The first sculpture awarded the Shire of Eltham 'Art in Public Places' Award/Commission. The Judges were Inge King, Jenny Zimmer and Daryl Jackson. The work deals with the juxtaposition of suburban and rural surroundings. This scupture is a typical example of the artist's oevre of the period. This sculptre is site specific and refers to the nature of the environment. The colour - bushfire red / sienna - alludes to the history of fire in the urban/rural fringe and the title, as well as the sculpture's shapes, forms and material refer to the natural and local elements. Judges report noted: "The most vital and expressive work for the site...with a great sense of dynamic movement and vibrant colour. Its' abstract forms will enliven the surroundings and the urban and natural environment. This work is the most appropriate for the site and expressive of the dynamics of an evolving community in which artistic discourse and debate has always thrived." The work has acquired the status of a major landmark from the National Trust. The Breeze is an abstract work made out of welded steel and painted in enamel in bush fire red / sienna. It comprises a series of flat, cut-out shapes, interlocking at different angles, giving the impression of being hinged together rather than fixed. The work references nature and the built environment. Its geometric shapes suggest man-made structures within industry and suburban life, while rural areas can be identified by the organic flame-like shapes fanned by the wind. The circular cut-out in the eye mimics the sun, symbolising the intense heat of the Australian climate, while the colour red alludes to the history of bushfire within the urban and rural fringe. N/Apublic art, ginger, red, sienna, elements, steel, abstract, breeze, fire, sculpture

Murray is an artist with a renowned reputation within contemporary art practice. This painting was exhibitied in the 1999 Nillumbik Art Award. Oil on linen abstract painting. A painting within a painting. A stretched orange canvas with its back (black wooden support and brace) facing the viewer. It is resting on a pink floor and against a blue wall. Style is quite graphic with strong lines and flat colour. Not signed and not dated. ek prac 2015

Deborah Halpern was raised in Nth Warrandyte. Her connection to the area and the significant contribution that she and her family (founding members of Potters Cottage) have made to the artistic heritage and culture of the Shire is acknowledge with the commission of this piece. Deborah Halpern is a highly recognised and respected local artist with an acclaimed national reputation in the arts community. This work is a gateway piece, welcoming residents and visitors into the Shire from the southern end of the boundary. 'Queen of the Shire' reflects the creative spirit that flows endlessly in the Shire, inspired by the landscape. This work forms part of a series of sculptures that Halpern has created along the banks of the Yarra in Melbourne ('Angel' - Birrarung Marr and 'Ophelia' - Southgate). This sculpture is an excellent example of Halpern’s ouvere and 'tile construction' technique for which she is renowned. Materials: coloured glass tiles, fibreglass, aluminium, steel. A sweeping stylised (female) form covered in bright and colourful tiles held aloft by two steel poles. queen, sculpture, semi-abstract, stylised, glass, tiles, public art, halpern, ek prac 2015

Sanders was a well-known local potter who worked for a time with David Boyd at the Martin Boyd Pottery, before returning to Melbourne where he had some association with Arthur Boyd, at the pottery in Murrumbeena. Sanders set up a studio in Eltham in the early 1950s and made the first of a series of architectural ceramic murals with painter and print maker Lawrence Daws in 1956. In 1957 he left for Europe and while there was inspired by the Spanish artist Joan Miro’s unconventional painting style and large scale murals, in particular Wall of the Moon (1957). After returning from his travels in Europe to Australia in 1964, he began to work solely on creating ceramic murals, some of which were commissioned for Southland Shopping Centre in Cheltenham, Melbourne, 1968 (now demolished), the National Mutual Centre, Melbourne,1964-5 (now demolished), Dee Why Library, Sydney 1966, Woden Valley High School, ACT, 1967, Tullamarine Airport Melbourne, 1969-70 (now demolished), Perth Concert Hall, 1971 and The University of Melbourne,1975 (with John Olsen). This mural is one of only three remaining in the public realm by Tom Sanders (the others are at the Perth Concert Hall (1971) and at the University of Melbourne (1975). Ceramic mural (earthenware tiles) consisting of a playful/organic abstract design similar in style to the Spanish artist Joan Miro. Shades of blue, yellow and black glazes are layered onto matte black and shiny bronze tiles. N/Amural, public art, earthernware, pottery, ceramics, glaze, eltham, ekphrasis2017, eltham town square, joan miro

This was the first work de Clario painted during his Australia Council residency in Paretaio, Arthur Boyd's studio in Tuscany. It was painted in an old stable with a vaulted ceiling that reminded de Clario of a cenacolo or supper room. Domenico de Clario has an international reputation, gained particularly through his installation work and collaboration with composers and musicians. De Clario made many irregular shaped, un-stretched paintings during this period. He was involved with Arte Povera, a socialist based art movement where the 'poverty' was reflected in the choice and use of materials. This work was entered into the 1986 Shire of Eltham Art Awards. Painting: oil on canvas mounted on stretched canvas. Semi abstract painting containing out of focus objects within a room.de clario, painting, semi abstract, expressive, painterly, personal, arte povera, paretaio

