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D R AW I N G • P H O T O G R A P H Y • PA I N T I N G

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Julie SilveSter

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CONTENTS ISSUE 31 2021

Galleries
24 20 EXHIBIT A – Newcastle Art Gallery
48 International – Painters’ Paintings: From
Freud to van Dyck; Adriaen van de Velde: Master

46 of the Dutch Landscape

Profile
6 Julie Silvester – Stay True to Yourself
– Fine Art
24 Don Milner – The Visual Communicator
– Fine Art
38 Kelly McDonald – I Wanted to be a Fairy
– Fine Art
56 Beverley Rhodes – My Story – Fine Art

6
 Contents
Workshops
12 Julie Silvester – Feels Like Summer
– Fine Art
30 Don Milner – Megz – Oils
44 Kelly McDonald – Foxy – digital
60 Beverley Rhodes – Spirit of ANZAC –
Mixed Media

Regulars
16 Shooting for Art – Close Up
50 Tools – Patrick Hedges
64 My Space - Derek Newton

Cover image by Julie Silvester artist 7

PROFILE
Stay True
to Yourself
W
here do you start when you’ve been asked
to write an article in an art magazine about
your passion and desire for art?
Like most dedicated artists, I know it seems to
start right from the beginning. At a very young age
in fact! For me it was from the time I could get a grip
on pencils or crayons, and I found myself forever
doodling or drawing wherever my imagination could
take me. And of course, art was my favourite subject
throughout my school years – I was constantly
present in the art room in high school – always
drawn to working on whatever art project was
happening at the time.
Paintings I began seriously painting in watercolours at the
Above: Outback
age of 30, and was to work solely in this medium
Encounter Lake Ballard
– pastel for eight years. I was eager to try something
new, and soon discovered a love of pastels. Due
Opposite page: Coastal to their vibrancy, immediacy and the fact there
Awakening – pastel was no drying time – I was hooked! That was in
12
6 artist
artist
Explaining that practice
makes perfect, and mileage
is the one thing that will
get you there, this artist has
certainly travelled the miles
to hone her much admired,
award-winning style.
1999, and I have been enjoying painting with
them ever since. In recent years, I have started
exploring acrylics and oils – the main reason is
due to pastels having to be framed behind glass.
I have had numerous requests from clientele for
canvas or larger works, so this has been another
challenge for me with the highs and lows of
learning another medium.
Most artists I know paint to put their message
across of what they wish to convey to the viewer.
Staying true to yourself is the greatest goal that you
can achieve in your work. Paint from the heart and
it will show! I have always enjoyed using the coast
as a means of inspiration. I grew up in a family that
was always holidaying by the sea. We lived not far
from the beach, and our parents were always taking
us down there every opportunity that they could.
My father use to say his three daughters could swim
before they could walk! I believe this set my passion >>
artist
7
Kelly McDonald Julie Silvester
PROFILE Stay tRuE tO yOuRSELF

for the coastline and water, and I have immersed

myself in it ever since.
Capturing the essence of the Australian coastal
landscape is what motivates me to paint. I want you
to feel like you can “smell the sea” or feel the cool
morning sand between your toes, the play of light
over the water’s surface or over an undulating dune –
impressions of footprints belonging to days gone past.
Sometimes it’s the places I have just recently visited
that inspire me, while other times it’s the recalling and
memories of favourite and familiar areas. The water’s
light and colour, movement and ever-changing moods
have given me an endless supply of subject matter.

8 artist
 I believe my art is also a way of showing the
beauty of this amazing environment we live in. To
see, appreciate and care for what we often take
for granted. Although I have focused mainly on the
sea and coastlines in my work, I have also loved
painting figures immersed in water or people by the
ocean’s edge. I have also done a series of the figure
underwater – some of them are of me! These have
led to more interesting compositions and also the
enjoyment of using a limited colour palette.
My other two passions in life are travel and
photography. In my early 20s, I was fortunate to
study at the Melbourne Institute of Photography for
a year, and have found the experience has given Paintings
Julie Silvester
me a greater knowledge for composing and getting Above: South West
good design in my art. I go to many locations Invitation – pastel
that interest me and photograph them intensely.
The overall experience of being at the actual Oppositee page
place helps me to complete the work in my own Top: A Day to
interpretation, whilst the photographs are purely Remember – pastel
my information source for composition and details. Bottom: Between the
Dunes – pastel
I’ve found it really important as an artist to have
your own resource material. In this way, you have
your own personal connection with your painting. I
am fortunate to have a partner who also shares my
passion for travel, and over the past 20 years we >>
artist 9
PROFILE Stay tRuE tO yOuRSELF

Paintings have been travelling to some of Australia’s most

Above: Low Tide –
pastel
Above right: Coastal
Encounter – acrylic
Right: Last Light –
acrylic
Oppositee page
Calm Day Parakeet Bay
– pastel
remote areas – outback and along the coast.
Over the past five years I have also discovered
the beauty of coastal and inland salt lakes, and
have really gone out of my comfort zone in
representing this subject in a more abstract and
textural approach to that of my seascapes. On a
trip inland to the Goldfields I explored the incredible
area of Lake Ballard that took my breath away! It
had an alien feel to it – barren and untouched by
humankind except for the footprints in between the
art installations of Antony Gormley. It was a place
that overwhelmed my senses, and I have enjoyed
painting it ever since. Although I have embraced the
change in painting these salt lakes, I don’t think I
will ever tire of painting the sea and its surrounds.
There is always a constant change over the seasons
which gives me unlimited subject matter to paint
from, plus there is always the excuse to go on
another holiday.
I have been painting and exhibiting in open and
invitation-only exhibitions since 1992. Within this
time, I have received numerous awards but have
found the People’s Choice has been the most

10 artist
rewarding one. This gives me confidence that the
message I am putting across in my work is being
appreciated and enjoyed by the general public. I
have learnt over the years that when it comes to
exhibiting and showing your work, it is imperative to
only put out your best paintings.
Being a fulltime artist is a real luxury in my mind,
allowing me the time to be more critical on what
works and what doesn’t. I have no reason for putting a
substantial piece in a frame – quality overrides quantity.
This is something I learnt when I enabled myself
to dedicate more time to my art. Being consistent
in painting as often as you possibly can will bring
improvement to your work. Finding your own voice or
signature will also set you apart from everyone else.
Learn everything there is to know from colour,
light, tone, and perspective. There is no doubt
practice makes perfect, and mileage is the one thing
that will get you there. Telling yourself to be bold
and adventurous and getting out of your comfort
zone will only lead to growth. My closest admirers
or clients may at first not understand my change of
direction, but I feel my own satisfaction comes from
being comfortable within my own originality. The
journey of pastel or paint is an exciting and fulfilling
part of my life, and I cannot image being without it.

Contact details
Email: juliesilvesterart@gmail.com
Web: www.juliesilvester.com.au n

Julie Silvester

Captions
Caption copy

artist 11
WORKsHOP
PROFILE OILs

Feels Like Summer

The afternoon sun casts interesting shadows and dazzling
reflections in this stunning beach scene.

Final Step

18
12 artist
 Julie Silvester
Step One
I start by choosing what size image surface will best
work from the photograph. In this case, I decided to
go with oils, and I begin priming an 83cm x 83cm
linen canvas. I give it several coats of deep ultra-pastel
primer, as I want some added texture to the surface. I
have chosen this background colour as it will unify the
finished painting and add harmony to the overall look. I
begin to sketch in the basic composition on the canvas
with a light coloured pastel, looking for shapes and
lines that will keep the viewer focused and areas that
will lead the eye in. This is used for a guideline and will
easily blend in with the oil paint.

Step Two
After selecting my palette, I begin with blocking
in the shadows of the dunes. I basically break the
tones down to three groups – light, mid and dark -
to create movement and interest in the sand dunes.
I am quite rough at first with the application, and
mainly looking at blocking in the various tones to
give me an idea on the shape of the dunes. I apply
depth with a darker tone of colour into the areas >> Step 1

Materials List
• Linen canvas
• Deep ultra-pastel
primer
• Light coloured pastel
• Palette knife
• Art Spectrum Paints
– Titanium White
– Sapphire
– Lemon Yellow
– Lilac
– Spectrum Crimson
– Pthalo Blue
– Prussian Blue
• Langridge Paint
– Cobalt Teal

Step 2

artist 19
13
WORKsHOP
PROFILE OILs

that are deeper in shadow. This stage is also worked

in quickly and spontaneously to prevent from getting
too bogged down into detail in these first stages. I
will leave the tuning in of this to a later time.

Step Three
Now to tackle the dune foliage! Again, I work with
the three tones, looking at the direction of where
the light is coming from and where the darkest
shadows are. I mix in my own greens in various
tones to give the foliage subtle changes of colour.
At this stage, I exaggerate the tones, and know at
a later stage I will blend and smooth it all out to
make it less prominent. Always look into the tonal
properties of your painting if you are trying to
create the illusion of depth. Without it, the painting
will remain quite flat.

Step 3
Step 4
Artist’s Hints & Tips
• Include both dark and
light tones in your work -
it will add dynamics!
• The more you step back
from your work the more
you will see.
• If you’re working from
a photo, remember it’s
just a reference. Don’t
slave over it trying to get
every detail intact. Let the
painting tell you what it
needs – it will develop
in its own right. You will
have a lot more fun by
listening to your inner
voice!
• Take your time working
out your next brush
stroke - looking and
observing is just as
important as painting.
• Art societies and
exhibitions play a great
role in keeping up the
incentive and inspiration
to paint. Get involved!!
• Never be critical when
comparing your work. We
are all on this journey,
and some have travelled
longer and further than
others.

