geelong, city hall

Both William Weire and Frederick Strange were originally sentenced to be transported to Van Dieman’s Land from England making the painting likely to be a portrait of a convict by a convict. Gaining his ticket of leave for good behaviour in 1841, Strange became recognised for his portraiture and landscapes although he also remains known for his mysterious demeanour. He rarely signed his works which is the case with the portrait of William Weire. Having served his time, William Weire was granted unconditional freedom and successfully worked his way into influential local Launceston business and society circles ahead of leaving for Geelong in 1848 and being made the first Town Clerk for the newly formed Town of Geelong Council in 1850. He oversaw an incredible period of the earliest development of the Town of Geelong including the first migrant arrivals and the dramatic change that came with the discovery of gold in Victoria in the 1850s. The ex-convict turned Town Clerk was to read the formal welcome address to HRH Alfred the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Alexandra on the occasion of Geelong’s first royal visit. The portrait of William Weire was originally gifted to the City of Geelong by the Weire family in 1961.convict, geelong, town clerk, frederick strange, william weire

jetty, boat, sea

Robert Ingpen, illustrator, designer, writer and consultant, was born in Geelong in 1936. He was educated in Geelong before studying art and illustration under Harold Freedman at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 1955-58. Early in his career he specialised in relating design to scientific research, and this included work as a graphic design artist for the CSIRO, 1958-67, commissions for designing pamphlets on fisheries for the United Nations in Mexico and Peru, and involvement in a number of Australian conservation and environmental projects. He launched into freelance work in 1968. Ingpen's work has focused on environmental and heritage issues and his exploration of fantasy and imagination. He is best known as an illustrator, and as an author of children's books, and historical books and pamphlets for adults. He has painted murals on public buildings, designed the flag and coat of arms for the Northern Territory, and designed postage stamps, including stamps for the Captain Cook Bicentenary and the 50th anniversary of CSIRO. He has been involved in a number of conservation and environmental projects, including the establishment of the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement as consultant/designer. He was one of the founders of the Australian Conservation Foundation. Ingpen rose to prominence with his illustrations for Colin Thiele's classic children's story Storm Boy, winning for him the first Visual Arts Board award for children's book illustration. He won the international Hans Christian Anderson Medal for children's literature in 1986, and the Dromkeen Medal in 1989.Robert Ingpen, celebrated Geelong artist, was commissioned to paint a mural to be located above the entrance of the new west wing. The mural was designed to represent the objects and systems that characterise Geelong and its district and that played a major role in the city’s growth and development. The three systems comprise: the natural (producing) system; the man-made or technological system, and the natural (trading) system.ingpen, mural, city hall geelong, james harrison

Winner of the Target Art Acquisition Award Corio Rotary Club Art Exhibition 1996/97