Jock Clutterbuck is a sculptor and printmaker of national significance, known for his sophisticated abstract forms with underlying esoteric mysticism. Clutterbuck overlapped with Baldessin when he studied sculpture and printmaking at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, RMIT (1965-66). He taught at RMIT from (1969-73) before lecturing in sculpture at the Victorian College of the Arts (1974-2000). He is represented in many national and international public art collections and is a recipient of many National prizes and awards. George Baldessin (1939-1978) was a printmaker and sculptor who built his bluestone studio at St Andrews (Nillumbik) in 1971. The bluestone studio was hand built by George, his partner Tess and the three Hails brothers, Rob, Doug and Don. Made of recycled materials the studio today contains all of George’s equipment including the large press, which he modelled himself with the help of Neil Jeffrey (Enjay Presses). George won many prizes throughout his career and is represented in many of Australia's public art collections including his famous 'Pears' sculpture in front of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. In 1975 he represented Australia in the Sao Paulo Biennale, before living and working in Paris until his return to St Andrews in 1977. In 1978 George was killed in a car accident aged 39 years. In 2001 Tess returned to St Andrews to reclaim the run-down studio and reconstitute it as The Baldessin Press & Studio - a printmaking retreat. It operates in George’s memory, so that artists may continue to create, perpetuating the generous spirit of George.‘Frosty Night Cartouche’ is one of eight prints in the 'Baldessin & Friends commemorative folio. The folio was conceived by Tess Edwards as a fundraising initiative in celebration of the The Baldessin Press & Studio's fifteen year anniversary, and as a way to honour George Baldessin's memory. The Baldessin Press & Studio is a not-for-profit organisation created in memory of the late George Baldessin (1939-1978), whose original studio is now open to the public for creative use and as a practical legacy to living artists. The Studio is located in St Andrews, Nillumbik. The folio is a unique coming together of seven very different and acclaimed artists who are connected by their friendship to the missing eighth member, George Baldessin. Following a visit to the Press in 2015, Clutterbuck was reminded of a suite of paintings he had produced some thirty years earlier inspired by plein-air drawings of the night sky. This print attempts to capture something of the enchantment, mystery and drama of a frosty rural property where Clutterbuck spent many years. It is a frost dreaming; a subtle personal homage to Baldessin, embodying the reverence of a fellow artist towards an old friend. In pencil (handwritten): low plate: left '14/25' (edition); centre 'Frosty Night Cartouche' (title); right 'Jock Clutterbuck' (signature); low paper: right emboss 'GB' (Baldessin Press & Studio monogram)ekphrasis2018, symbols

Nillumbik Prize finalist (2018, 2016, 2015, 2014). The artist lives and works in Nillumbik. Abstract sculpture inspired by the artist attending a local ceremony in Nillumbik to harvest tubers of the Murnong (yam daisy), a traditional staple of the Wurundjeri people. Wirth was also inspired by the writing of Bruce Pascoe. Wirth works intuitively with awareness that meaning may be deciphered through the combination of material/mediums/techniques that she uses randomly. Through the process of experimentation and automatism Wirth allows her work to evolve organically. Wirth is represented in public art collections including: Victorian College of the Arts, Victorian Performing Arts Centre and Ararat Regional Gallery. She also completed a residency at Laughing Waters in 2012. Yellow abstract sculpture woven into a vessel with long tentacles using cotton yarn. N/Afinalist, nillumbik prize, abstract, textile, yellow, vessel, yam

This artwork is part of 69Fifteen, the book published in 2013 celebrating 69 Smith Street Gallery’s 15th year in operation as an artist-run space.Painted using acrylics, ink and charcoal on canvas. This abstract image features what looks like two figures merged into one against a red background with sprays of black paint. liza posar, 69 smith street gallery, artist-run initiative, artist-run space, melbourne art galleries, painting, graffiti

Arthur LINDSAY (1912-1990) Born Melbourne Arthur Lindsay, a relative of the Lindsays of Creswick, studied informally under Rupert Bunny, and John Munro in 1933, and held his first Exhibition in 1938, with Peter Cox, at Riddell Galleries. In 1939, he left Australia to tour Japan, but stayed on, accepting a position with a publishing company in Hong Kong. He served with the Hong Kong Medical Corp during World War Two and was interned at Pootung Camp, Shanghai, from 1941 – 45. He held an exhibition of his internment paintings in Melbourne in 1946. Lindsay returned to Hong Kong after the War, and supervised an Advertising Agency in Singapore, Kuala Lumpar, and Bangkok. In the 1950’s he travelled to Europe, United Kingdom, Spain and France. Returning to Australia Lindsay moved to Castlemaine in 1969. A Retrospective of his Art was held at Castlemaine Art Gallery in 1991.AbstractFramed abstract painting by Arthur Boydarthur lindsay, painting, abstract

