Artist Biography
Tania Small is a Sunshine Coast Hinterland based Australian artist. Focusing primarily on still life paintings, Tania draws inspiration from the sentiment and memory attached to everyday objects. Using multiple layering techniques and precise detail, Tania achieves a level of realism in her paintings which connects a viewer to a moment of time and to an emotion.
Her current works are heavily influenced by French antiques and market places having in recent years attended two separate Atelier Artist in Residency placements in France. The first in 2023 at Chateau Bouthonvilliers in Dangeau and the most recent at Chateau de Cerisay in the Sarthe region in 2025.
Tania has been a finalist in several major Australian art prizes including the Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award (2026 Finalist, 2025 Highly Commended and 2024 Finalist), the Du Reitz Art Awards (2026), the Regional Art Prize (2026), Kennedy Art Prize (2024), Stanthorpe Art Prize (2024), Brisbane Rotary Art Prize (2024 and 2023), and Redland Art Award (2022). Tania has also been the recipient of first prizes in both the Kenilworth Arts Prize (2022) and Mary Valley Arts Festival (2022).
Artworks of Tania Small are currently held by private collectors in homes and businesses in Australia, Sweden, Prague, Hong Kong and London.
Artist Statement
I am drawn to the emotional connection of seemingly ordinary objects and domestic spaces — the quiet moments and familiar items that, when truly observed, hold deep personal meaning. Through still life painting, I seek to elevate these everyday forms into reflections on connection, presence, and lived experience.
Each composition I create is arranged not only for their aesthetic qualities; they represent moments remembered, places visited, and emotions felt. I invite viewers to bring their own histories and memories to the painting, allowing their personal narratives to connect with the work.
I draw inspiration from objects found in home interiors, markets, antique stores, and places discovered throughout my travels. Using multiple layering techniques and translucent glazes in oil paint, I build light, depth, and texture to create a sense of atmosphere and quiet stillness. Through this process, my still life paintings become meditations on time and place, memory and sentiment.
Artist CV
Awards and Prizes
2026 Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award. Finalist.
2026 Regional Art Award. Finalist.
2026 Du Reitz Art Award. Finalist.
2025 Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award. Finalist. Highly Commended prize.
2025 Untether Gallery ‘Nostalgia’ Exhibition. Finalist.
2024 Kennedy Art Prize. Finalist.
2024 Stanthorpe Art Prize. Finalist.
2024 Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award. Finalist.
2023 Brisbane Rotary Art Show. Finalist.
2022 Redland Art Award. Finalist.
2022 Kenilworth Artsfest Online. First Prize Open.
2021 Mary Valley Arts Festival. First Prize Novice Section.
2021 Mary Valley Arts Festival. Highly Commended Still Life Section.
Solo Exhibitions
2026 Open Studios Sunshine Coast. Montville Studio.
2025 Open Studios Sunshine Coast. Montville Studio.
2022 Open Studios Sunshine Coast. Montville Studio.
Group Exhibitions
2026 ‘Le Petit Journal’, Gang Gang Gallery, Lithgow.
2025 ‘Nostalgia’, Untether Gallery, Geelong.
2024 ‘Momento’, Stevens Street Gallery, Yandina.
2024 Affordable Art Fair, Melbourne.
2023 Bienarte Group Exhibition. Albion, Brisbane.
Artist Residencies
2025 Chateau de Cerisay, Sarthe Region, France. Atelier Artist in Residence, 2 week duration.
2023 Chateau Bouthonvilliers, Dangeau, France. Atelier Artist in Residence, 3 week duration.