20
14 artist
 Step 5
Step Four
This is the part that makes the painting really come
together. I add the lightest part of the painting,
which is the areas of sunlight hitting the sand. I use
Titanium White as a base, and apply a small amount
of colour to it – giving it a bit more warmth as it
becomes closer in the foreground. I roughly apply
the paint with my palette knife to let areas of the
underneath primed surface to show through. This
helps unify it with the darker areas in the shadows
of the foliage and the shadow areas of the sand. It
gives it more life and interest rather than covering
the whole surface. I also have started applying more
variety of colour to the foliage and shadows, looking
for areas of contrast to bring the painting to life.
Step Five
I now work on the breaking wave and the colour of
the sea and shoreline, again establishing the dark
and light and blending in a hit and miss with my
palette knife to create texture. I make sure that the
wave has enough impact to draw your eye down
through the dunes. The wave is backlit from the
afternoon sun, so I create colour that I used for
the shadows of the dune to give contrast to the
whiteness of the foam that has been caught by the
light. This colour combination again creates unity
with the sand and the shadows of the dunes. It is at
this stage that I hardly look at my reference photo. I
strongly suggest to keep the photograph away from
Julie Silvester
you in these final stages - let the painting tell you
what it needs.
Final Step
I redefine areas, thinking of positive and negative
shapes, tonal contrast, texture, contrast and colour.
All these elements add up to how well the painting
will look in the end. I take a breather, and by coming
back to the painting at a later time, I establish and
correct the overall composition by adding further
colour or details where necessary. I am very
conscious at every stage to always step back and
allow myself to read into the painting and see what
path it may want to travel.
Contact
Email: juliesilvesterart@gmail.com
Web: www.juliesilvester.com.au n
artist
artist 15
21
PROFILE FOR ART
SHOOTING By Margaret Hodgson OAM

Close-Up
Photography
Photography by Margaret Hodgson OAM

Exploring all
things close-up
and personal
provides an
endless
inspiration of
subjects for
photography
and art.

Photographs
Left: Yawning Grey Kangaroo,
taken on zoom lens 400 mm,
ISO-100 F-stop 10 Shutter
1600 was used to create a
close-up portrait

Opposite page
Middle: Green Tree Frogs
mating and egg laying
hopping from pond to pond,
taken on macro lens 100
mm, ISO-100 F-stop 8
Shutter 1200
ottom: Green Grasshopper
eating a mauve Snail Flower
after rain, taken on macro
lens 100 mm, ISO-100
F-stop 8 Shutter 1000

16
22 artist
 Photography
Carpet Snake, close-up,
taken on zoom lens, 400
mm, SO-100 F-stop 8
Shutter 1200

T
he aspect of close-up and personal can be
achieved with both macro and zoom lenses,
shooting an overall close-up or taking a section
of a plant, animal, faces of pets and people or a
pattern of movement from the natural or man-made
environment, giving the viewer a different point of
focus to a familiar environment and creating a greater
appreciation of unfamiliar and familiar surrounds.
Showing the close-up workings of hidden complicated
mechanisms, especially within nature, that expresses
the realisation that we are all connected to the
universe and everything has a part to play for a healthy
existence. It also creates intrigue and mystery to your
picture, opening perplexing windows full of questions.
Photographic references from this field can give
your artwork detail authenticity that is scientifically
correct against incorrect representation of subject
matter which is poorly produced. It is important that
we advance our knowledge of the underrepresented
macro world. All these approaches can be executed
with a quality macro lens designed for the job with
your DSLR camera, mode dial on close-up with AF
and stabiliser on.
For close-up action shots of larger insects a
zoom lens is needed, set on sports mode, AF and
stabiliser on. The most important thing to remember
when photographing animals and people is to have
the eyes in focus even if you are using sharp and

artist
artists 23
17
PROFILE FOR ART
SHOOTING

Flutterwing/dragonfly, taken with

zoom lens 400 mm, ISO 200 F-stop
2.6 shutter 2400

Masked Lapwing (former Spur-winged

Plover), taken with zoom lens 400 mm, ISO
100 F-stop 8 shutter 2000
the zoom is used to create a close-up

18 artist

blurred together for an artistic shot, as it is the eyes
that will give it life. For fast moving insects or animal
close-ups, you need a short, fast, shutter speed.
When using zoom lenses for close-up action shots,
remember zoom lenses compress distance to bring
your subject closer so the focal length becomes
shorter. A zoom lens such as 300 mm or 400 mm
have a longer focal length, while focusing on your
subject will blur the background into soft abstract
colours and shapes that will aesthetically create
mood and environment. This soft, simple background
enhances the subject. For background variation,
work with longer focal length and larger apertures
to give maximum blurred background. If you require
the background to be in focus, + or – change to
a smaller aperture e.g. f/11 – f/12 to increase
background sharpness.
Macro will produce beautiful portrait images that
can be taken on the portrait setting, or if you require
more depth of field, change the aperture, come down
with a high f/number by setting camera mode on AV
and adjust the f/number. The short telephoto macro
lens is great for shots of animals a little distance away
such as frogs and lizards - this avoids frightening off
your subjects. Macro lenses are designed to focus your
subject to life size or half-life size.
Close-up photography can capture an interesting
abstract image, revealing details of everyday parts
of our world that we never really notice. This creates
an interesting enigma viewed in isolation, and we
see it in a new light. Such study in detail can create
the spirit of a place or moment in time. Small flowers
Photography
Raindrop on Cotton Bush flower, taken
on macro lens, 100 mm, close-up, I ISO
200 F-stop 8 shutter 1000
and orchids can be blown up, showing their inner
working parts and intricate beauty.
Close-up portraits of people, animals and birds
can reveal complex patterns, structure of skin tissue,
fur and feathers. A good tip when doing close-
ups of tiny ground orchids in the field is to place
a small neutral colour board in the background so
the camera can focus on the subject clearly. A small
piece of white cardboard is good to reflect light into
shaded areas. Close-ups of fauna, flora and people
make for endless varieties of exciting subjects.
Observation and patience are needed for insect
action close-up shots. Watch if they are returning to a
particular spot for food, building material, or rest. Newly
emerged insects spend time drying and resting until
they reach their top rev speeds. A tip for capturing fast
little creatures in an action frame is to wait and focus
on that spot with your finger at the ready on the button.
Contact details:
Email: whatsupthescrub@gmail.com
Ph: 02 6647 3157
Ph: 0428 267 710 
Photographs
Top left: Red Bearded Orchid, (Calochilus paludosus) this
small ground orchid was taken on macro lens 100 mm, ISO
100 F-stop 5.6 shutter 1600
Left: Male King Parrot, taken on zoom lens 400 mm, mode on
ISO 100 F-stop 5.6 shutter 2000
was used to create a close-up portrait
artist 19
EXHIBIT
PROFILEA

Newcastle Art Gallery

Newcastle Art Gallery sits proudly in its urban setting, gracing Newcastle’s Laman Street and
overlooking Civic Park, adjacent to Darby Street’s shops and cafes. It is a major part of the city’s
Civic precinct, which offers cultural spaces including the Gallery, Newcastle Region Library,
Newcastle Museum and Civic Theatre all within easy walking distance.

N
ationally recognised for one of the finest
collections in regional Australia, the Gallery
holds more than 6,200 works of art, and
the quality and breadth of its collection makes it a
significant cultural asset for the city. The collection
presents a comprehensive overview of Australian art
from colonial times to the present day. In addition,
the Gallery has a strong collection of Indigenous bark
paintings, and one of the nation’s finest collections
of 20th century Australian and Japanese ceramics. In
recent years, the Gallery has also developed a bold
collection of contemporary Australian art.
One of the Gallery’s most loved paintings
is ‘Summer at Carcoar’ by Brett Whiteley.
Commissioned by Newcastle resident and collector
Dr William Bowmore, this massive painting
condenses all of Whiteley’s stylistic trademarks and
influences. In 1978, Whiteley won the Wynne Prize
with ‘Summer at Carcoar’, along with the prestigious
Archibald and Sulman prizes in the same year. 

26
20 artist
artist
BLACK WHITE & RESTIVE:
Cross-cultural initiatives in Australian
contemporary art
Exhibition: 28 May to 7 August 2016
Entry: Free
“BLACK WHITE & RESTIVE” is part of an ongoing The collection also includes convict artist Joseph Images
national conversation that explores engagements Lycett’s paintings of early Newcastle, significant Above left: BLACK, WHITE
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. The works of art by William Dobell, including ‘Portrait & RESTIVE,
Gordon BENNETT
artists brought together here represent the diversity of of a strapper’ 1941, Rupert Bunny, early
Number Five 2003
approaches to cross-cultural art practice in works that modernists Grace Cossington Smith and Margaret
acrylic on linen
span direct collaborations and more subtle, and at times Preston, contemporary works of art by Patricia 167.0 x 152.0cm
controversial, forms of influence and exchange. Piccinini, and ceramics by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Gift of Terrey P Arcus
The exhibition draws upon Newcastle Art Shoji Hamada and Kazuo Yagi. through the Australian
Gallery’s collection of Hermannsburg watercolours The Gallery’s holdings include numerous works Government’s Cultural Gifts
and other modernist and postmodern paintings to from Novocastrian artists. William Dobell, John Program 2012 Newcastle
contextualise cross-cultural currents in Australian Olsen, William Rose, Tom Gleghorn, Ross Morrow, Art Gallery collection
contemporary art. The narrative begins with the and John Molvig were all born and bred in the Copyright the estate of
Gordon Bennett
creative relationship between Albert Namatjira city, while artists including John Passmore, Royston
Above right:
and Rex Battarbee established in the 1930s Harpur, Stanislaus Rapotec, Matthew Perceval, Shay
John PASSMORE
and revisits 1980s appropriations as well as Docking, and Margaret Olley were drawn to the city, Les Baigneuses 1951
highlighting large-scale collaborations and formal to its architecture and industrial vistas. oil on board
dialogues from the mid-1990s through to 2015. An exciting development for Newcastle Art 39.0 x 44.0cm
Other artists from the collection include Gordon Gallery came in April 2016, when native son John Purchased through the
Bennett, Imants Tillers, Margaret Preston, Tony Olsen returned to Newcastle to announce that he Les Renfrew Bequest 2015
Tuckson, Ildiko Kovacs and Tim Johnson. would create a new work to honour his birthplace. Newcastle Art Gallery
The works of art from the Gallery collection The new painting, which Olsen has named ‘The collection
Opposite page:
are complemented by significant works on loan river is a strong brown God’, will be unveiled 4
Margaret OLLEY
from the National Gallery of Australia, Queensland November 2016 as part of the Gallery’s exhibition
Chinese pots and lemons
Art Gallery, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art “John Olsen: The City’s Son”. The exhibition will 1982 oil on composition
Gallery of Ballarat and numerous other notable consist of specially chosen works co-curated by board 74.8cm x 100.5cm
Gallery