Arthur LINDSAY (1912-1990) Born Melbourne Arthur Lindsay, a relative of the Lindsay family of Creswick, studied informally under Rupert Bunny, and John Munro in 1933, and held his first Exhibition in 1938, with Peter Cox, at Riddell Galleries. In 1939, he left Australia to tour Japan, but stayed on, accepting a position with a publishing company in Hong Kong. He served with the Hong Kong Medical Corp during World War Two and was interned at Pootung Camp, Shanghai, from 1941 – 45. He held an exhibition of his internment paintings in Melbourne in 1946. Lindsay returned to Hong Kong after the War, and supervised an Advertising Agency in Singapore, Kuala Lumpar, and Bangkok. In the 1950’s he travelled to Europe, United Kingdom, Spain and France. Returning to Australia Lindsay moved to Castlemaine in 1969. A Retrospective of his Art was held at Castlemaine Art Gallery in 1991.Framed abstract painting by Arthur Boydarthur lindsay, painting, abstract

Interpretation of the Gervasoni farms at Yandoit Creek using a fauvist colour palette.Lisa J. GERVASONI Born Melbourne, Victoria Graduating from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology where she received a Bachelor of Applied Science-Planning, and the University of Melbourne with a Master of Environmental Studies Lisa Gervasoni's artwork reflects her passion for the landscape and built form. Lisa Gervasoni specialises in photography, embroidery and acrylic paintings on canvas. Many of her works have the theme of interpretation of heritage and cultural spaces. Dedicated to recording cultural heritage in situ Lisa Gervasoni has used photography to document urban areas, heritage sites and natural resources of Australia.She has provided over 70,000 images to the National Library of Australia Trove database via the Flickr portal. In 2004 Lisa Gervasoni won the Daylesford Small Art Prize for an embroidered depiction of the Savoia Hotel in Hepburn Springs, and in 2022 she was shortlisted in the Harden Landscape prize. Her art mediums are photography, embroidery and acrylic on canvas. Many of her works have a theme of interpretation of heritage and cultural spaces. abstract, modernPainted stretched canvas depicting an abstract aerial oblique of Yandoit Creek, Victoria.gervasoni farm yandoit creek, lisa gervasoni, yandoit creek, italo-australians

Arthur LINDSAY (1912-1990) Born Melbourne Arthur Lindsay, a relative of the Lindsay family of Creswick, studied informally under Rupert Bunny, and John Munro in 1933, and held his first Exhibition in 1938, with Peter Cox, at Riddell Galleries. In 1939, he left Australia to tour Japan, but stayed on, accepting a position with a publishing company in Hong Kong. He served with the Hong Kong Medical Corp during World War Two and was interned at Pootung Camp, Shanghai, from 1941 – 45. He held an exhibition of his internment paintings in Melbourne in 1946. Lindsay returned to Hong Kong after the War, and supervised an Advertising Agency in Singapore, Kuala Lumpar, and Bangkok. In the 1950’s he travelled to Europe, United Kingdom, Spain and France. Returning to Australia Lindsay moved to Castlemaine in 1969. A Retrospective of his Art was held at Castlemaine Art Gallery in 1991.AbstractFramed abstract painting by Arthur Boydarthur lindsay, painting, abstract

Arthur LINDSAY (1912-1990) Born Melbourne Arthur Lindsay, a relative of the Lindsay family of Creswick, studied informally under Rupert Bunny, and John Munro in 1933, and held his first Exhibition in 1938, with Peter Cox, at Riddell Galleries. In 1939, he left Australia to tour Japan, but stayed on, accepting a position with a publishing company in Hong Kong. He served with the Hong Kong Medical Corp during World War Two and was interned at Pootung Camp, Shanghai, from 1941 – 45. He held an exhibition of his internment paintings in Melbourne in 1946. Lindsay returned to Hong Kong after the War, and supervised an Advertising Agency in Singapore, Kuala Lumpar, and Bangkok. In the 1950’s he travelled to Europe, United Kingdom, Spain and France. Returning to Australia Lindsay moved to Castlemaine in 1969. A Retrospective of his Art was held at Castlemaine Art Gallery in 1991.abstractUnframed abstract painting by Arthur Boydarthur lindsay, painting, abstract

Dr. Frances Mary Burke (1907 - 1994) was a textile designer and printer, businesswoman, artist and Australian design advocate and retailer. Burke’s modern abstract textile designs incorporated motifs and colours inspired by Australian Indigenous art, Pacific Island cultures, Australian flora and fauna, English gardens, and the sea and its wildlife. Following Burke’s death in 1994, her life-long companion Miss Fabie Chamberlain donated the contents of Burke’s studio to RMIT University.Single colour screenprint, white fabric with chartreuse coloured print of positive large format design featuring large stylised canna leaf motif.Printed on selvedge 'CANNA LEAF' a "Frances Burke" UNIT COLOUR DESIGN'textile, australian flora, rmit design archives

Portrait semi-abstract painting presented to Wangaratta Technical School in 1967 by the Australian Natives Association for having the most improved school grounds.

