Jodie Usher – Fine Art
Jodie Usher lives and works in Wollombi Valley, where the bush that shaped her childhood still quietly guides her practice. She grew up in the Hunter Valley surrounded by art and creativity – paintings filled the family homes, and both her mother and aunt were accomplished painters. Making art was never a question; it was simply part of life.
Her father was a drover, stockman and wool classer, and his stories of station life left a deep impression. As a child, Jodie spent long days wandering the bush, learning its rhythms through sound, texture and movement. Those early hours outdoors continue to surface in her work, not as nostalgia, but as lived experience.
Birds, in particular, have stayed close. Willy Wagtails performing in the paddock below the house, Blue Wrens darting through grapevines with surprising confidence, Kookaburras marking the day at dawn and dusk, and magpies and plovers fiercely guarding their young – these small, observant moments became part of how she understands the landscape, and they remain central to her art.
Drawing came easily from an early age. By ten, Jodie was sketching whatever caught her eye, especially trees, birds, hills and water. Over time, she moved between abstraction and realism, painting, discarding and starting again, searching for a way of working that felt true.
That turning point arrived while studying archaeology at university. Hours spent analysing stone tools sharpened her patience and attention to detail. When she returned to painting, she did so with new eyes.
Today, Jodie’s work is held in private collections across Australia and internationally. She continues to paint from her life in Wollombi Valley, still believing that one of the best places in the world is sitting quietly on a rock beneath a tree.
You can view Jodie’s work in Wollombi Valley at The Shed Gallery, located near Twine / Waterhen Traders.
