Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 164 i Artist's Palette

Judy Kurtz was born and schooled at Condobolin in New South Wales. She has since lived in various parts of the State including Sydney, Katoomba and Orange. A passion for art began when she was a child – drawing on anything she could find (including the edges of newspapers, when other paper was not available). She won prizes for her work when she was at school. At the age of 13, she enrolled in a correspondence course with the Art Training Institute of Melbourne – studying commercial art. After leaving school, she worked for some time as a tracer and draughtsperson for a corporate business. These days she lives and works on a sheep grazing property near Mudgee, where she and her artist husband have built a mud brick home…

Dell Fechner was born at the gold mining town of Cracow in central Queensland. She is now retired and lives on Queensland’s Gold Coast – where she pursues painting as a hobby. Art training for this lady began at the age of 12, through a correspondence course. Her father built her a studio, and paid for the lessons. She is proud to relate that her teachers are now famous Australian artists. Dell later married and moved to Canada, were she studied oil painting and sketching at the Art Academy of Toronto over a period of eight years. She subsequently lived in Japan for some time – where she learned the arts of Ikubana and Japanese calligraphy. “I am passionate about colour and combinations of colour, and balance,” she says. “Everything…

STEP ONE I search for an interesting subject in my garden. The little Superb Blue Wrens are very busy – so I include the male blue wren in my composition and (for interest) add my teacup. This is a tonal sketch done with 2B and 4B pencil. I am hoping to create a feeling of a fleeting moment when Nature and man-made objects meet. I concentrate on placing the darks and the lights where they are needed to throw the subject matter forward and recess less important areas of the composition. STEP TWO Having stretched a half sheet of paper the night before on my board, I draw the outline of my composition onto it with a HB pencil. I then refer back to my early sketch and, using masking…

Janina Jackson was born in 1970 in Geelong – into a highly artistic family. “My dad was art director for a local surf clothing manufacturer and my mum was into anything and everything creative – pottery, sewing, macramé, crochet, painting, herbal medicines and lotions (it was the ’70s),” she laughs. “Now, mum’s into paper maché sculpture and music, and at age 60 she taught herself to play banjo, mandolin, guitar, piano accordian and harmonica. These days she sings in a band as well. My brother showed artistic talent from a young age and was very much encouraged by my parents.” Janina didn’t think she had any artistic talent. She rebelled against the family by getting a ‘real job’ as a nurse after completing university training. “In 2002, I developed chronic…

• Stepping outside your studio and looking at the world around you is often where you will find the greatest source of artistic inspiration. Lots of quick little sketches – no matter how insignificant they may seem – are great building blocks for larger ideas and final compositions. • Once I have a clear image in my mind and a tonal sketch on paper, the confidence to paint comes easily. • Take the telephone off the hook when doing wet-on-wet areas such as large background washes. • Having chosen and laid out the colours you wish to paint with, do a small rough painting of your idea. This, together with your tonal sketch, can help as a ‘memory bank’ for your final painting. • Keep at least three jars of…

Harry Barden’s life began in Plymouth, Devonshire, in 1931. He trained at the ‘West of England College of Art’ Bristol, and subsequently worked for a few years for the American Animation Company as a painter and tracer. Later, he served for some time as a technical illustrator for Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft; after which he went to sea, to see the world while working on luxury liners in the hospitality industry. On several occasions his skills were engaged to paint murals on mirrors for festive events. After emigrating to Australia in 1967, Harry found time to paint again. While employed at the famous ‘Room with a View’ as maitre d’hotel, he held a very successful exhibition. Upon semi-retirement, he decided to hone his talents and broaden his horizons. He entered six…

• Cartridge paper for sketching.• HB, 2B and 4B pencils.• Gum Strip tape.• Lightweight marine ply board.• Containers of water.• Masking fluid.• Half sheet of Saunders Waterford watercolour paper – 200gsm rough surface.• Winsor & Newton artists’ quality watercolours: Prussian Blue; Cobalt Blue; French Ultramarine Blue; Lemon Yellow; Naples Yellow; Cadmium Orange; Burnt Umber; Burnt Sienna; Alizarin Crimson; Permanent Rose; Chinese White.• Brushes: Numbers 24, 12, 7, 5, 2 and 0.…

On Wednesday morning 21 May at the remote Willow Springs Station deep in the Flinders Ranges, I climbed out of my swag while it was still dark. As I rebuilt the campfire, Belair artist and fellow traveller Leslie Jorgensen joined me in its glow. We had a cup of tea and a yarn while we waited for the sun to rise. Before too long, our companions gathered for an early breakfast. We packed up the camp and headed north to Blinman. The weather, at last, was sunny (but cool). The tiny and distant town of Blinman boasts a coffee shop and a pub – members of the group visited both for refreshments and stocks for the days ahead. The Toyota Troop Carrier and its happy load proceeded to Mt Chambers…

JULLIAN – THE ORIGINAL FRENCH BOX EASEL FROM ART BASICS The amazing quality of the Jullian French box easel is world renowned. It is highly regarded for its design and the versatility of its applications. It has been copied many times over – but not in distinction. It is a combination of a sketch box, easel and canvas carrier. This union saves time and money for the user. It is perfect for students going to and from classes and for artists who paint on location. It’s also great to use as a desk easel that will fold away; for those people who are tight on space at the studio or at home. The easel is easy to modify and is adaptable to many painting angles – flat for watercolours, vertical…

To meet the World Expeditions Art Adventure tour to the Flinders Ranges, I first had to travel to Port Augusta – some 1500 kilometres from my home near Sydney. I considered the option of flying to Adelaide and transferring by bus; before electing to drive all the way across western New South Wales instead. The ‘road trip’ option worked out well. The first leg ended at Cobar on Friday evening 16 May. Early on Saturday morning I was joined by artist Jenny Greentree from Bourke for another day-long drive ending at Port Augusta. Jenny and I interrupted our journey briefly at Broken Hill, just before crossing the South Australian border. There we met local artist Howard Steer in his studio. Howard made us both very welcome and showed us some…

• Eyes, head and heart. Gently be ‘aware’ while painting that you are not only making a visual statement but also creating a mental (and feeling) ‘climate’ out of which the viewers’ own thoughts and feelings can blossom. • Paint broadly using large flat-headed brushes. Someone said to me that painters see the world in exquisite detail; I replied ‘no more than you’. In fact, the reverse is the case. When painting, I see in terms of mass shape, colour and tone. Painting is a system of generalisations … even the smallest brush stroke is a generalisation. • Shape and form should take care of themselves. Don’t fuss with too much modelling. A rich mosaic of colour and tone will provide all the form you need. • Variety is the…

• Stepping outside your studio and looking at the world around you is often where you will find the greatest source of artistic inspiration. Lots of quick little sketches – no matter how insignificant they may seem – are great building blocks for larger ideas and final compositions. • Once I have a clear image in my mind and a tonal sketch on paper, the confidence to paint comes easily. • Take the telephone off the hook when doing wet-on-wet areas such as large background washes. • Having chosen and laid out the colours you wish to paint with, do a small rough painting of your idea. This, together with your tonal sketch, can help as a ‘memory bank’ for your final painting. • Keep at least three jars of…