galleries and private lenders. A full publication was
produced to accompany the exhibition and a one
day symposium was presented on the opening
weekend featuring guest speakers from around
the country. This project has received generous
support from Museums & Galleries NSW, ArtsNSW,
The Gordon Darling Foundation and The Copyright
Agency Cultural Fund.
Olsen and Gallery Manager Lauretta Morton. Gift of the Newcastle
The Gallery holds 35 works from John Olsen Gallery Society presented
in its permanent collection, spanning from the on the 25th Anniversary
1950s to the early 1990s. One of these works, of the opening of the
the stunning ‘Life burst’, is more than six metres Gallery 1997 Newcastle
Art Gallery collection
long, and was originally painted as a ceiling mural
Courtesy the artist’s estate
for the home of Olsen’s Sydney art dealer in
1964. The title brilliantly captures the painting’s

artist
artist 21
27
EXHIBIT A
PROFILE

Kilgour Prize 2016 impact as a pyrotechnic science experiment,

Exhibition: 3 September to 13 November
2016
Entry: Free
Newcastle Art Gallery offers a prestigious annual
art prize for figurative and portrait painting, the
Kilgour Prize, which awards $50,000 for the
most outstanding example of contemporary
Australian paintings in these Genres.
Funded through the bequest of artist Jack Noel
Kilgour, the Kilgour Prize is one of Australia’s
major art prizes, which grows each year in both
quality and quantity of entries. The winner of the
“Kilgour Prize 2015” was Janelle Thomas for her
painting ‘Helen Ross, 94 with Kirsty’.
Images Jack Noel Kilgour (1900–1987) was an
Top: Installation view of Australian artist well known for his academic
Kilgour Prize 2015. approach to landscape and portrait painting.
Bottom: John OLSEN His contemporaries included Jean Bellette,
OBE, AO William Dobell, Paul Haefliger, Eric Wilson
Life burst 1964 and his wife Nancy Kilgour, with whom he
acrylic on plaster on established a strong artistic partnership. His
hardboard
works are well represented in the Newcastle
series of three panels,
146.4cm x 409.8cm Art Gallery collection, as well as in other
Gift of the Sir William significant state and national collections.
Dobell Art Foundation
1976
Newcastle Art Gallery
collection
Courtesy the artist
where miniature amoebic forms trace frenzied
trajectories across the cream ground, colliding
and exploding into massive sun creatures.
Another major focus for the Gallery is to bring
a wide variety of exhibitions to the community,
both those curated in-house as well as travelling
shows, and to provide strong public programming
in conjunction with each of those exhibitions.
In doing so, the Gallery has struck a balance
between creating accessible programs for its
large and varied audience, showcasing works
from its extensive collection and contributing to
important conversations in the art world.
The recent exhibition “Just Draw” was particularly
popular with younger audiences, the 20-30
age group that can be difficult to attract into an
art gallery. For “Just Draw”, young artists Todd
Fuller and Lisa Woolfe curated a wide-ranging
survey of the art form. It included installations,
multimedia, performance, sculpture and even
robotics, celebrating the many possibilities of this
deceptively simple medium.
The Art Fix late night event for the exhibition
featured a live outdoor drawing and light

Opposite page
Brett WHITELEY
Summer at Carcoar
1977
oil and mixed media on
pine board
244.0 x 198.7cm
Gift of Dr William
Bowmore AO, OBE
through the Newcastle
Region Art Gallery
Foundation 1977
Newcastle Art Gallery
collection
©Wendy Whiteley

22 artist
 Gallery
John Olsen: The City’s Son
Opening 4 November 2016 as Newcastle
Art Gallery’s major summer exhibition,
“John Olsen: The City’s Son” will consist
of a collection of specially chosen works co-
curated by the artist and Newcastle Art Gallery
Manager Lauretta Morton.
Born in Newcastle in 1928, John Olsen
OBE, AO considers himself a Novocastrian
and he says this project is personal for
him; a reflection on his beginnings, his
home and the place that he credits as
generating the light-hearted lyricism
in his paintings. An Australian national
treasure and master painter, Olsen has
received numerous awards and accolades
throughout his prolific artistic career,
including the Wynne Prize in 1969 and
1985 and the Archibald Prize in 2005.

performance drew strong attendance and

audience participation.

Kelly McDonald
Current and upcoming exhibitions this
year include: “BLACK WHITE & RESTIVE”,
“Kilgour Prize 2016”, and “John Olsen: The
City’s Son”.

Newcastle Art Gallery

Laman Street, Newcastle, NSW, 2300
Ph: 02 4974 5100
Web: www.nag.org.au
Open: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am to 5pm
Closed: Mondays and public holidays
Admission is free. Some special exhibition
and events may incur a charge.

artist 23
PROFILE
PROFILE

The Visual
Communicator
Painting and creating are this talented artist’s passions, with Australia
offering him a rich source of inspiration for his artistic endeavours.

24 artist

A
ustralian artist, painter and tutor, Don Milner
chooses themes and subjects from Australia's
rich and unique way of life, its characters and
scenery, all of which inspire, colour and enrich his
world as an artist. His honest, intuitive approach to
painting has won Don many awards and accolades,
which have led to lots of commissioned art works
produced in his popular themes.
Artists who influence and inspire him include
Paintings Rubens, Rembrandt, Velazquez, and Godward.
Above: Don Milner Modern day masters include Norman Lindsay,
with his artworks (left) Sydney Long, Rupert Bunny, Tom Roberts, and James
‘Coora’, Charcoal on Whistler, and contemporary artists include Ralf
Canvas Heimans, Richard Schmid, Hal Barton, Herman Pekel,
90cm x 60cm and and Kevin Beilfuss.
(right) ‘The Elder’
“I am primarily a ‘visual communicator’ using
Charcoal on Canvas
90cm x 60cm images to tell stories in my own way as I celebrate
Opposite page: my ‘freedom of expression’ through mediums
‘Jandamarra’s Dreamings’ such as acrylics, oils, pastels and charcoal”, says
Oil on Canvas, Don. “I’m inspired by my environment and the
70.2 cm x 70.2 cm colourful characters who inhabit it. My internal
Don Milner
impressions manifest and reflect themselves through
my paintings, covering many subjects and genres,
predominately Portraiture, Seascapes, Landscapes,
and Still Life. However, it is the Portrait that will be
the primary focus for my workshop in this magazine.
“The Portrait holds a particular fascination for me,
and my paintings endeavour to capture and express
the true character of my subjects. Often I paint in
a traditional style, however, I also enjoy exploring
new and dynamic ways of seeing and capturing the
human form. The eyes are truly the portal to the
soul, so I try to get their expression right and then
the portrait breathes life and comes alive.”
The Portrait Subject
“The role of the artist when painting a portrait is to
capture and express something special about the
sitter. This can be a good likeness of the external
form, which is a statement about the subject’s
external looks, or something else which is uniquely
that person”, explains Don. >>
artist 25
PROFILE ThE VIsuaL COmmunICaTOR

“The intuitive artist can see below the surface,

which empowers the creative spirit to express ‘that
special something’ … the true and unique essence
of the subject.
“I believe every artist needs to discover their own
way of expressing these things by developing unique
techniques and methods using colour and tone to
create mood, and leaving the mark of the artist’s brush
strokes in the paint itself.”

Notes from the Artist

Canvases and boards
I use 12oz cotton canvas, stretched onto timber
stretcher bars. This offers a firm, but characteristic
bounce under my brush as I paint, which almost
feels like the canvas is flexing and responding to
my brushes touch. Quite lovely and enhances the
painting experience.

Paints
• Use the best paints you can afford: ‘artists’ quality’
is the best choice as it offers a robust, smooth and
buttery consistency, which is a pleasure to paint
with, and is ‘light fast’. Cheap hobby paints don’t

26 artist
 Don Milner
offer the same painting experience as they have
very low pigment content-to-binder ratio, with
little or no light fastness. In my experience, these
cheap paints greatly detract from a pleasurable
painting experience
• Always put plenty of paint out before you start.
If you mix a special colour, mix a lot more than
you think will be needed, as a special colour can
be difficult to remix if you run out.
• Use a purpose made ‘Fine Mister Water Sprayer’ to
keep paint ‘hydrated, active and alive’. Do not over-
wet the painting surface or your paints! (Do not use
garden sprayers or similar - they are too coarse and
spray far too much water which drown the paints.)

