The Journey So Far…
I am an Artist/Printmaker who relishes the opportunity of creating images on copper and zinc using traditional and non-traditional techniques developed over the past 45 years.
I began Art school at the very impressionable age of sixteen. Right from the get-go we were encouraged to head straight into Abstraction. Aka the New York School, very fashionable at the time.
What completely changed my way of seeing was a trip to America at the end of my Art studies. I saw great Art for the first time and was completely bowled over by what I saw at the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art, the Frick Collection in Manhattan and the Chicago Institute of Art. I saw paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Goya and Velasquez, not just reproductions in Art books, the only access living in Australia.
After this trip I was determined to learn to draw. I copied drawings from the Old Masters and attended life drawing classes regularly. The still life also became my passion as I was introduced to the magic of Morandi.
When I decided to head to Europe, I applied to Art schools in Paris, the UK, Italy and Holland. I was unsuccessful but not daunted. I had a ‘fire in the belly’, a determination to achieving my goal, come what may. Luckily, I had a UK passport that enabled me to stay any where in Europe. I first travelled to London then on to Paris via a week in Amsterdam where I visited the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksakademie.
When I alighted from the train at Paris station, Gare du Nord, it was the height of summer, a heat wave in fact. Walking out of the station and seeing Paris for the first time was like a thunderbolt for me. I instantly knew I had found the place where I wanted to live, it was so beautiful. The French language was, and still is music to my ears.
After a few months of learning to speak French and drawing non-stop I was accepted into Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in Paris I decided to study Printmaking, namely Etching. For two years I went to the school five days per week. It was an incredibly stimulating time for me, working alongside young artists from all over the world. I was the first Australian to study there!
Our print technician was Jacques Frelaut from the Atelier Lacouriere et Frelaut. This famous printmaking studio was founded in 1929 by Roger Lacouriere and taken over by Master Printer; Jacques Frelaut and his brother, Roger, in 1959. It was in a fabulous location on the steps leading up to Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. Sadly, it closed in 2008. As students from the Printmaking course we were permitted to visit the studio. It was a hive of activity and a beacon for artists like Picasso, Marc Chagall and Henry Moore.
So there began the journey of my life’s work. All the adventures and ups and downs could be the subject of a book one day! But this site is for showcasing my work.
I wish you well and hope you enjoy looking at my work. I encourage you to contact me via this site if you are interested learning more about me and my work.
Artist CV
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Diploma of Art & Design Prahran College of Technology {major painting}
Diplome de Decorateur- Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs {major Printmaking} Paris, France
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2018- Prints Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
2015- Prints Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
2014- Prints Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
2012- Prints & Papier Mache Stephen Mclaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
2010- Prints & Papier Mache Stephen Mclaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
1979- La Rencontre ABC Taille Douce Gallery, Paris
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2023-Off The Wall Firestation Print Studio
2022-Common Ground-Castlemaine Printmakers
2022-Altered States Firestation Print Studio
2021-Off The Wall Firestation Print Studio
2021-Editions 2021 Tacit Gallery, Collingwood
2019- Editions 2019 Tacit Gallery, Collingwood
2019- Aspire Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
2018- Impressions Australian Print Workshop
2017-Group Exhibition- Rock Granite & The Profiles Bright Space, St Kilda
2014- Regional Printmakers Geelong Fine Art Gallery
2103- Regional Printmakers Metropolis Gallery, Geelong
2012- Karingallery, Geelong
2008- Cavalier Gallery, Geelong
2005- Partners In Print Exchange Media Australian Print Workshop, Fitzroy
2005- Dale Faulkner Gallery, Castlemaine
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Art Bank
Australian Print Workshop
Warrnambool City Art Gallery
National Gallery of Victoria- Print Room, folio Partners In Print Exchange Media
London Print Workshop- Travelling Solander, folio Partners In Print Exchange Media
Biblioteque Nationale- Paris France
Deakin University
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Item description2019- Editions 2019 Tacit Gallery, Collingwood
2002- Wyndam Contemporary Art Prize, Werribee City Gallery
1997- Tyree Tycan Open Art Award,
1980- Mornington Peninsula Print Prize, Mornington
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March 2018- Atelier Bo Halbirk, Paris
October 2018- Atelier Bo Halbirk, Paris
June 2019- Atelier Sfumato, Montreuil
June 2022- Atelier Bo Halbirk, Paris
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- Editions Print Prize 2022
Equal first prize-Tacit Gallery, Collingwood