Rita Kellaway spent her early, formative years in the South Australian outback town of Woomera, surrounded by an arid, treeless desert, part of Kokatha Country.

“The imagery I first encountered in the expansive Australian outback and then ancient geological formations around the world continue to inspire me and combine with the allure of working with the incredible properties of glass as an art medium.”

Using innovative kiln-firing and casting techniques, Rita purposefully experiments with molten glass flow and colour reactions occurring at high temperatures and cold-working processes applied when the glass has cooled.  Her enigmatic sculptural and functional artworks are conversely both fragile and strong, delicate and bold. 

Graduating from the University of South Australia (UniSA) in 2019 with a Bachelor Degree in Visual Art (Glass), Rita was awarded the historical Harry P Gill Memorial Award and the University Medal.  Since then she has received numerous accolades including:

Winner, Sabbia Gallery Exhibition Award 2023

Finalist, Tom Malone Prize 2022 and 2021 (Art Gallery of Western Australia)

Highly Commended, Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize 2022 and 2020 (South Australian Museum)

Winner, Relief/Wall Hanging Prize 2022 and 2020 (Brighton Jetty Sculptures)

Winner, Vicki Torr Emerging Artist Prize 2020 (Australian Association of Glass Artists)

Finalist, National Emerging Glass Art Prize 2020 (National Art Glass Gallery, Wagga Wagga)