Brushes
• Use clean water in two separate containers when
painting with acrylics. Half fill the containers so
you can swish the brush about to clean it, and
half-filled containers minimise spills and splashing. >>

Paintings Opposite page

This page
Above: ‘Reflection.. Brian Tisdall’
Oil on Canvas, 78 cm x 58 cm
Left: ‘Gypsy Boy’, Acrylic on
Canvas 61cm x 61cm
Top: ‘Morning Waves’, Acrylic
on Canvas, 60cm x 50cm
Bottom: ‘Moriarty - 1000 Mile
Stare.. ’ Oil on Canvas,
90 cm x 56.7 cm

artist 27
PROFILE
PROFILE

Paintings One container is used to do the initial brush wash

This page and the second for the final brush clean. Change
Above: ‘SonYa’ the water regularly, or whenever it starts to get
Oil on Canvas Panel polluted. Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid
29.7cm x 42 cm into your brush washing water as it helps clean
Top right: ‘Bathed in your brushes more easily.
Morning Light’
• Do not leave your brushes standing in the water
Oil on Timber Panel
wash containers as this can cause brushes to
42cm x 26cm
Right: ‘Gypsy Girl’ develop a memory bend, which can be difficult to
Acrylic on Canvas remove and can ruin a good brush.
61cm x 61cm • Always paint in good light. Protect your eyes
from straining, and good light also helps when
Opposite page: assessing colour and tonal values. I find two
Bottom: ‘Gypsy Dancer’ matched lights placed on the left and right sides
Acrylic on Canvas and forward of the easel and angled slightly
60cm x 90cm
down from above is best.
• Sketch often to practice your craft and hone
your observation skills – your ability to see
beyond a glancing view (the artist’s eye) is
grown and developed this way.

28 artist
 Don Milner
Exhibitions:
• 2015 Semi Finalist – ‘Doug Moran National
Portrait’, Australia
• 2014 Winner – 3rd Prize – Portrait ‘Andrew
Fisher’, Sunshine Coast, Qld
• 2013 Winner – 2nd Prize – Portrait ‘Windows
Of Time’, Sunshine Coast, Qld
• 2013 Winner – ‘Best of Show’, ‘Best
Landscape’, ‘Best Still Life’, Moore Art Awards &
Exhibition, Qld
• 2012 Solo – ‘Making Light of Paint’, Rosalie
Gallery, Goombungee, Qld
• 2011 Group – ‘Sunshine Coast – ‘Unsung
Heroes - Portrait’, Sunshine Coast, Qld
• 2010 Group – ‘The Language of Art’,
Carrington’s Gallery, Noosa Junction, Qld
• 2010 Solo – ‘Retrospective – Back to the
Future’, Rosalie Gallery, Goombungee, Qld
• 2009 Winner – Open Category, ‘Best Painting’
Scholarship to Brisbane Artist’s Academe, Qld
• 2009 Winner – Best Portrait. ‘Art 4 Life Portrait
Painting Competition’, Qld
• 2008 Winner – Landscape ‘Kenilworth
Painting Competition’ + H/Com,
Kenilworth, Qld.
• 2007 Group – ‘Totally Nude’, Cooroy Butter
Factory Gallery, Cooroy, Qld
• 2007 Group – ‘Drawn Together’, Circle Gallery,
West End, Qld
• 2007 Group – ‘Art of the Body’, Eumundi, Qld
• 2007 ‘Selected Qld Artists. 2007 Archibald’,
Noosa Heads, Qld
• 2006 Group – ‘Two Visions’, Novotel Twin
Waters Resort, Sunshine Coast, Qld
• 2006 Group – ‘Celebration – The Painting’,
Eumundi Artists, Eumundi, Qld
• 2000-2005 ‘Various Group Exhibitions’,
Sunshine Coast, Qld
• 1998 ‘Solo Exhibition’, Caboolture, Qld
• 1995 ‘Solo Exhibition’, The Lakes, Caboolture, Qld
• 1987 ‘Solo Exhibition’, Cairns, Qld
• 1985-1986 ‘Various Group Exhibitions’,
Cairns, Qld

For more information about Don’s art, workshops

and classes, contact:
Email: donsart009@bigpond.com
Web: www.donmilnerart.com
Ph: 0428 929 103
Address: PO Box 274, Eumundi, Qld, 4562
Facebook: www.facebook.com/don.milner.3
Instagram: @don.milner.art.3 n

artist 29
WORKsHOP
PROFILE AcRyLIcs

Megz The artist demonstrates how to create a good likeness in a portrait

using acrylic paints and mediums.

Materials List
• A good and sturdy floor or
desk easel is a great asset
in any artist’s studio
• Suitable palette or 2 white
plastic dinner plates
• Painting knife for mixing
• 2 water containers
(ice cream containers
or similar)
• Dishwashing liquid
• 4B pencil
• Kneaded eraser
• Willow charcoal stick
3-4mm x 1
• Stretched canvas
• Fine mister water sprayer
• Clean cloth or rags
• Two old towels
• Box of plain white
tissues
• Brushes:
– Hog Bristle: Bright
(#12, #10) + Flat (#8,
#6) + Filbert (#6)
– Taklon Pointed Round
(#4 or #6)
– Taklon Flat (#6, #4,
#2)
– Taklon Liner (#1)
• Paint – I use artist’s
quality paint for the
best results, which
are both rich and
smooth, with the added
bonus of being light
fast. I recommend
using the best artist’s
quality paint you can
afford. There are many
companies in the market
place producing these
high quality paints.
• Fast Medium/Fixer
• Clear Painting Medium
Final Step • Slow Medium (Thick)

36
30 artist
 Preliminary sketch
T
his workshop aims to give a better
understanding of the process I utilise to
create a good likeness in a portrait using
acrylic paints and mediums. It shows how I employ
techniques developed over many years and helps
give a better understanding of the process so that
you can have the confidence to try this at home and
create a successful portrait of your own.
Brushes
I choose the largest brush I can to get the job done.
My advice is to choose the brush size you think will
get the job done and then try to go at least one
size larger! My choice of brushes for this portrait is
broken into four stages of painting:
1. Early blocking in
Tonal wash over pencil sketch to cover it and
connect to the various forms. Chunking in stages –
block in larger areas quickly with washy paint. Use
the larger hog bristle (#12 #10 - bright shape).
Basic loose blending and soft edges.
Step 1
2. Begin to adjust
Refining form and larger shapes. Hog bristle flat
brushes with longer and better quality bristles
(Flat #8 Filbert #6).
3. Advanced, Fine Tuning
Taklon Flat style (size#4, #6) + Taklon Pointed
Round (size#4)
Don Milner
4. Final tweaking
Taklons in smaller sizes to suit. Small sizes of flat
style (size #2, #4). Taklon Liner (size #1) e.g.
eyes, edges of mouth and lips, model’s features and
garment details.
Step One
After reviewing the photographic reference, I choose
the ones I feel best represent the model and the
pose. I put all other reference material away and out
of sight to concentrate only on the chosen photos.
Then I prepare the working drawings in pencil and/or
charcoal onto cartridge paper. I almost always >>
artist 37
31
WORKsHOP
PROFILE AcRyLIcs

Step 3

connection to it, the paints and the brushes. In this

Step 2 way, I take ownership of the canvas and it becomes
mine.
I find it really takes the pressure off when I begin
Don Milner

do a few preliminary sketches to familiarise myself
with the subject and to get a feel for my portrait.
Once I’ve established where I am going with the
portrait, I then ‘transfer’ the sketch to my canvas in
pencil as a line drawing.
Step Two
Beginning the block in of the largest areas, I use a
monochromatic palette of Raw Umber and Titanium
White in thin, slurry washes. I find adding a few
drops of the Clear Painting medium into the paint
mixture replaces the paint binder degraded by the
water in the slurry washes.
My aim is to tone the background first, allowing
me to paint in a playful way without too much care,
other than to put paint onto canvas and establish a
a painting with a sense of fun, making the overall
painting experience more enjoyable. Remembering
that I have already worked out the composition, I say
to myself, “Let’s just get the paint down”.
During this stage, I still create tonal variations
which form the foundations for further tonal work
with colour.
Step Three
Once the background is blocked in, my attention
moves to rendering. I begin by blocking in the main
dark areas - under the chin, the shaded side of face,
along the edge of the scarf, the back shoulder and
the singlet.
NOTE: Remembering the light direction and how it falls
across the form and models it, I assess tonal value

38
32 artist
artist
 List of paint colours
• Titanium White
• Cadmium Yellow Lite
• Cadmium Yellow
Medium
• Permanent Alizarine
• Brilliant Violet
• Cadmium Red Medium
• Cadmium Red Light
• Light Red Ochre or
Light Red Oxide
• Permanent Green Light
(I prefer to mix my own
greens)
• Cerulean Blue Hue
• Ultramarine Blue
• Pthalo Blue
• Purple (must not be
Dioxin Purple)
• Brilliant Violet
• Burnt Umber
• Raw Umber
• Burnt Sienna
• Raw Sienna
• Naples Yellow
• Yellow Ochre or/- Yellow
Oxide
• Paynes Grey

Prepare and
take good
reference
photographs
of the model.
Step 4 Face and figure
proportions
are always
by looking at the painting and squinting my eyes to Time to add colour: important to
gauge light - dark interplay and variations as I am Skin colours: This is such a subjective thing, I try the portrait
painting, and I soften off the edges of the shapes, to mix a base colour which I lighten, darken and artist, and
making it easier to paint over later. warm or cool to achieve the skin colour variations can take much
I require. (Mixing this ‘Base Colour’ always gives practise to fully
Step Four consistency across all the skin colour.) understand
The canvas is completely covered with monochrome Mix Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre, Light and apply. A
paint and I have made a loose tonal study of Red Ochre, with a very small amount of Ultramarine good reference
the model. Once this paint is dry, I then paint a Blue to cool the colour slightly. This will make a dirty photo is a
protective layer over the entire surface using ‘Fast brown, then I add a small amount of Scarlet to warm valuable tool
Medium/Fixer’ to seal the image. I allow the fixer to up slightly to a pinkish brown, I then add a small to assist this
dry off completely. amount of Naples Yellow, then White. >> understanding.

artist 39
33
PROFILE
WORKSHOP

Once I have created a suitable base skin colour,

Don Milner
I then create a run of colour from this base colour
toward warmer and lighter mid tones.
Secondly, I mix another run toward cooler colours
using Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre
and Raw Sienna, mixed with the original Base
Colour. I also add some purple to the cooler colours
to make them darker for shadow colours.
Now I paint the reflected light area on the
lower left side of the face using a small amount
of the ‘Base Colour’ lightened with White and
mixed with Brilliant Violet, which gives a glow to
this area.
I begin on the face with thin layers of my darker
skin tones, adding mid and lighter tones as I
go. Hydrate the paint often to keep it alive and
Step 5A malleable by using the fine mister sprayer.
The first monochromatic under painting helps add
tonal depth and richness to the new colour layers I
am applying. I could not normally get this depth of
tone and colour from just one colour coat. Also, it
takes the guesswork and stress out of the painting
process by establishing a good, initial tonal map for
the portrait.

