Artist's Palette

Sue Gasser was born an artist. For as long as she can remember, she has always been drawing or painting. As a child, Sue would mainly sketch portraits in pencil … pictures of famous people and family members. Her gift used to be merely a hobby, but n

I tape the paper onto a large sloping board, taping only the top two corners so that the paper hangs freely. Then I tape two to three photographs onto the board which I will work from. I sketch out my subject in pencil. In this case, with the lorikee

This first step can take many months to achieve. I can do dozens of small sketches before I arrive at the composition that best expresses what I am trying to convey in the painting. In these drawings I will look at elements like movement and rhythm,

Liz McCann (formerly Liz Chatburn) received a Bachelor Degree of Visual Arts from Uni-SA Underdale in 1998. In 1994, she graduated with a Diploma in Applied and Visual Arts from North Adelaide School of Arts. Liz’s work has slowly evolved over the la

Using a light Ultramarine Blue, I block in the composition of the painting – checking that the allocations of sky, middle ground and foreground are in balance. My method is to start from the top and work down; therefore the sky is my first task. From

Joyce Hopwood-Knight lives at Kyneton, Victoria – a historic country town near Bendigo. She cares full-time for her elderly mother. Previously she farmed at Broadford in Victoria, breeding thoroughbred horses and cattle. Only a short time ago, purely

I was born in London in 1961 but came to Australia in 1967 with my parents. I grew up in the ship building town of Whyalla in South Australia. I started art at the age of 15, and mainly drew animals and people portraits. I gained an A+ in Advanced Ar

Scott Taylor was born in Meningie on the shores of Lake Albert in south-east South Australia. He spent a lot time at his grandparents’ farm located near Meningie – a predominantly flat part of the country providing an unbroken vault of sky which he b

I have my substrate professionally stretched with double primed 10 ounce canvas (cotton duck), and before any oil painting is started I apply two coats of water based oil primer. This is a very important step as you cannot trust that the canvas manuf

During an early morning walk along Bombo Beach at Kiama with my dog Mishka, I came across a newly deceased Sea Dragon. It was still in very good condition and the colours were bright. I raced home to take photographs of my find and to preserve him in

Dailan Pugh was born in 1955 in Melbourne, Victoria; and raised in a shack built by his parents in bushland at Dunmoochin, near Hurstbridge on the outskirts of the city. The shack evolved into a rambling house as he grew. He currently lives and works

My approach to artworks is primarily influenced by both the subject matter and the medium I am using. Nothing can be truer than the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ when it is applied to our marine environment. While we are drawn to its shores and

Newcastle in New South Wales was my birthplace. My English mother married a country Australian. I spent my early years in the country and attended boarding school (where art was my favourite subject). After settling in Sydney, I undertook college tra

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. In 1979, Elizabeth Guzsely with severa

I used 200 weight Canson Oil Paper which I taped onto a board standing on a bench easel, and (as always with any of my paintings) I started at the top and moved down my painting. For painting in the sky, I used French Ultramarine plus a little Monest

Bushwalking near Lawson in the upper Blue Mountains can be a sheer pleasure. As you descend down the mountainside through Dante’s Glen, you can follow a mountain stream with huge beautiful cliffs and high waterfalls. The terrain is breathtaking and f