Artists Drawing and Inspiration Issue 56

I was born in Russia and as a child I always spent my spare time painting and drawing. At that time in the former Soviet Union, art materials were quite expensive and hard to find. But thanks to my mother I have always had good brushes and paints to work with. Later in my teenage years I visited Moscow’s and St. Petersburg’s famous art museums and was fascinated with the masterpieces of Russian, Dutch, Italian, English and Spanish masters. As a keen dressage rider at that time, I was especially deeply impressed by paintings depicting horses and riders. So it was quite a challenge for me later to learn to paint and draw something else, not only horses. I started my career as a visual arts teacher in Almaty (Kazakhstan)…

MATERIALS • 8”x10” Art Spectrum ColorFix paper – Raw Sienna colour • Saral Yellow transfer paper • Premier Prismacolor coloured pencils • Kneaded eraser • Wide soft drafting or watercolour hake brush • White gouache paint • Round synthetic brush size 1/0 • Workable Mat Fixative • Permanent Gloss or Satin finish For this demonstration I have chosen to do a close-up portrait of a beautiful Australian Shepherd dog which I photographed some time ago at a dog show. This Blue Merle coloured dog has a unique “painted” coat pattern and intelligent golden eyes, so I needed to decide what colour of the paper would be better to use. I love to use dark or strong colours for my art, which are base colours of the subject. For this portrait…

I was born in Swan Hill in Victoria. I attended the local primary school. I later went to Swan Hill High School where I was fortunate to have an art teacher who was happy to let me explore my painting, and encouraged me to develop my own style. After I left school, I moved to Melbourne to study nursing. I did not know it at the time, but I was not destined to return to art until after retirement. I spent some time living at Nelson Bay and at Darwin; then returned to Melbourne to have a family and continue working. Upon retiring, I moved to Phillip Island where I was able to attend art classes. A six week drawing class started me on the way to exploring other mediums.…

MATERIALS • Sanded card (26 x 20 inches). • Reference photographs from my garden. • A range of soft and hard pastels in suitable tones. • Fine sticks of vine charcoal. • Pastel paper stumps in various sizes. • Masking tape. • Baking paper. STEP ONE My selection of colours is chosen from autumn flowers in my garden. These are set up on a plate. The colours may change as the work progresses. After taping the card to a padded board, I’m ready to start. The masking tape gives a clean edge to the finished painting and makes framing easier. A quick charcoal sketch places the flowers and helps to keep them clean and fresh. STEP TWO For the background, I layer a few tones. When I’m happy with the…

ELIZABETH GUZSELY GALLERY Cooktown School of Art Society Inc operates the Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery at 125 Charlotte Street, Cooktown, in far north Queensland. This history has been compiled with the assistance of member Elizabeth Johns. THE HISTORY OF OUR GALLERY In 1979, Elizabeth Guzsely with several other very enthusiastic artists decided to start an art society in Cooktown. Elizabeth was born in 1934 in Budapest, Hungary – into a family of painters, musicians, singers, actors and writers. So, from an early age, art became a way of life. Surviving the Russian invasion of Hungary during the World War II, she gained a Diploma of Fine Art at the Hungarian National Institute, and worked as a graphic artist within the main Hungarian Military Academy – surrounded by Old Masters and teachers…

We all have fond memories of drawing on scraps of paper when we were kids. Smudging those messy oil crayons around a giant sheet of butcher’s paper drawing Mum, Dad and your brothers and sisters in front of that square house with the mandatory smoke billowing chimney was where it all started. It was here and throughout school that most young artists were inspired enough to pursue art as a career. Some of us loved those art classes where others loved mathematics and chemistry. But once the call of art is heard, it is nigh impossible to deviate from that calling. To be a good artist I believe one must be able to draw proficiently first and those skills need to be honed on a regular basis; pulling them out…