Step Five
Continuing to paint colour onto face and chest
areas, I also establish key features of the face,
especially the eyes, nose and mouth. Once these
are painted, I get an immediate sense of connection
to the model, and the portrait begins to breathe
with life and personality.
Continuing to block in, I add reds onto the singlet
area and begin painting the green scarf, starting
with the large shapes and dark areas. (I like to mix
a bright green using Cadmium Yellow Light with a
small amount of Pthalo Blue.) This mixed green can
be darkened or lightened to accommodate the full
tonal range of the scarf. I have Permanent Green
Light if I require it to add to the mix, but it was not
necessary.
Now the form is starting to ‘pop’, so I continue to
work over the portrait, strengthening and adjusting
colour and tonal values.
I begin to fine-tune the edges of significant
features and turn my attention to the chin, edges
of the scarf, depth of colour and tone in the red
singlet, etc.
Beginning to add colour to the background with
subdued blues, I take this opportunity to soften
some edges of the model as I go. I also let the
background colour overlap some of the edges of
the model’s lower arm areas, top of scarf and hair.
NOTE: Acrylic paint dry slightly darker, so be aware
Step 5B
34
40 artist
artist
Step 5 – Close up

of this when applying final colours and tones to

important areas like the face.

Final Step
Now I focus all my attention on detail - the eyes
and surrounds, nose, mouth and lips. I also look at
the skin highlights and shadows to see if I added
enough colour and tone without making them too
light or dark. The clothing gets a final treatment,
and I am very careful not to put too much detail or Step 5C
emphasis here, as the model’s eyes and face are
the hero of this portrait and should never be in adjustments, which frees up my mind for new “Skin colours
competition with anything else in the painting. thoughts to flow in freely. and tones:
The earrings are good examples of this – the I often use a mirror to view the portrait over This is a very
one hanging from the right ear has a reasonable my shoulder to help assess its final composition, important
amount of detail to show shape and form with comparing the colour and tonal values. Also, taking area and is
some attention to its design as light reflects off a photo and looking at it on the camera viewfinder subjective
its surface. However, the other earring only shows can help to ensure the portrait I originally envisaged to each
slight muted light along its edges, with minimal was holding true. individual
detail, and is a lot darker which is appropriate for its artist. I find
position. The same applies to the necklace. Workshops and Classes testing the
I also check my ‘lost and found’ edges to ensure I enjoy and celebrate my artistic discoveries and mixed colours
there are enough sharp edges to hold the viewer’s journey through a personal commitment to sharing on the palm
attention on my model’s face, eyes and expression. knowledge, experience and skills with others at of my hand
I paint fine details using smaller brushes and add a regular Painting and Drawing Workshops, locally offers a good
little slow medium instead of water to the paint to and countrywide. colour/tone
get longer, smoother brush strokes, especially for indicator.”
the eyelashes and similar. For more information about Don’s art, workshops
and classes, contact:
Look and Put stage Email: donsart009@bigpond.com
I spend more time looking than painting at this Web: www.donmilnerart.com
stage, and often sit quietly a short distance from Ph: 0428 929 103
the painting, turn up the music and take the time Address: PO Box 274, Eumundi, Qld. 4562
to really look it all over carefully. I have a notebook Facebook: www.facebook.com/don.milner.3
with me to record my decisions for intended Instagram: @don.milner.art.3 n

artist
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41
Advertorial
PROFILE
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artist
37
Kelly McDonald
PROFILE
I Wanted to be a Fairy
Y
es, you read that right. I dabbled in folk-art
and painting, but while I enjoyed it, art didn’t
come naturally to me.
Years passed. I received a diploma in childcare,
and at 21, I opened a childcare centre.
One day as I was reading a story to the kids, I
looked at the pictures I said to myself, ‘you should
be able to do this! It is just lines!’
At the centre, it was compulsory to record images
of the kids for planning and observations purposes.
38 artist
I wasn’t flash at it, but started to take better pictures
to use as references to draw from. I became good
enough at it to begin selling my pencil portraits to
the mums.
Fast forward some years, and at 30 I was a full time
fairy/storyteller (dreams do come true), with a mad
passion for fairies and mythology and magic. I was also
in love with the work of Anne Geddes. I went to art
classes on a Monday night, dabbled where I could, and
began to take an interest in Photoshop.
Growing up, I knew that I wanted to work with kids.
I knew I wanted to be an artist, too, but what I really
wanted to be was a fairy.
I love Photoshop. It gave me the chance to
create the beautiful fantasy images that I’d dreamt
of, but sadly, it couldn’t create with my beloved
watercolours no matter how hard I tried.
I began taking pictures of kids and flowers,
mushrooms and forests, and blending them
together to make fantasy images. We moved
overseas and I no longer had models, so I began
to ask friends to send me photos. I then taught
myself how to blend other peoples’ images with
my own, fixing colours, different lighting, and
very different qualities. Garden Babies was born. I
began to get commissions from all over the world,
and even created a few book covers.
My goal has always been to create a book.
While we were overseas, I began to research more Paintings
about the world of publication. I entered the CYA Above: Australian
conference’s annual competition and was thrilled Great Egrets
to be awarded Third Place for my illustration Left: Australian Rainbow
submission (in Photoshop). The following year I >> Bee-Eaters
artist 39
PROFILE I WANTED TO BE A FAIRY

won First Place! (I’d submitted a mix of drawing on

paper, and painting in Photoshop.)
I’m still chasing that dream, but, in the meantime,
something else happened, something that wouldn’t
be possible if I hadn’t spent three dreary years
overseas.
We came home to Australia, and at 40 I was
blessed with a baby girl. We had also bought a new
house. I didn’t want to put my baby in care while I
went back to work, and I wanted to be home when
my son got home from school. I wanted to earn
money, and do something I loved, but work from
home.
I had visions in my head of the old swap cards I
used to collect when I was a child. I wanted to do
images like that. I wasn’t sure if it would work, or
if anyone would want what I had to offer, but after
discussing it with hubby, I decided to go for it.
I made a backdrop in Photoshop and had it
printed. I began to buy up fake plants (my mum
helped out amazingly with this), took over the kids’
playroom, and made my eight-year-old son pose
for me. He wasn’t too happy about that, but slowly
I started to work around what I wanted to do, and
with the skills I’d learnt teaching myself Photoshop
in Germany, I swooped on my friends’ kids to pose,

48
40 artist
artist
 Kelly McDonald
and watched in astonishment as my little idea
began to grow. A year later I have a lovely little fairy
portrait business, offering photos like no one else
(that I know of) does in Victoria.
My Photoshop is as old as my computer. I
do it all in CS4. I’ve been open a year, and was
recently nominated in the St George Bank 2015
AusMumpreneur awards for Service Business, and I
was beside myself with amazement when I won.
My studio is quickly being outgrown, and I find
that my work is slowly trickling down the staircase,
literally. I love the whimsy, magical images I’m
creating, and feel very blessed that my community
does too. I’ve had people from interstate visit, and
hope to grow and expand even more in the coming
year.
I’m inspired by many people. I love the painted
work of artists like Donald Zolan and amazing
digital artists like Cindy Grundsten. I’m actually >>

artist
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49
PROFILE
PROFILE I WANTED TO BE A FAIRY
Kelly McDonald

friends with her on Facebook, and become excited

every time she comments on my work.
I still dabble with real paint and pencils as much
as I can. Each year I am involved in the 52 week
challenge, which is a challenge to yourself to create
an art piece weekly from the list of prompts we
are given. Sometimes it’s a two-minute scribble,
sometimes it is digital. I do what I can around my
commitments, but always try to take even just a few
minutes to myself each week.
The biggest thing I have learnt from all of this
is that if you are true to what you want to do, that

42 artist
 Kelly McDonald

people will see your heart in your work, and follow

you. I know fairies aren’t for a lot of people, but I
don’t care, because I do it for me, and those who
love them too!

Contact details:
Kelly McDonald
Ph: 0420 646 244
Web: www.facebook.com/gardenbabiesfairyart Captions
Web: www.gardenbabiesphotos.wordpress.com Caption copy

Located in Frankston South, Victoria.

artist 43
 WORKSHOP
PROFILE DIGITAL

Foxy The artist creates a brilliant

smudge painting in Photoshop.
Kelly McDonald

Final Step
52
44 artist
artist
 Step 1 Step 2

Step One colours together. Make sure ‘all layers’ is selected.

I sketch out my drawing (reference photo from For more of a painted effect, I use a larger strength Materials List
Google) number. When I am doing portrait work, I use a • CS4 (any program
lower number, around 13 or so. that allows you to
Step Two smudge)
I begin by blocking in my colours. I use a brush with Step Three • Wacom create tablet
a little texture to do this. I add on each colour in a Keep adding colours. If you have a reference picture, • Smudge brush
separate layer. Using the smudge brush, I blend the you can use the colour dropper to choose the >>

Step 3 Step 4a
artist
artist 45
53
 WORKSHOP
PROFILE DIgItaL
Kelly McDonald

Step 4b

Step 5

same colours. But it is also fun to just get creative.

