Table of contents for Issue 30 in Creative Artist

I grew up on a farm surrounded by animals and nature. I was a curious child who loved everything about the natural world. I first picked up a camera when I was fourteen, in my high school art class. It was just an exercise to decide what media we would like to use in our works, but from that moment, I’d found a way to capture the world as I see it, in pictures. I started with simple point and shot digital cameras, and it wasn’t until I was nineteen that I bought my first DSLR camera, which I still use today. My art teacher really encouraged me to keep up with my photography in those early days. He saw something in my work that he liked, and always helped…

The imposing neo-gothic building in which the Arts Centre is housed has a fascinating and varied history spanning more than 150 years. Starting its life in the 1860s as a convict-built lunatic asylum, this evocative limestone building has also served as a US Navy submarine depot during WWII, a Women’s Home, a technical college and a museum. The building was also the focus of one of WA’s first heritage struggles. For the past 40 years the site has been home to Fremantle Arts Centre, a vibrant creative, community hub which presents a rich program of contemporary art exhibitions, live music, art classes and events. Fremantle Arts Centre began in 1973 with Ian Templeman appointed its first Director, who established FAC as a major supporter of literature and the arts in…

As a wildlife artist, I do a lot of sketching, whether it be at my local zoo or out in the wild. Sketching hones your drawing skills and makes your final pieces of artwork much fresher and more believable. However, for those final pieces I do tend to work a lot from photographs. When I first started out, I would use whatever references I could find, since I wasn’t selling any work. It didn’t matter that I may have used a photograph from a magazine because the art was purely for my own pleasure. However, since becoming a professional artist, I’ve made some rules for myself including that I only use my own photographs. Let’s first deal with those people who can’t get their own references for whatever reason. Some…

I had the good fortune to be born to an artistic mother who had been one of Australia’s early women potters, running a studio in Clarence Street, Sydney, where she employed 10 people. That came to an end with WW2 when she was obliged to contribute to the war effort. I was born towards the end of the war and we lived in what was quite an artist’s colony in Northwood, Sydney. Neighbours included John and Marie Santry, Roland Wakelin, Lloyd Rees, George Lawrence, William Pidgeon, and Lorraine Haines. My mother, Marguerite Moloney, joined these artists in a group known as the ‘Northwood Group” that Marie Santry had initiated. Marie also ran art workshops for local children and I remember painting at these and also running through various artists’ studios,…

I was born in Ulverstone, Tasmania in 1971, and have always lived here. It is a beautiful part of the world, with everything from beaches to farmland to mountains with snow. I did art in high school, quite enjoyed it and always wanted to learn more, so I finally decided to do an Adult Education Folk Art class in about 2002 with Lynette Fairbrother. I continued painting with her for a number of years and progressed onto other types of painting and I haven’t stopped. I also sew and make cards, and have tried most crafts over the years. I took over one of our spare bedrooms and it is now my art/ craft room. It’s wonderful having a room just for this and you can shut the door on…

The quest for a sharp, detailed image is highly prized by photographers as they are clear and easy to view but need skill to produce, thus making it a constant challenge for that sharper image without blur. This focus is paramount in capturing moving objects in a freeze-frame in perfect detail. Whatever your interest is, be it sporting actives or nature in motion, the shutter speed determines sharpness, the short shutter speed freezes the action and a long shutter speed blurs the action. If you are photographing at a sporting venue, have a good position to work from and want to pan the subject through your view finder, for example horse or boat racing, it is a good idea to have your camera attached to a monopod to give extra…

Step One I lightly sketched my subject using a 2B pencil to make sure of the composition, and particularly to make sure I saved those areas I wanted to remain white, like the top of the houses. Generally, I thoroughly saturate the back of the watercolour paper. The wet side of the paper is placed on a board coated with gesso. The excess water is towelled off, and the paper taped down with masking tape. In this particular painting, I clipped the watercolour paper to the board, as I wanted to move the washes around and lay it flat to settle. Step Two I started with a Yellow Ochre wash at the top of painting and, as I moved down the page, changed to a Viridian wash to the building…

It’s autumn and the ornamental grape vines are turning the most beautiful shades of purple and red. I’ve picked some of these lovely leaves and I’m going to do a watercolour painting showing some of the colours. I will include a number of superb blue wrens who frequent the grape vines to seek out insects. I’ve chosen to do this subject in a formal manner and to keep it botanically correct. I will also use references to ensure accuracy in the rendering of the wrens. I’ve chosen a long narrow format for the painting as I feel it suits the long stems of the grape vine. Above the paper I have taped one of these stems. I’ve wrapped some wet tissue around the stem of the vine so the leaves…

Step One Using a pencil, lightly sketch picture onto paper. Don’t press too hard or you will leave marks in your paper. Personally, I use a light box and trace my picture. I’m sure some people will be horrified and say ‘you can’t do that’, but it works for me. Don’t be too fussy with details, mainly outlines and major marks and shadows. Step Two Using masking tape, secure paper to a hard surface such as MDF or drafting table to give a stable surface and stop your paper moving about. Step Three Starting at the top left corner, begin applying dots with your pen and work rock by rock. Keep referring to the black and white picture to see where the shadows are, and the marks and blemishes on…

Val has been fortunate in travelling our world at interesting times. Our beautiful habitat is disappearing and this is why her passion is to paint landscapes, seascapes and streetscapes. Val had always been interested in art in her early years, but had never thought of an occupation involving an artistic career. It really evolved when she first travelled and loved the beauty of the landscape, and seeing what artists in other countries were accomplishing that inspired her to rekindle her interest in art. However, in these early days of travelling and working, it was difficult to become too involved in settling down to paint. Sometimes it was necessary to paint until all hours of the night. For 20 years, Val travelled overseas, initially on her own to Canada, Europe, and…