geelong, city hall

Colourful depiction of the carousel with people inside a glass buildingcarosel, geelong

Submitted to the Bellarine Peninsula Art Show 1988. Won the President's Award.

Colourful view from bathing platform back towards the beach with diving platforms, buildings and garden areageelong waterfront

Weedy Sea Dragonweedy sea dragon, seahorse

An antique green hardcover Edwin Landseer and Animal Painting in England book - Vere Foster Series with the title printed in gold lettering at the top right hand corner with a large head of a stag with black and brown lines in the bottom left hand corner.There is a thin black line surrounding the edge of front cover. The spine and back cover are plain green. There is gilt on the edges of the pages. Inside are guidelines for drawing and painting animals as suggested by Landseer and other well known English artists of the time with several reproductions of coloured plates as well as black and white engravings. Stephen T. Dadd gives practical hints. At the back are lists of Vere Foster's water-colour books and Blackie Publications.Pp 84.non-fictionA useful book for artists wishing to learn the techniques of drawing and painting animals by Edwin Landseer and other notable English artists in the early 1890's. The reproduced coloured plates and engravings support the text and advice.painting, art, art books, artists, artworks, etchings

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“This old farmhouse on the east of Ridge Road, has now disappeared. A particularly fine spell of clear frosty June days, prompted a number of early morning "frost" paintings in Mernda and districts. The painting owes something to tonal impressionism. At the time I had been elected a member of the "20 Melbourne Painters", (a rather conservative body of tonal artists) from which I later resigned. However, the importance of tonal values and the decisive balance of light and dark tones cannot be dismissed in painting. By painting into the light, the tonal qualities of a picture can often be more decisively understood and expressed. In this instance the sparkle of white paper and the deeper tones of the massed foliage contribute to the light effect. Such paintings are made for one's own enjoyment and are a spontaneous reaction to an effect that moves one to do something about it.” John BorrackPart of the John and Gillian Borrack Federation Bequest, donated to the City of Whittlesea in December 2001 by Gillian and John BorrackJohn Borrack '79. Winter. Yan Yean.yan yean

“Like "Red Gums, Hunters Lane", this painting is a deliberate attempt to infuse some new qualities into my work of that period, particularly in the painting of local subject matter. The heightened chroma and simplification of forms accentuated by a more rhythmic quality, endow the picture with a decorative characteristic which places it outside the category of the picturesque. Such colour harmonies, despite the heightened intensities, particularly in the road, do nevertheless exist, and it is the artist's prerogative to select and emphasize these certain qualities in his quest for expression. Unlike oil painting, watercolour and gouache can be unforgiving media, and once a commitment is made to the initial marks and washes on the paper, one must employ a certain deftness of touch to develop the work and retain the initial freshness. Some technical planning before painting is essential.” John BorrackPart of the John and Gillian Borrack Federation Bequest, donated to the City of Whittlesea in December 2001 by Gillian and John BorrackJohn Borrackmernda

“A nature painting commenced on site and completed in the studio. More of a morass lying to the west of Yan Yean Reservoir in Dunnets Road, this intriguing site has nevertheless all the primeval qualities associated with swamps in general. The rhythmic movements of the old red gums dominate the surrounding bush with the tranquility of the water from recent rains. Painted directly onto a saturated sheet of rough paper, the large masses of foliage and integrated sky areas determine the tonal and colour key of the painting, while the strong horizontality of the lower water area stabilizes the design and contrasts with the vertical and oblique rhythms of tree trunks. The white of trunks and branches have largely been achieved by the lifting of colour with a stiff wet brush although slight touches of bodycolour are added for a few critical accents. Such a subject and its execution demands a sound concept and plan before any painting is commenced as the wayward nature of the medium demands great control. The painting must be bold and decisive. Sometimes the qualities of the medium should be allowed to take over in its wateriness and its soft and hard edge properties.” John BorrackPart of the John and Gillian Borrack Federation Bequest, donated to the City of Whittlesea in December 2001 by Gillian and John BorrackJohn Borrackyan yean