For the eye, I used a lower number strength. By
doing all the colours on separate layers, you can
easily adjust opacity to suit.

Step Four
Keep building up the colours, using your strokes
to give texture and direction to the fur. Keep going
until you are ready to add highlights. Reduce the
smudge strength. Blend.

Step Five
Add some darks and blend.

Step Six
Finish by highlighting the eye.

Contact details:
Kelly McDonald
Ph: 0420 646 244
Web: www.facebook.com/gardenbabiesfairyart
Web: www.gardenbabiesphotos.wordpress.com
Located in Frankston South, Victoria. n
Step 6

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46 artist
artist
GALLERY
PROFILE INTERNATIONAL
Painters’ Paintings:
From Freud to van Dyck
T
he National Gallery, London, owns one of
the world’s greatest collections of paintings.
Among them is a significant group of pictures
once owned by fellow painters: Van Dyck’s Titian;
Reynolds’s Rembrandt; Matisse’s Degas; Lucian
Freud’s Corot. This exhibition looks, for the first
time, at these great works of art from the point of
view of their illustrious artistic provenance. They are
“painters’ paintings”.
Major works in their own right, these paintings
are imbued with additional cachet by virtue of
48 artist
their ownership by great painters. They also raise
a number of essential questions: What pictures
did painters surround themselves with? Did they
concentrate on works by their contemporaries or by
the great masters of the past? Was their significance
emotional, spiritual, or intellectual? How deeply did
the paintings impact on their own artistic journeys?
And how relevant were they to these painter-
collectors’ own work?
To address these issues, the exhibition presents a
series of case studies, featuring about 60 works in
total. Each section is devoted to a particular painter,
including Degas, Lawrence, Reynolds, Matisse, Van
Dyck and Freud, and is built around one or several
of his “painter’s paintings” in the Gallery’s collection.
These are supplemented by pictures formerly in the
possession of these artists, now borrowed from
public and private collections in the UK and abroad.
The painters’ collections are juxtaposed with their
own creative works, in order to emphasise the
connections between their artistic production and
the art they chose to own.
 These pairings and confrontations of great works will 23 June – 4 September 2016
shed new light on these paintings and the painters who The National Gallery, London
owned them, creating a dynamic and profoundly original Sainsbury Wing
dialogue between possession and painterly creation. Admission charge

Adriaen van de Velde:

Master of the Dutch Landscape
F
or many years, Adriaen van de Velde (1636-
1672) was considered to be one of the
greatest artists of the Dutch Golden Age, yet
these days his name is barely known to the public
at large.
The Rijksmuseum wants to change this. The
Rijksmuseum and the Dulwich Picture Gallery in
London will exhibit some 25 paintings and 40
drawings that show what this wizard was able to
do in his short life.

Exhibition dates: 24 June – 25 September 2016

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Gallery
Museumstraat 1
1071 XX Amsterdam
Ph: +31 (0) 20 6747 000
Web: www.rijksmuseum.nl

Image
Adriaen van de Velde, ‘Portrait of a Couple with Two Children
and a Nurse in a Landscape’, 1667.
On loan from Amsterdam City Council (A. van der Hoop Bequest).

artist 49
TOOLS
PROFILE By PaTRIck HEdgES
Set Yourself Apart
I
have often wondered what it is about my
art that has allowed me to win various
awards in international exhibitions.
In what has become quite a surprise to
me, I have won numerous gold and silver
medals, people’s choice awards, and been
juried into prestigious exhibitions. Right
now I have two pieces in the masters
section in the International Society of
Scratchboard Artists annual exhibition in
Tucson, Arizona, and I’ve just been juried
into the Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition
at the prestigious Mall Galleries in London,
an exhibition run by one of my all-time
heroes, David Shepherd, wildlife artist
extraordinaire, leading conservationist and
all round good egg!
Hmmm! This sounds like I’m big-noting
myself, but I have a point. Why do I do
Amur Leopard
58
50 artists
artist
well? (Like I say, I’m surprised.) I’m not
bad, but there are much better artists
than me technically. I know a thing or
two about composition, but many people
know more. Colour? Others are way better
than me. Black and white? Goodness
– look at Brett Jones’ work in so many
editions of this wonderful “Creative Artist”
magazine. Why have I done so well? And
how can we apply this to you? You may
be a wildlife artist, a landscape artist,
expressionist, into portraiture or even
someone who works in abstract, but the
principles are the same.
I believe you have to set yourself
apart. You have to have some point
of difference. In my role as a Master
Scratchboard Artist in ISSA (International
Society of Scratchboard Artists), I need
Himba Maiden
Bonobo 'Pan' Finished
to do jury duty for exhibitions and also
for people applying to join the Society.
I also have a Facebook feed that tells
me the same story it would tell many
artists on Facebook. So many people do
the same thing. Just by doing the same
thing as others doesn’t mean their work
is poor, or boring, or unimaginative. But
is there anything that sets them apart
from the others? If a judge is looking at
two pieces of art of the same standard,
why would that judge choose one over
the other? So what is it that you can do
to make your art different to the next
person’s? How can you make the judge
notice you? How can you keep that
prospective buyer from walking past your
work to look at the next piece? What is
your hook?

Clouded Leopard
In previous articles we’ve discussed
composition and creating character, but
it’s worth repeating some things because
they are important.
I have many art heroes, but there are
also artists who have become incredibly
famous, yet when I look at their work it
seems laboured and contrived. I know
of one wildlife artist who is probably the
most technically brilliant artist possible,
yet his work absolutely bores me. All of
his compositions are perfect, which is
fine, but in this case it means that rather
than capturing great moments in time,
he seems to have placed his animals in
compositions that follow all the rules but
in fact would never happen in real life.
Contrast that to the work of Susan
Jane Lees, who uses the same rules
of composition yet has her animals
looking like they have been caught in
that perfect moment I mentioned. Each
animal is thought through and placed
with care, some in relaxed attitudes, some
showing a small amount of action. The
zebras are obviously the focal animals
Quiet afternoon at the Old airstrip by Susan Jane Lees
and so there is an odd number, in this
case seven, following the general rule of
thumb that odd numbers are better than
even in a composition. The birds add a
secondary interest, but the genius comes
with the addition of the elephants in the
background. There’s been great thought
put into this composition from providing
the focal point, the zebra scratching, the
background of the dark trees, and the
shallow diagonal created by the general
direction the zebras are taking, yet with
all this thought, this image is fresh and
inviting, not contrived in any way. The
story behind the painting is that Susan
Tools
Tools
had spotted a variety of animals on an
abandoned airstrip in the Okavango Delta
in Botswana, using it for grazing and its
openness, which allowed a clear line of
sight for any predators. As is often the
case with professional wildlife artists, most
of the money from the sale of this lovely
piece of art went to an elephant charity as
Susan was putting on a solo exhibition with
elephants as the main theme.
These are Susan’s words on this
painting: “Quiet afternoon at the Old
airstrip” by Susan Jane Lees
“Back home in my studio, I had this
idea of wanting to capture the expanse >>
artist
artists 59
51
TOOLS
PROFILE BY PATRICK HEDGES
Pan
of the landscape, the heat, the quietness
and feel of animals just going about their
daily lives. So, when I came to plan for this
painting I decided the zebra should be the
main focus and that I would not add all the
other species I saw there that day; that
would look too busy and perhaps contrived.
I didn’t want drama or action – just relaxed
zebras feeling a little hot in the sun - and I
built this group up from my observations of
how they interacted and spaced themselves
on that day.
“In my planning, I used many elements
of all the reference photos I took at that
time - the feet, the tails swishing, the ear
positions, the lowered heads, and markings
of related individuals. The landscape too
is made up by taking various elements
from numerous images I took that day
to create a backdrop that suited my long
composition; the intention of which is to
lead your eye towards the elephants. The
blacksmith plovers were added as a second
52 artist
Montages
story to the zebras, and I deliberately chose
this species for their similar colouration.
Observations of their behaviour in situ was
drawn on to compose their grouping, and
images taken during the trip were used
for details like plumage patterns and size
relation to the zebras.
“The focus of the exhibition was
obviously elephants, and so in most of the
paintings of other species there was some
reference to them. In this case I popped two
into the far tree line and added some dried,
scattered elephant dung to the line of sandy
soil on the far right. I have two stories going
on really . . . the one of the group of zebras
moving quietly along the sandy soil, some
waiting for others to catch up, one checking
on the juvenile and one that has an itch that
just needs scratching - everyday moments
in herd life.
“Then there are the plovers who are
disturbed by the zebras and get involved in
a slight ‘personal space’ altercation between
themselves in the process. Originally this
painting was longer and had two other
zebras coming into the picture on the left.
But after it was painted, it just did not ‘feel’
right - so I chopped several inches off the
left side and painted over the zebra that
was not removed by the cut-off.”
As you can see by her words, every part
of this painting is thought out, but she even
mentioned that she didn’t want it to appear
contrived. This is hugely important and I
believe she has succeeded very well.
The scratchboard medium is perfect for
creating drama because of the black ink
which is already applied (as opposed to
‘clayboard’ where you apply your own ink or
colour). When planning a piece, I not only
think about the composition but I’ll make
a judgement as to whether a background
should be included. Sometimes I’ll only
‘suggest’ a background, other times I’ll go
all out on one and yet more times I won’t
include one at all, letting the black create
 Tools

Kelly McDonald
Lifeblood of Etosha
that all important drama. However, if
there is a lot of black, it’s imperative that
negative space is considered. This is the
part of your art that you aren’t touching. If
the shape of this is wrong, you work won’t
look good.
One area I’ve made it possible for my art
to stand out is in my montages. Not only
have my emus and meerkats won awards
and ended up in some pretty big shows,
but they seem to have inspired other
people to try similar formats. As you >>

