THE EARLY YEARS
The following fragments of art and some documents are from my early years, prior to my attending Art School in 1967 (I was 21 at the time, having worked for 3yrs. with the Marine Survey Office of the Ports & Harbours of Victoria as a Survey Draughtsman and was taught and trained in “Penmanship” with nibs and on Linen).
I had also previously sat for Matriculation (year 12 now – V.C.E.) with a full Maths and Science course, as well as picking up Art about a year later as I had to drop it during the last year at High School because I had too many subjects; other Art Students only had “Leaving”(year 11 now), so I guess I was an early “Mature Age” student!
Incidentally, I had also almost completed a Diploma of Commercial Art by Correspondence with the “Art Training Institute of Australia” while at High School and also attended “Life Drawing” classes in Geelong with Edward Heffernan (Head of Art at Gordon Institute of Technology) for quite a while at night while working at Queenscliff with the Marine Survey Office.
I was also lucky enough to have sold a number of Artworks and had some Commissions prior to attending College and also had a large portfolio of works as well as Matriculation English Expression (compulsory subject), Matriculation Art, Technical Drawing (my work for 3yrs.) and also much “Life Drawing” experience. I think I may have had a “slight” advantage over other students and when I informed the Head of the Art Department that I was leaving at the end of the year, (I was paying my own way at College by working part-time as a Barman and Waiter as well as being payed to play Football), he informed me that I was in for 2 scholarships and nobody else looked like getting 1, - he said that other students had to work “their guts out” just to pass, but that I could virtually do it “standing on my head”.
I still left – it was too slow for me – I think I could have completed the 4yrs. in 2, and he was right when I first applied; He said that I would become very bored, and that even though I did not have the “Piece of Paper”, I was the end result of what they were trying to achieve at that time. I did not know until many years later that the Art Department had then only recently added “Painting” as a Major as previously it had only been “Pottery” and they were trying to establish the “Painting” Major and were relying on students like me to keep it – I can now see why he was a “bit” angry.
We are, and have been , good friends now for many years, as well as most of my Lecturers from then are very good personal friends, and have been for many decades.
No. 1. My earliest recorded drawing – age 7-8 yrs.old. 1953.
No. 2. My earliest recorded “pen & ink” work with a “mapping pen” – age 11yrs.old. 1957
No. 3. My first “pen & ink” artwork to receive a major award, - 3rd. Overall and 1st. In drawing in the State of Victoria “Gould League of Bird Lovers” annual Competition. *(see also the “Media References” section) - age 11yrs.old. 1957.
No. 4. A large A3+ Graphite (pencil) drawing of Baden Powell, copied from a small photo in the front of
No. 5. These were sketches done of 2 Aboriginal children as the “cartoons” for Oil Paintings on “Black Velvet”. They were “pin-pricked”, then dusted with talcum powder to form the outline for the main painting. –age 19yrs.old. 1964. I subsequently created a series of Portraits and Figure Studies in this manner, including a number of Commissioned Works.
No. 6. This is an “Honours Certificate” and consequently received a Scholarship for the
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