Table of contents for Issue 8 in Creative Artist

Surrealism was one of the most influential artistic movements of the 20th century. Noted for their experimental and playful approaches, Surrealist artists sought to challenge artistic conventions, opening their work to unexpected results and to the accidental image. Through techniques such as automatic drawing and collage, artists worked with the aim of liberating the unconscious mind to effect social and political revolution; others created hallucinatory and dream-like images to reveal their innermost desires. Surrealism shook up the staid Australian art world of the 1930s and attracted a generation of young radicals who went on to become some of the Australia’s most esteemed artists. Surrealism’s echoes and reverberations continue to be felt into the present day, with its rich legacy evident in the practice of some of Australia’s most exciting contemporary…

The world’s largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition, Sculpture by the Sea, returns to the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk from 22 October - 8 November 2015. For the 19th year, this stunning stretch of Sydney coastline will be transformed once again, featuring more than 100 works by Australian and international artists. More than 30 international artists will be showcased this year, including artists from Brazil, Poland, Japan, Austria, the USA and the Czech Republic. One of Sydney’s best attended and most photogenic events, Sculpture by the Sea attracts more than 500,000 visitors over 18 days and for many it heralds the beginning of summer in Sydney. This year Macquarie Group return as Principal Sponsor of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, with the $60,000 Macquarie Group Sculpture Prize the…

Steeped in history, the Federation Gothic building housing Maitland Regional Art Gallery (MRAG) in the lower Hunter Valley of NSW is an awe-inspiring example of early 1900s architecture. Officially opened in 1910, it was constructed to house the Maitland Technical College, which it continued to do until 1987. Technical education experienced many changes during this life of the building, and only two years later the building behind the Gallery was added to provide more class space. If you look closely at the brickwork of the two buildings, it is clear that they were to be eventually joined by a walkway. The main building at the front of the site which now houses the Gallery is not only vitally important because of its role in technical education; architecturally, it is one…

Warning! This exposition can change your life. In the late 1960s, the rejection of socio-political conservatism with its traditional gender and class-specific role models manifested itself in radical upheavals in the arts: unconventional thinkers began to break up and merge the hitherto strictly separated genres of art and architecture. The human body became the central medium and motif for performative and space-related forms of art that critically questioned the relationship between the individual and its surroundings, and tried to redefine it in a visionary way. It was in this milieu and in the wake of the Vienna Group and Viennese Actionism that a young art and architecture scene emerged whose protagonists, in view of the innovations in society, science, and technology, advocated experimental and alternative forms of living and production.…

Materials List • Paints – Atelier interactive – Ultramarine Blue – Pthalo Blue – Prussian Blue – Cadmium Yellow Light – Cadmium Yellow Medium – Permanent Alizarine – Dioxazine Purple – Burnt Umber – Forest Green – Titanium White • Mediums – Atelier Retarder Medium – Impasto Gel – Atelier Clear Painting Medium (for glazing) – Atelier Gloss Varnish • Brushes: My favourite brush is the flat chisel. Sizes range from #2 through to #12 with most work. Step One My selected reference photo is one I took while camping at the Cooloola Beach National Park just north of Noosa in Queensland. I start by applying two coats of gesso with a ¼ inch flat brush. I mark in the horizon line with masking tape. I mix Ultramarine Blue, Pthalo…

Dungog-based artist Renae Carlson has created a haunting, contemplative experience with Kyoto Ravine, her Zen-influenced series of collages. Combining sketching with materials including wire, bamboo, textiles, and burnt and marked paper, the intricate world of Kyoto Ravine is one in which beauty is not a spectacle but rather something sensed in elusive, fading moments. Carlson’s relationship with Japan began in the early 1990s when, as a student at the Canberra School of Art, she was awarded a scholarship to Kyoto Seika University. Kyoto was the Imperial capital of old Japan for more than 1,000 years and spared destruction in WWII only because US War Secretary Henry L. Stimson had made repeated pre-war visits to the city, developing a deep appreciation for Kyoto and its cultural heritage. As Carlson found, the…

From a space in her home overlooking a significant wetland system filled with waterbirds, at the headwaters of the Coldstream River, NSW, artist Kathleen photographs, paints, illustrates and writes. She has built up a catalogue of completed works and reference material from her current home, her travels and from previous places she has lived and worked, as she studies the environment around her. Kathleen first exhibited some of her artwork at agricultural shows while still in primary school. In later years her illustrations, paintings, photographs and writing have found homes in many public and government publications, park signs, private collections and more. “I’ve always painted, collected specimens to study, and written about these things. Photography followed soon after and with digital cameras that has become even easier. “I’ve worked with…

I began my journey to painting in 1987 at a Council of Adult Education watercolour course. At that stage I had no idea what I wanted to paint, but felt that being able to create a painting would be a great creative outlet. I had this misguided idea that watercolour would be easy. Wrong! While on the course, I also learnt about gouache, or opaque watercolour, as opposed to transparent watercolour. That was a medium that I had never heard of. I tried various subjects, mainly landscapes, but eventually settled on wildlife, as I have always loved birds and animals and felt I could be more passionate about these subjects. Wildlife presented a problem in that you have to seek it out. Unlike a landscape, which sits and waits for…

