My Youth as a Poor Artist.

Now.

I still draw as an artist, portraits or human figures mainly.  I prefer drawing female form to male, for obvious aesthetic reasons. Pencil, chalks & indian ink are my favourite media.

My main exposure to art has been in visiting 200 art galleries overseas & most major galleries in Australia. This was funded by my ulcer-inspiring professional occupation of data consultant. More on how I got there later.

In 2009 it’s my intent to draw more.

I now enjoy oil painting, having previously used acrylics. I was not a great painter, being more a drawer. Below I intend to insert some recent pieces.

Most of my art was created in the early 90s.

For my design work, see the next page. The original 2thinknow logo was hand-drawn by me using indian ink & a ruling pen (brush to fill).

Some of my original works are now only found on slide, as all have got waylaid as I moved houses over the years. Some wouldn’t fit in the moving van, or were damaged in my mobility. They were mostly very large.

1990s.

I attended the University of Tasmania Art School in the 1990s, wherein I graduated with a BFA.

My love was drawing & design.

Initially I started out in graphic design, ostensibly IMHO because my lecturer preferred blondes (which he later allegedly got kicked out for in my 3rd year), I moved to printmaking as my major. My best friend was best friend of his girlfriend’s flatmate.

Lithography. Etching (not really my thing). Screenprinting. Woodcuts (my favourite). Lino cuts. Printmaking lecturers Milan Milojevic & Ray Arnold encouraged my prints, although I probably took some unusual turns.

At some point in the future I’d like another crack at lithography with the benefit of being an adult!

My real love was drawing, where I was encouraged by Lindsay Broughton.

My Work.

Most of my drawing works were pastel, chalk, crayon, conte & often indian ink at the massive scale of 2-4m wide by 1.5m tall. My life drawings were far smaller, and often done in mixed media.

They were largely emphasized realism. What I called Neo-Myth, or a new mythology or story.

Influential Artists.

Figurative. Donatello sculptures primarily. Also, Ingres. Jacques Louis David. Michelangelo. Leonardo Da Vinci.

Futurism. In terms of printmaking.

Soviet & Polish graphic design. In design terms.

Pop Art. Robert Rauschenberg (a source of much amusement.) Larry Rivers. Roy Lichtenstein. Jasper Johns.

Comic Artists. Bill Sienckiwicz.

Australian Artists. Imants Tillers. Rosalie Gascoigne.

Anatomy.

As anatomy is no longer taught in post-modernism (nor modernism), I taught myself anatomy. I felt that I couldn’t work with passion without knowing it, and taught myself through numerous books & also comics.

One path to anatomy that is easy to learn for the practical person, is super-hero comics and solid commercial comic artists like John Buscema, John Romita and Jack Kirby.

Private Studio & First Curation.

For awhile I shared a studio at Salamanca Place to produce art, as well as my space in the printmaking studio. I curated my first exhibition in the ‘Sidespace Gallery’ at Salamanca with 3 other artists, called the Neo Myth.

I shared with 2 old local artists, and managed the expense by eating less and selling some items!

I have never curated since (well except a brief stint as showroom co-ordinator in 1995).

Artists are good friends.

I felt most comfortable in art school, making genuine friends, some of which I lost touch with.  Tim. Anet. Patricia. Marilyn (RIP). Lorraine. Irene. Rachel. Sally. And others.

Even with marathon all-night screenprinting & drawing sessions, I enjoyed art school.

Occasionally I ended up drunk and one time I fell in the gutter in North Hobart on the way back to a friend’s place after mixing drinks. Another time in North Hobart I fell asleep drunk in a child’s cot. Steak sandwiches & greasy spoon food got me through.

I did however plumb the depths of depression and angst rather too often, and lived sparsely on little money, being perpetually broke.

I had the distinction of being the youngest entrant in my year, and acheiving 2 High Distinctions in Drawing. (top marks). My drawing was primarily figurative.

My first artworks were sold to my high school, which is the same shcool Princess mary of Denmark went to. Although I think she was 1 year above me.