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I am 83 years old and am a full time artist with a large teaching studio in Warrandyte.
I have about 40 adults on my books for art classes.
Originally I trained as an art and craft teacher with the Vic. Education Dept. and have a Diploma of Art (RMIT) and 27 years experience teaching art and craft. I resigned to take up full time painting and teaching.
I am a Fellow of the Victoria Artists Society and the Australian Guild of Realist Artists.
My life is very full – painting, teaching, having exhibitions, judging art shows, demonstrating to art societies, writing, conducting workshops etc.
Apart from a life of art I have many other interests – my district, church, family, two car clubs, a vintage and rare car collection, and I race radio controlled yachts, (life member of the MG car club)
Retirement – what a dirty word!
From the art point of view my time at Carey (boarder 1948/49) was a disaster as there was no art or craft in the senior school – even the equipped woodwork dept. was shut. Everyone – teachers, parents and probably me assumed I would return to the family dairy farm.
It was a great surprise during my first or second year out of teacher’s college to receive a letter from Carey asking me if I was prepared to join the staff and establish an art department. As I was very inexperienced and still bonded to the education Department I declined – my life could have been so different!
I have two of my works at Carey – the bronze plaque of William Carey outside the Chapel and a portrait of my life time friend, teacher and mentor Lew Evans in the LH Evens Library.
Public works are very exciting and different from easel painting and I worked for a time as a sculptor and have work in such places as Whitley College and N Balwyn Baptist Church. I have designed a window for the Warrandyte Uniting Church and my wife, also a professional artist with a studio in Beijing , and I designed the major mosaic peace wall outside the same church.
Over 1100 people contributed to this wall!
Probably my most exciting and rewarding project in 2009 was a very large replica painting for the burnt out Kinglake Anglican Church. The original by Violet Teague now hangs in the gloom in St. Paul ’s Cathedral ( Melb.). This featured on the front page of the ‘Age’ just before Christmas.
On a less than modest note I have held many exhibitions both here, interstate and in England (5) and have won many awards (excess 500).
The best being the Aust. Guild of Realist Painters Medallion Award in 2005.
I am very thankful to be having such an interesting and rewarding life.
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