Artist in Profile - August
VELIA NEWMAN
Velia was born in Sydney in 1969 and began painting at the age of 9.
She is largely self-taught, although for many years had guidance from her mother, Anita Newman, who is a well known romantic impressionist artist.
A major part of Velia’s childhood was surrounded by the beauty of the natural bushland of the Northern Beaches which today is portrayed in the brightness and colour of Velia’s paintings. Her technique of painting wet on wet gives the impression of colours “enamelled” onto canvas.
Her paintings are reknown for their wonderful depiction of flowers, seascapes and landscapes, and have a uniqueness that can only be expressed by Velia.
As a full time artist for the past five years, her works have had an enormous impact at this early stage of her painting career.
Velia is represented in many private collections both here in Australia and overseas, with wide recognition internationally.
Artist in Profile - June
JOHN DOWNTON -F.B.A.S.
F.R.A.S. F.A.S.M.A.
Born in Sydney,
Australia in 1939, John studied at the Royal Art Society of NSW under the
tutelage of Kenneth Green, Alan Hanson, Arthur Murch and private teacher George
Duncan. He also spent many years Plein Air painting with master artist Leonard
Long OAM.
Painting career
started 1973. In 1974 John won second prize in the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht
Squadron Art Competition. John also won
the first prize in the Caltex Art Award in 1976, 1977 and 1978. He won Bega Art Society Fellowship in
1982. He won the Kiama Council
Commercial Garden Art Design Award in 1986 and the Australian Navy 75 Years
Anniversary National Seascape Art Competition in 1987.
John was the
first artist ever invited to hold an exhibition at the Mitchell Library in
Sydney celebrating the 1988 Bicentennial.
A booklet was published of this exhibition.
John won a
Japanese Cultural Award and Citation at the 25th Taiyo Art Award in
1989. He won a special citation for
outstanding at the 35th Annual Pacific Cultural Exhibition and the
First Prize trophy for an outstanding painting.
One of John
Downton’s works was reproduced as an international Christmas Card by Westpac
Bank in 1990. Another was reproduced as
the NSW Parliament House card in 2000.
In 1991 John was
invited by the Irish to hold a one man exhibition in Dublin as part of Dublin’s
official “Cultural City of Europe” celebrations.
John is one of
Australia’s foremost landscape painters whose remarkable talent has won him
countless art competitions and awards. His works are an integral part of many
of Australia’s best corporate collections.
John is a member
of the Australian Society of Marine Artists and the Royal Art Society of NSW.
John was awarded
the Australian Society of Marine Artists Presidents Medal 2004 and a Fellow the
same year.
John Carey
Downton remains true to the integrity of his art, delighting us with his sense
of colour and light, capturing the spirit of the vast, rugged Australian
landscape, the glorious majesty of the mountains and the subtle tranquility of
the rural countryside.
Artist in Profile - April
WALANGARI KARNTAWARRA
WALANGARI WANGARDI KARNTAWARRA JAKAMARRA, also known as COLIN MCCORMACK, was born in Alice Springs in 1961.
He is of the Arrernte, Luritja, Walpiri, Yankuntjatjarra, Pintubi and Alyawarre peoples of the Central and Western Desert.
It was the legacy of his famous great-grandfather, Albert Namatjira and the inspiration of his grandfather Clifford Possum that encouraged him to paint.
Walangari is currently the United Nations Environment Programs Artist of the Year.
While his paintings tell the traditional stories of his people and feature the iconography of the "Western Desert", Walangari uses a fuller colour spectrum and unique effects to forge a striking path within modern Aboriginal Art.
His paintings are widely acclaimed and he has exhibited extensively both in Australia and overseas.
Artist in Profile - February
HENRYK SZYDLOWSKI
Henryk creates a whimsical world inhabited by round birds, striped trees and puppet-like people; a place where flights of fancy take us into a delightful realm of rich colour and shimmering glazes.
The artist sets a stage and directs his characters on it, then allows the viewer to interpret the action. Each painting is constructed in layers that compose a story; one that develops while the image evolves.
We are invited to discover the artists narrative or invent our own. Meanwhile, poetic titles provide a point of entry to the fantasy and guide us through the painting.
'My works are about my dreams; these dreams are represented by poetry of compositions, colours, shapes and illusions. Together these components are harmonised never-ending theatrical performance of my puppets.' Henryk
Australia is indeed fortunate to be able to claim this Polish born, internationally famous artist as one of its own!
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