Helpful hints and tips

1. Work from your own experiences if at all
possible
2. Draw the viewer in by careful use of
composition, but make certain your art
remains fresh and not laboured
3. Develop something that differentiates
you from everyone else

artist 53
PROFILE
TOOLS By PaTRIck HEdgES
can see from them, I deliberately didn’t
include backgrounds, but I determined that
the emus needed to have white negative
space and the meerkats needed it to be
black. However, I have included rudimentary
backgrounds on my KangaCrew because
of the full body nature of the panels, rather
than them being portraits.
I’ve made a point to work only from my
own references - in other words my own
experiences, whether that be my own
photographs or my own field sketches. I
have absolutely no problem with artists
working from other peoples’ photographs
(so long as they have permission if they
want to sell their work), but for me it
works better if I can draw from my own
experiences. Somehow this helps me to
better communicate my message to the
viewer, which in turn gives them a better
experience. If I’ve been there, I can put
my heart and soul into my art, and if I
plan on selling a piece, I believe that a
customer has a right to expect that I go to
great lengths to create this art. If they are
shelling out hard earned cash, I will give it
all I’ve got and for me that’s only possible
if I am emotionally connected by having
Lion
62
54 artists
artist
that personal experience. I know of others
who can work from someone else’s work
and still make it look good, but I need to
have ‘been there’.
Another area I use to try to set
myself apart is in attempting to create a
connection between the subject (usually
an animal but sometimes a portrait) and
the viewer. I want the person looking at
my work to feel that he or she can see
into the soul of the subject. This means
thinking carefully about the reference I’m
working from.
When I’m on field trips I will take
thousands of photos (literally – I once
came back from an African safari and
reduced my three weeks of photographs
down from 20,000 to 4,000). This
means I have all the reference material
I need, from the subject matter to the
environment that it is in. I may have
the perfect image of a zebra, but not
the environment I need, so with extra
landscape photographs I can always find
something to work with. Each photograph
triggers a memory - dust, heat, rain, bright
sunlight, and colour - and these memories
can further invest me in my work. n
Zebra Etosha
Artists Against Extinction
I mentioned earlier that wildlife artists
tend to give away a lot of the money they
get from the sale of their art as Susan
did with her painting. I’m involved with
an organisation called “Artists Against
Extinction”, set up by wonderful Kenyan
wildlife artist Karen Laurence-Rowe.
We’ve seen the plight that wildlife is
facing across the world, not just Africa,
and wish to be part of the solution. It’s
a monumental fight when considering
rampant population growth, illegal hunting
and disease, but it’s a fight that must be
fought. Again, I have a point other than
pushing a bandwagon. Getting involved
with a cause is a great way to set yourself
apart. It not only gives your customers
a reason to support you, but it provides
the passion that artists need to create
magnificent work.
http://www.artistsagainstextinction.com
Artist’s Palette 15
PROFILE

Colours of my Life
From the year dot, this artist has enjoyed ‘creating stuff’ – essentially
making something out of little or nothing.

56 artist

D
rawing, painting, sewing, crafting, cooking,
even house renovating – I find the process
rewarding and exciting, yet also elusive
and frustrating in equal parts. But it’s magic when
it works!
Growing up in country-town Western Australia
during the 1950s, there were no ‘options’ at the
junior high school (Infants through to Year 10) I
attended. Once in high school, the ‘big boys’ took
Woodwork or Metalwork classes while the ‘big girls’
took Domestic Science – sewing, cooking, ironing
and even cleaning were taught, but no Art!
When I was 14, my family moved to Adelaide. The
disparity between a country town junior high school
(where everyone knew everyone and probably their
pets as well) and a city all-girl high school in a
different state was a major culture shock.
On the plus side, I was able to take Art as a
curriculum subject with the luxury of an art lesson
EVERY DAY! An added bonus was my newly
discovered aptitude for painting, and the ability to
achieve strong marks in a subject I loved.
I first sold a picture when I was about 17;
‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (the movie had just come out).
It was created using melted school crayons dripped
onto card-covered ply. Quite creative, but unlikely to
have stood the test of time very well, I suspect.
Beverley Rhodes
Upon leaving school I did most of the usual things Painting
- work, travel, marriage, raised a family, worked some Above left: ‘Hallelujah’
more - basically ‘lived my life’ – and for a long time Above right: ‘Eyes in the
lost my painting mojo. With the benefit of hindsight, Night’ (from Wetlands
series)
I realise it is the eternal dilemma – the struggle to
balance personal and family needs. To those still in
Opposite page:
that no-man’s land, I would say it DOES improve, so ‘Sentinel’, Lake Ballard
hang in there.
A Dip Art Studies during the 1980s re-ignited my
interest, but only since retirement have I regained my
passion for painting and the time to indulge in it.
Monet’s Garden
While studying Impressionism during the 1980s I
became interested in Claude Monet, the father of
Impressionism. The evolution of his style (due in
part to cataracts and deteriorating eyesight) was
fascinating, and I decided ‘one day’ I would visit
Giverny in France and see for myself his famous pink
house, garden and waterlily pond.
In 2005, I did visit Giverny, stayed in a tiny loft
apartment there (the proverbial Artist’s Garret)
and painted in Monet’s very own garden one
storm-tossed day. Monday is ‘maintenance day’
when the garden is closed to the general public,
and artists and photographers have freedom of
the gardens. >>
artist 57
PROFILE COLOURS OF MY LIFE

After the Ball

Homeward

The Monday of my visit was wet and windswept

following a storm the previous night. A mere handful
of artists braved the wild and woolly conditions
(yours truly purely because there would be no
second chance), and despite the storm-ravaged
garden and sodden, difficult conditions, it proved a
magical interlude.
Monet’s Garden is a ‘pristine environment’ in the
sense that everything taken in has to be taken back
out again. So: easel, stool, board and paper, paints,
brushes, jars of painting water, umbrella (it was
still raining), rain jacket, lunch, thermos... (a lot of
stuff for one person, on foot, to carry to, from and
through the garden). What went in came back out,
including used paint water!
Juggling gear - umbrella, palette, brushes and
flyaway painting - was neither easy nor very
successful. Nevertheless, the wet and wild day
spent painting in Monsieur Monet’s garden remains
a highlight of my life!

Faces and Figures

I work primarily with acrylic and mixed media. With
the ‘Marilyn’ and ‘Leonard Cohen’ pictures, I applied
tissue paper to hardboard and encouraged it to
crease and crumple slightly to add texture. Once
dry, it was sanded with fine quartz sandpaper
(no’s. 1 and ½) to remove hard edges before being
sealed ready for painting.

66
58 artist
 Beverley Rhodes
Feathered Friends
Birds – elegant, colourful or chunkily graceful birds
with beautiful plumage – I love them all, and employ
a variety of mediums including washes, homemade
stencils, and collage to bring them to life.

Wetland Series
A magnificent wetland area in the south-west of
WA near Denmark inspired a series of ethereal
forest images. Tissue paper moistened with a blend
of white glue and water was manipulated on the
wet board to create texture. Once dry and sanded,
I used acrylic colour washes to allow forest shapes
to emerge organically, highlighting emerging tree
shapes and using darker colours to define them.

Story of the ‘Family Circle’ painting

In 2011, I created ‘Family Circle’ for my daughter.
The large bird in the tree represents her tending
her two ‘fledglings’ (then aged six months and two
years), and the nest while hubby is on the ground
‘hunting and gathering’.
The picture was the work of several months
and considerable experimentation and, although Marilyn
I was very happy with the completed work, I felt
something was missing. A third fledgling - a ‘spirit Family Circle
child’ not yet born – teased my mind, flitting in
and out my awareness until I included him. (In the
upper right of the tree - you can see him if you
know where to look, and won’t if you don’t.) At the
time of painting, Jacob was still very much a ‘spirit
child’ and didn’t join the family for another two-and-
a-half years. He is now two years old, a bundle of
personality and charm, who still can’t be ignored.

Nowadays
I am ‘Granma Bev’ to three handsome boys aged
seven, five and two years of age. The Big Boys
want to ‘paint like Granma’, so a couple of times a
year we paint, using ‘real’ canvas and ‘real’ paint,
and they turn out colourful and beautiful works
which have pride of place on the Art Wall of their
home!
I participate in art shows and workshops, paint
most days, and was encouraged recently to win a
‘Local Artist’ award. An en plein air art tour of Italy
or France in the next couple of years appeals, and
I may even take a leap of faith and go online with
my work. For now though, I simply use email and
my recent, very gradual, introduction to Facebook.

Contact details
Email: beverley.rhodes@westnet.com.au
Mobile: 0432 079 358

artist
artist 59
67
PROFILE
WORKSHOP MIxEd MEdIa

Spirit of ANZAC
The artist explains, “I wanted to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign
in particular and WW1 in general, in an interesting way that didn’t
glamourise or diminish from the horror of that time”.