“The Prank “is a solo exhibition focusing on the creative process of the artist as he explores some philosophical questions in his work. Wael Darwesh creates preliminary drawings where he plays with lines, colours, and geometric forms, moving on to what become semi-abstract paintings constructed from his mind. Growing up in a family of artists, Wael Darwesh’s father graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in 1961 and he was director of the Department of Fine Art & Books Printing in one of oldest and most well-known daily newspapers in the Middle East, the Al-Ahram newspaper. At home, the walls of their house were filled with his collection of paintings. There was a large library with all publications of Al-Ahram, and a house full of all kinds of fine art…

Hahnel Universal Flash Accessory Kit for Speedlites $97.00 From beginners through to professionals, no photography enthusiast is complete without a flash accessory kit. The Hahnel Universal Flash kit is ideal for anyone wanting to create professional looking images through a variety of creative effects. The kit contains six different light diffusion accessories including a honeycomb diffuser, flash reflector diffuser, softbox, flash colour effect filter kit, foldable light beam shoot and flash bracket and umbrella stand bracket. Each modifier attaches to your flash head using a versatile Velcro-style system which ensures maximum compatibility with a variety of flashguns. www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com. au/prod12201.htm Canon Speedlite 320EX Flash $299.95 Designed for DSLR owners who want to use creative lighting techniques, the Canon Speedlite 320EX is ideal for experimenting with different light settings and…

As a wildlife artist, one of the best ways to get my artistic message across is through the use of composition (the way you arrange the visual aspect of your art). You can be as complex or as simple as you like, and you can use your imagination as much as you wish, but I believe it’s really important to think carefully about composing your art well. The rule of thirds Firstly we can explore the most basic, but useful, of compositions, the rule of thirds. This means that you put the focal point of your art on an imaginary line drawn a third of the way in/down/up your painting or drawing. It creates a pleasing and balanced aspect. If you place your focal point right in the middle, it…

Primavera is the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia’s annual exhibition of Australian artists aged 35 and under. Since 1992, the Primavera series has showcased the works of artists and curators in the early stages of their career, many of whom have gone on to exhibit nationally and internationally. In 2015, Primavera celebrates its 24th edition. Hailing from four states and territories across Australia, the young artists in this year’s exhibition are: Abdul Abdullah (born in 1986, Perth, lives and works in Sydney), Heather Douglas (born in 1994, Titjikala, NT, where she still lives and works), Taloi Havini (born in 1981, Arawa, autonomous region of Bougainville, migrated to Australia in 1990, lives and works in Melbourne), brothers Vincent and Vaughan O’Connor (both born in 1985, Sydney, where they still live and…

MATERIALS • Clean lint-free cloth • Primed stretched canvas • Paints – Prussian Blue – Carmine – Titanium White – Cadmium Yellow Light Hue – Vermillion – Lemon Yellow – Black – Cadmium Orange • Brushes – 000 – No 4 – No 10 Step One Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular expressions of nature, but they can disappear so quickly. So, to capture them in all their glory I wait and watch with my trusty DSLR Nikons on hand to capture the changing spectacle, whether frosty morning or smoky, heat hazed evening. Taking care not to aim straight into a bright sun, I use both the telephoto and the wide angle to capture particular images to choose from. The telephoto allows me to get up closer to cloud structures, particular…

Materials List • Paper: – Fabriano 600gm hot press paper – White Saral Transfer paper – Black carbon paper • Brushes: – NAM 12 Red Filbert – 70mm hake (Francheville #6) – Holbein two inch and one inch goat’s hair hakes – Windsor and Newton Series 7 #2 brush – Roymac 3550 Golden Sable 00 brush • Holbein Watercolour Paints: – Neutral Tint and Sepia • Art Spectrum Gouache: – White – Black – Vermillion – Burnt Umber – Burnt Sienna – Primrose Yellow – Middle Green – Naples Yellow – Sky Blue Before any painting is commenced, a number of decisions have to be made. The first for me is the subject. I have thousands of photographs of wildlife (mostly but not exclusively birds) and a decision needs to…

I first began painting in the early 1970s – a great time for emerging artists. I had just returned to Australia after spending 10 years of my youth in England with my mother and stepfather. I had a baby and young child, and was looking for some form of work that could be done from home. So when I was reunited with my natural father after my 10 year absence it was fascinating to find that he had become a professional artist and was making a good living out of his art. He was very well known in the ‘70s – ‘80s, and living a rather exotic lifestyle on his boat, moored in Sydney harbour. Coincidentally, at around the same time, I met a young woman who was also painting…

I grew up in country Victoria. I think I was born to create, and as a child I was passionate about anything with a creative aspect. I particularly had a love for drawing, and spent many hours drawing caricatures. I went on to study art in high school, which was primarily art history and appreciation. Unfortunately, my art teacher was a substitute and really had no creative interest in the students and as a result my attempts at painting were not encouraged. I moved on to the real world, training as a nurse. I continued my creative journey through craft pursuits such as knitting and sewing, and even sugar art and cake decorating, which my mother taught me. I married in 1980 and had two children and it was during…