – Sydney NSW
Worldmark Pacific Resorts – Fiji
Traffic Jam Galleries – Sydney NSW
The Salamanca Collection – Hobart TAS
LK Galleries – Perth WA
Rushcutters Bay Gallery – Sydney NSW
The Salamanca Collection – Hobart TAS
LK Galleries – Perth WA
House of Phillips Fine Art – Sydney NSW
David Hart Galleries – Noosa QLD
Bark Modern Art – Central, Hong Kong
Sara Roney Gallery – Sydney NSW
Jackman Gallery – Melbourne VIC
Hill on Hargreave Gallery – Sydney NSW
Bark Modern Art – Central, Hong Kong
Valerie Cohen Gallery – Sydney NSW
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts – Nadi, Fiji
Valerie Cohen Gallery – Sydney NSW
Valerie Cohen Gallery – Sydney NSW
The Noosa Portrait Prize 2025 – Noosa Heads, QLD
The Brisbane Art Prize – Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane QLD
Lethbridge 10000 Art Prize – Brisbane QLD
The ANL Maritime Art Prize – Melbourne VIC
The Sulman Prize – AGNSW, Sydney
The Blake Prize Director's Cut Exhibition – The Blake Society NSW
Percival Portrait Prize – Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville QLD
The ANL Maritime Art Prize – Melbourne VIC
Winner – The Banrock Station Art Prize (Earth Prize Awards), Sydney NSW
The Sulman Prize – AGNSW, Sydney
The Berkelouw Self Portrait Prize – BDAS Art Gallery, Bowral NSW
The Blake Exceptions Exhibition – The Blake Society, Sydney
The Canberra Art Prize Exhibition – Canberra ACT
The Fleurieu Peninsula Biennale Art Prize – South Australia
Winner – The International Art Contest 2002 – Modern Art
The Manning Art Prize – Manning Regional Art Gallery NSW
The Inaugural Watling-Von Bibra Art Award – Southport QLD
Nissarana Galleries – Noosa and Mornington
Art Nomad/Abstract Australis – Melbourne
Noosa Open Studios, Sunshine Coast QLD
The Posh Auction – The Fullerton Hotel, Sydney
"The Sum of All Parts" – Noosa Regional Gallery, QLD
Stevens Street Gallery, Yandina, QLD
Eclectica Art Prize – Butter Factory Arts Centre, Cooroy
The Brisbane Art Prize – Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane
Lethbridge 10000 Art Prize – Brisbane
The Belle Arti Prize – Melbourne
Towers Exhibition – Chifley, Governor Phillip & Macquarie Towers, Sydney
Art Melbourne – RB Gallery, Royal Exhibition Centre, Melbourne
Darling Park Exhibition / Sculptures in Australia Square – Sydney
Summer/Winter Exhibitions – The Salamanca Collection, Hobart
Shanghai Art Fair – Australian Art Pavilion
Spring Salon – Limner Gallery, New York
Bark Modern Art – Hong Kong
Home Design Magazine Jan 2023 – 25.2
Visit Noosa Tourism – "Artober"
Noosa Country Style – Winter 2022
In Noosa Magazine – Spring 2020
Dallas Lesley – The Art Box, Stephen Wilson
Cowboys & Angels – Harbourview Magazine
The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Exhibitions – The Happy Antipodean
The artist who captures the ocean – Seaspray Magazine
Biz Watch – Featured artist CCTV9 (Central China Television)
Artistic Inspiration – Luxury Home Design, Vol. 9 No. 2
Technology transforms the world of art – Antiques & Art in Victoria
In Profile – Dallas Lesley – Brush Magazine, Issue 14
Oceanscapes – Sydney Morning Herald, Nov 6, 2004
Dallas Lesley – South China Morning Post
Australian Artist Makes Waves – Audi Magazine Australia