Asher Bilu, Untitled (Abstract) 1978, resin, enamel and pigments on composition board, 91.5 x 91.5 cm. Bayside City Council Art and Heritage Collection. Purchased 2022resin, enamel and pigments on composition board

oil on boardabstract, painting, robert jacks, garden, geometric

oil on boardabstract, painting, robert jacks, garden, geometric

oil on boardabstract, painting, robert jacks, geometric

Jeremy Kibel, Point 2000, oil on board, 40 x 50 cm. Bayside City Council Art and Heritage Collection. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Lion Capital Pty Ltd, 2013oil on boardpainting, abstract, point, jeremy kibel

Inspired by a well-loved poem of Gerard Manley Hopkins, the abstract sculpture is reflective of the elements of Bayside's coastal environment: wind, water and waves.welded steel Public Art Commission located on Sandringham Foreshore Reserve, Beach Rd, near Sandringham Life Saving Club, Sandringham, Victoria.sculpture, windhover, clouds, wind, waves, lenton parr, public art, sandringham, foreshore, bayside art coastal trail, beach road

Kay Bunnett, Dancing flowers 1990, watercolour and gouache, 67 x 32.5 cm. Bayside City Council Art and Heritage Collection. Presented to City of Sandringham by the artist, 1992flowers, abstract, kay bunnett, janet kay bunnett, beaumaris art group, watercolour, gouache

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.

Frances Burke: Designer of Modern Textiles Australia’s most influential and celebrated textile designer of the mid-20th century, Frances Burke (1904-1994), employed Australian native flora, garden flowers, marine subjects, Indigenous culture and increasingly, abstract motifs in her stunning modern fabrics. A confident, determined designer and businesswoman; Burke made the shift from fine art to design in 1937. While she began by designing dress fabrics for Melbourne’s fashionable Georges Department store, printing them on linen using lino blocks, she was an early adopter of the screen-printing process and during the war years began printing on cotton. Burke’s furnishing fabrics took their place in influential modern buildings Australia-wide through collaborations with leading architects and interior designers. They included Robin Boyd’s 1949 House of Tomorrow, Roy Grounds’ Quamby flats, Guilford Bell’s Royal Hayman Island Resort for Ansett Airlines, and Yuncken, Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson’s Canberra Civic Centre Theatre. In the post-war period, Burke made regular trips to the United States and Europe, on her return advising homeowners and manufacturers on the latest trends in products, colours and home design in lectures and interviews. At New Design her fabric showroom and interior design consultancy Burke introduced furniture by emerging designers Clement Meadmore and Grant Featherston in the early 1950s and presented local and imported homewares, mostly from the United States. She was enthusiastic about the convenient and comfortable lifestyle experienced by ordinary American women. Her fabrics and advice were regularly featured in Australian Home Beautiful, Australian House and Garden and the newspapers of the day. Some of Burke’s designs had remarkable longevity. Tiger Stripe (1938) for example, continued to be produced in a wide range of colours until 1970 and Crete (1946) remained a popular choice for interiors into the 1960s. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including Indigenous culture in Goanna (c.1954) and Pacific Island tapa cloth designs in Bird and Tree (1940), Burke also looked to Japan in designs such as Plum Blossom (1948) and Zen (1965). She loved exploring the potential of native flora, seen in designs including Waratah (1955) and Flannel Flower (1955), while garden flowers were the source for many other designs including Belladonna (1940), Periwinkle (n.d.) and Rose (1947). Burke’s clever interplay of a single striking printed colour with lively gestural lines revealing the white base fabric, gave her designs a vibrancy that characterised the optimistic post-war era. This can be seen in Burke’s fabrics for Hayman Island including Angel Fish and Seapiece (both 1949) which expressed the freshness and excitement of the luxurious new tropical resort and led to further commissions. Burke’s three decades in business (1937-1970) were an unparalleled success in the story of Australian design. Her fabrics have been collected by the NGA, the Powerhouse Museum, NGV, RMIT Design Archives and Sydney Living Museums in addition to Ararat Gallery TAMA. Written by Nanette Carter and Robyn Oswald-Jacobs.