Visual Artist | Painter | Curator
Byron Bay, Australia
Matthew Sansom is an Australian visual artist celebrated for his evocative landscapes and flora works that capture the nuanced interplay of light, form, and atmosphere. His practice is grounded in direct observation, often painting en plein air to engage authentically with the environment. Sansom utilises a generous brush to bring about form and colour, creating imagery that presents an aesthetic world layered with textures, naturalness and emotional depth.
Born in Ballarat in 1974 and raised in Geelong, Sansom studied Art and Design at Geelong TAFE in 1992-3. His early career encompassed roles in community theater and music projects, including set and costume design, as well as collaborations with the Chandrabhanu Dance Company in Melbourne. During this time, he developed drawings and works on paper for the Brunswick art collective.
In 2000, Sansom relocated to the UK, where the Devon countryside and later Herefordshire inspired a series of plein-air and experimental studio works.
Returning to Australia in 2004, he expanded his portfolio to include drawing, printmaking, and oil painting, developing his art practice with a focus on landscapes and botanical subjects.
Currently, Sansom curates 'Galleon', a showroom in Bangalow, NSW, where he showcases his work.
In the tradition of artmaking, Sansom explores visual poetry, colour and harmony found in nature and the environments we inhabit.
Born 1974.
Ballarat, Victoria Australia
Grew up in Geelong, Victoria.
Solo Exhibitions
'ULYSSUS GARDEN'
La Ventana, Adliya, Kingdom of Bahrain,
March, 2016
NUAGES
Byron Bay, Australia
March 2018
CLOSE TO HOME
Gallery 3
Byron Bay, Australia
April 2021
WINTER LIGHT
The Lobby
Byron Bay
September 2021
AMBERGRIS
The Arts Corner
Bangalow
May 2022
PINK DOLPHINS
The Bayleaf
Byron Bay
Oct-Nov 2025
Group Exhibitions
2025 The Darcy Doyle Art Awards. Mudgeeraba QLD. Keepers of the way
2022 Birds Gallery 3 Byron Bay. Kitchen Blue Bird.
2021 D'Arcy Doyle Awards, Mudgeeraba QLD. Looking back at Broken Heads.
2021 Birds, Gallery 3. The Raven, Spotted peafowl, Plover on Teal.
2020 Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize, Lismore Regional Gallery. 'Fashioned from Clay'
2020 Border Art Prize, Tweed Heads National Gallery, 'Resilience'
2019 Gallery 7 prize. Byron Bay. 'Woebegone Raven'
2018 Border Art Prize, Tweed River National Gallery. Reclining Shoreline.
2017 Lethbridge 10 000, Brisbane. 'Tallow Wood'
2016 Border Art Prize. Tweed Regional Gallery, Qld. Woompoo Fruit Dove
2016 Ocean Shores Art Expo. ‘Banksia Branch’ and ‘Honeysuckle Hill’
2016 Byron Bay Art Expo, Byron Community Center. ‘Olive Oriole’
2014 Caldera Art Expo, Tweed River National Gallery. ‘Coucal Pheasant at sunrise’
2013 Northern Rivers Portrait Awards. Lismore Regional Gallery. Portrait of George C Weir.
2009 Caldera Art Expo. The Center Beaudesert. ‘Closed Forest of the Caldera’
Awards and Prizes
2019 Second place, Ocean Shores Art Expo, Grass Trees at Dawn.
2018 Second place, Ocean Shores Art Expo, Bridge over Tallow Creek.
2017 Third place, Fruits Gallery, Lismore. 'Reclining shoreline"
2017 Third place (acrylics and oils) Ocean Shores Art Expo, "Tallow Wood".
2016 First place (Acrylic and oils) Ocean Shores Art Expo. ‘Banksia Branch’
2012 Second place (Acrylics and oils) 'A Moonlit Summer's Night'. Ocean Shores Art Expo.
2010 First place The Lismore Serpentine gallery, The Zodiac series.
2009 First place, Caldera Art Expo 'Closed Forests of the Caldera’. Beaudesert Regional Gallery.
Bibliography
2013 Nature series published by Blue Island Press, in gift cards.
2015 Artworks and artists' statements featured in the editorial 'Acrylic Sachet Mixte Themes' France.
2017 The Zoc publishing house. Images and artist statement. Indiana USA.
2023 Northern Rivers Times, image and artist statement. NSW Australia.
2023-5 Gift card range with Galleon Bangalow NSW Australia.
2023 Artwork feature, for the mini-series 'Apples Never Fall' (Roadhouse Productions)
2023 Artwork feature for Mini series 'Apple cider vinegar' (Wellness productions)
2024 Artwork collection featured in interior for Inside Out magazine, Sydney, Australia
2025 Artwork collection featured in House and Garden. Australia.