Final Step

60 artist
 Beverley Rhodes
Materials List
• 16”x20” (40 x 50cm)
box canvas
• Acrylic colours
– Atelier Toning
Grey Mid
– Fawn
– Burnt Umber
– French Blue
– Cadmium Orange
– Napthal Crimson
• Brushes
– Flat brush 2-2.5cm
wide for initial
coverage of the
board
– Round brushes
sizes 4, 6 and 10 for
the body of the work
– Flat brushes in sizes
10, 12 and 126 for Step 1
the body of the work
• Pencils

I
– Lead pencils nspired by the Anzac Centenary, this artist’s Step One
– Aquarelles in shades ‘Spirit of Anzac’ mixed-media picture uses Using acrylic paint and my 3cm flat brush, I
of brown and grey acrylic paint, collage (photos, sheet music applied a base coat of Fawn/Toning Grey Mid
• Felt-tipped pen in and printed material), dried gum leaves (painted to the bare canvas. Before it dried, I rolled with
brown for song titles for colour permanence and glued in place), a a foam roller which has an elastic band wound
and battlefield names fob watch, oval picture frame, paint-stained a couple of times around it to add texture and
• Foam roller with sand, Remembrance Day poppies and petals, interest.
elastic band (to create and the photo of a distant relative – Pte John When dried, I dribbled the canvas with 50/50
patterned base colour) ‘Jack’ Hay Howlett—a member of the 51st mix of Gesso and water, and tilted the board and
• 50/50 Gesso & water Battalion, who fought on the Western Front in spritzed it with water spray to aid the dribbling
mix WW1 and survived. effect.
• Surgical spirit
• Water spray
Step 2
• Stencil
• Beach sand
• Polyfilla and white glue
mixed with paint (to
create sand)
• Tea bag to stain/age
paper
• Remembrance Day
poppies
• Assorted collage
items – sheet music,
photos, old letters
– small oval picture
frame with photo,
dried gum leaves, fob
watch (taken apart and
glued)

artist 61
PROFILE
WORKSHOP MIxEd MEdIa
Step 3
Step 4
I applied drops of surgical spirit while the gesso
was still wet, and this made interesting ‘holes’ and
shapes in the white gesso mix.
Step Two
Beverley Rhodes
I arranged the paper elements/collage, and when I
was satisfied with the placement, I glued into place.
I used sheet music from the era, letters, a
picture of poppies and an image of troops
landing at Gallipoli. Song titles from the era
were added by hand above and behind the
sheet music.
Step Three
Using Burnt Umber and French Blue, I painted
loose shapes to represent Simpson and his
donkey (believed to have been called ‘Murphy’),
together with the silhouette of a sentry on
guard.
With a simple stencil shape and thick gel medium
(white added), I applied stencil to the upper right
corner of the picture.
Sunset colours (‘At the going down of the sun…’)
using Cadmium Orange and Napthal Crimson were
added behind silhouetted figures.
62 artist
Step Four
A mix of beach sand, polyfilla and white craft glue
mixed with paint (Napthal Crimson, Burnt Umber,
French Blue) were added to the upper left and lower
left of the picture to represent blood-stained sand
(but not too graphically). I also used these same
paint colours to soften and extend the textured
sandy areas.
With a dropper, I added a few droplets of the
‘blood-stained sand’ colour to other areas of the
painting for colour balancing. Using tea bags, I
stained the sheet music to ‘age’ it. With a stamp
pad and individual letters I added some words
from The Ode— ‘At the going down of the sun ...’
Sunset colours behind silhouettes were enhanced
and deepened using Cadmium Orange and
Napthal Crimson.
The picture is coming together nicely now.
Step Five
The Australian Rising Sun insignia was added to the
lower right of the picture, together with a painted
strand of barbed wire looping across the lower right
corner, leading the eye from one element of the
picture to the next.
 Beverley Rhodes

Step 5

Dried eucalyptus leaves, painted for colour Know When to Walk Away: If something “I don’t use
permanence, were glued in place. displeases you, walk away, take a break, turn the expensive
As the lower half of the painting lacked some picture to the wall. ‘Fresh’ eyes can alter your brushes, buy-
interest, I added the names of World War I perception amazingly. (Note to self and others: You
ing mostly
from a large
battlefields together with a fragment of a ‘letter can always paint over a dud picture later but once
home’ and a few more paint droplets. it’s done, it stays done!)
‘Live’ With the Picture: I find it useful to ‘live with’ hardware store
Final Step a work-in-progress, and often prop a picture in Art and Craft
I experimented quite a bit with placement of objects the living area where it can be seen as I go back section (Renoir
at this stage, aiming to tell a meaningful story. and forth. Different surroundings offer a different
brand) and
replacing them
Two Remembrance Day poppies were added perspective and insight.
(revamped in size and structure), along with Step Back: Regularly step back and view your
individual petals which help lead the eye around the work. It’s easy to become caught up in detail and as required.
picture. The petals are also slightly heart shaped, lose sight of the ‘bigger picture’ – composition, They do an
which I liked. accuracy of drawing, colour palette etc. Distance effective job
Finally, an old fob watch, the hands set at 11.00 lends perspective.
and that’s what
matters. A
with a dab of glue, was added with an oval-framed Don’t be ‘Precious’: This is especially important
photograph of 22-year-old Pte John (‘Jack’) Hill when a piece is working well and the ‘don’t spoil it’
Hickman (a distant relative and member of the 51st nerves kick in. store assistant
Battalion, who served in and survived WW1). put me onto
Artist’s Hints & Tips Contact details them – she said
Experiment: Experimenting with styles, colours Email: beverley.rhodes@westnet.com.au
she even uses
them to apply
and textures can bring beautiful, unexpected results. Mobile: 0432 079 358
A balance of freedom/experimentation works best Very recently I joined Facebook where I am still
(although this is easier said than done.) learning the ropes! n nail varnish!”

artist 63
My SPACE
PROFILE By DEREk L NEwtON
Albany View
Albany Artist Margaret Dowdell
It’s a hard life! I recently had
to travel some 400km from Perth to
picturesque Albany on Western Australia’s
south coast to meet today’s artist. After
about five hours travelling south on a
trans west coach, through relatively flat
64 artist
countryside, it began to change. I saw my
first glimpses of the Stirling Ranges, and
then Porongurup National Park, followed by
Bluff Knoll, one of WA’s highest points and
one of many high peaks within the park to
come into view through the coach window.
Bluff Knoll is the only place in WA where
snow settles occasionally, often causing a
rush of visitors as many sandgropers have
never seen snow. Travel just a little further
on and you’re on the doorstep of Albany
and the Southern Ocean.
So, welcome to Albany’s View St Lodge
Bed & Breakfast Art Studio and Gallery. The
‘View’ relates to the stunning vista over King
George Sound from the breakfast table/art
gallery, while the reception area is both office
and studio, from where Margaret Dowdell
and her husband Lew run this very popular
B&B, where booking forms take second
place to easels, paint and canvas!
Our series of ‘My Space’ articles are all
about meeting interesting people and looking
at how their art interacts with their lifestyle,
and we make no distinctions between artists’
personal creative spaces. Some people are
limited to the odd one our two hours working
on their kitchen table, while others have a
purpose-built, state-of-the-art studio, yet
all are part of a creative undercurrent that
flourishes in most of our major cities through
to the humblest of country towns dotted
around just about every corner of Australia.
Most travellers staying at the B&B who
use the coach to get from Perth to Albany
are met at the city drop-off point by
Margaret or Lew, which is a lovely gesture,
especially for those of us carrying bags
and art gear. In the few minutes it takes to
drive from the town centre to the lodge,
Margaret had given me an overview of the
art scene in Albany, and where she fitted
into that scene. With the formalities over, it
was time to get down to business.

The main studio area

I say main studio, because in this case the
studio soon becomes the hallway gallery
before again opening up into large, bright
breakfast and gallery area, which is ideal for
exhibition space. The studio-come-office is at
the front of the house, and once the guests
are checked in, breakfasts are out of the way,
and daily chores done, it soon returns to a
creative, inspirational space.
I was a little surprised by Margaret’s
paintings, not by their excellent quality
or vibrant colour, as Margaret uses many
mediums, especially gouache on watercolour
paper, but more by the subject matter, as
Albany has such a stunning coastline, harbour,
and neighbouring national parks, and I would
have expected those areas to be her main
source of inspiration, but we’re all inspired in
different ways, and for different reasons.
Looking at Margaret’s vibrant paintings, you
have to wonder why so many artists persist
with mediums like oil and acrylic paints, when
gouache can easily achieve the same results.
Gouache has the convenience of being
able to be diluted to almost a watercolour
consistency, or even worked from the tube
with a palette knife, building up many layers
of paint, it is odourless and can be worked
on canvas or watercolour paper. Having said
that, Margaret also works in many other
mediums, including oil, pastel, and acrylic,
however, several times she mentioned to me
about her love of gouache. >>

artist 65
My SPACE
PROFILE By DEREk L NEwtON

On returning home to my own studio

and working on this article, I opened up
Margaret’s website to find a wonderful,
colourful collection of both traditional and
part abstract paintings, many from remote
parts of the Western Australian outback, and
others more local, with many from Rottnest
Island - a favourite haunt of us artists
over here - while others, unlike my earlier
comments, were more local to Albany and
the surrounding hills.
What a terrific set-up, I’m sure you would
agree, how sharing the B&B workload with
her husband gives Margaret most afternoons
free to engage with the local art scene, or
to work in her studio. For my part, another
great artist to visit to get a glimpse behind
the scenes.
Perhaps you also have a little studio
gem, quirky, unique or just a little different?
Maybe your kitchen or car doubles as your
studio? Why don’t you contact Creative Artist
on: simon@wpco.com.au to enquire about
featuring your space in ‘My Space’?
Thanks to Margaret and Lew for their
hospitality and for help with this article.
Best wishes, Derek

Margaret Dowdell can be contacted on:

Email: stay@albanyviewstbb.com.au
Web: www.albanyviewstbb.com.au

We would love to see your space

in our magazine. Please send some
good quality images (300dpi) on
cd or dvd or photographs of your
studio you want to display in the
magazine. If you would like to,
you may include a photograph
of yourself to accompany the
picture/s of your studio. Please
also supply your name, suburb
and state.

Mail your studio photos to:

My Space, Creative Artist magazine,
PO Box 8035,
Glenmore Park NSW 2745 or
email to simon@wpco.com.au.
Be sure to include a contact
telephone number.

74
66 artist
artist
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