Showing 77 items matching grampians flora
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University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus Archives
Album - Colour slides, Forests Commission of Victoria, Grampians Flora, 1984
... Grampians Flora...grampians flora...Grampians Flora, Photograph Album containing 98 colour... Boulevard Richmond melbourne Colour slides Album Grampians Flora ...Grampians Flora, Photograph Album containing 98 colour slides in slide pockets with list of names of plants on each slide.grampians flora, plants -
University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus Archives
Album - Colour 35mm slides, A. Lewis, Grampians Flora, 1984
... Grampians Flora...grampians flora...." Contains list of 98 plants labelled, "Grampians Flora...." Contains list of 98 plants labelled, "Grampians Flora ...Plastic folder labelled, "Victorian College of Agriculture & Horticulture-Burnley, Burnley Gardens, Swan St, Richmond Vic 3121." Contains list of 98 plants labelled, "Grampians Flora," and corresponding slides (some missing." Plus one extra slide. Some slides taken by A. Lewis. Slides not scanned.vcah, victorian college of agriculture and horticulture, burnley, burnley gardens, grampians flora, a. lewis -
Stawell Historical Society Inc
Realia - Calender, Brambuk Visitor Centre, A Year in Grampians - Gariwerd
... of Grampians flora. Dedicated to the memory of Kees Sietsma... of Grampians flora. Dedicated to the memory of Kees Sietsma ...Perpetual Calender. With eight proposed seasons according to Indigenous AustraliansOn a backgrous of Blurred of white and red Flowers "A Year in the Grampians Gariwerd". A Photo of the Grampians across farmland "This Calender combines Australian and European traditions" "Indigenous Australians observe changing weather and environmental patterns and resulting cycles of local seasons. On Each page of this calendar the large scene photos were taken in that month, over a period of twenty years. ( It must be remembered that flowers vary with the elevation, the soil, the aspect and the weather from year to year. You will not always find the same flowers in the same month as portrayed here.) In Europe, a calendar in the home is a long tradition: be it the familiar annual version or the Perpetual one to record important recurring dates such as family birthdays. It is our hope that however you choose to use our calendar, you will take peasure in the colour and beaty of the year in the Grampians Gariwerd." "All photographs by kees and Margo Sietsma. All Profits from the sale of this Calendar go to the Community Association of Halls Gap for the upkeep of our Botanical Gardens of Grampians flora. Dedicated to the memory of Kees Sietsma. with thanks to God, creator and Sustainer. -
Stawell Historical Society Inc
Book - Report, Conservstion Status of Roadsides in the Shire, 1991
Cover shire. Roadsides assessment: Species, Flora, Grazing, Cropping, Gravel, Noxious Weeds, Firebreaks, Road Design. With Loose maps x2 in Back Author Nicole StartPlastic front cover. Yellow Paper with Photo -
Stawell Historical Society Inc
Document - Report, Nicole Start, Conservation Status of Roadsides in the Shire of Stawell, 1991
Covers: Shire, roadsides, Assessment: Species, Flora, Grazing, Cropping, Gravel, Noxious weeds, Firebreaks, Road Design. With loos maps X 2 in back. Author Nicole StartPlastic Front Cover. Yellow Paper with Photo of a country road.Nicole Start Biological and Chemical Sciences Ballarat University Collage December 1991 -
Stawell Historical Society Inc
Archive, Brown and Grey Case Field Naturalists. Municipal Matters. Old Lake Oval. 3 Jacks & Kingston Reserve. Box Iron Bark Issues Flora & Fauna Assessment Stawell Gold Mines. Big Hill Development Project-Stawell Vic – 20 April 1999 Press Clippings 1952 Roll of Members 1975-1997 Meeting Notes 1972-1982. Outing Reports 1965 & 1967, 1982 & 1985. Australian Naturalists Network Register 1996. Letterhead Stamp, 1952 - 2011
Brown & Grey Casestawell, club -
Lake Bolac & District Historical Society
Black and white photograph, Wickliffe State School pupils, 1920
Wickliffe State School pupils, 1920. Back: Alan Grimmer, Don Gale, Daisy Bowes, Eileen Cleary, Daisy Williamson, Norma McInnes, Jack Cleary, Syd Prust, Keith McInnes. 2nd row: Peter Grimmer, Alice Glenn, Marjorie Prust, Hilda Farrell, Jean McInnes, Nellie Grimmer, Iney Farrell, Clarice Blackham, Beattie Farrell, V. Grimmer. 3rd row: Flora McInnes, Ruby Prust, Murray Mitchell, Bill Farrell, Stuart McInnes, Alan Gale, Don McInnes. Front: Murdoch Ferguson, Charlie Grimmer, Cath Ford, Grace Prust, Elsie Grimmer, Les Cleary. Teachers: Mr A Hewitt, Miss B.W. Grimmer.wickliffe, state school, blackham, bowes, cleary, farrell, ferguson, ford, gale, glenn, grimmer, hewitt, mcinnes, mitchell, prust, williamson -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - B/W
This is a photo of the Comfort Station in the reserve in central Halls Gap. The reserve was used by campers and picnickers.The photograph shows a building, constructed from logs and stone. Steps lead up to the door and the building has small, paned windows. There is a large tree in front of the building and bush behind it. To the right are a some swings and in the right foreground there is a wooden seat and a hanging sign mounted on a stone base. There are two posts in the centre foreground.natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Postcard - B/W
Period unknown. A postcard depicting "Clematis". mkThe postcard is written on the back to "My dear little Ida" from "Aunt". See photo stored in "Adittional Images" for full text.The postcard depicts wildflowers (Clematis) climbing up a tree/stump."The Rose Series, P. 1800 Australian Wild Flowers - "Clematis"" written on bottom border of postcard. There is a letter written in black ink on the rear of the postcard - see "Additional Images".natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Postcard - Sepia
A postcard of Grampians heath. Sent by "Ethel" of "Hankelow", Halls Gap to wish her father a (belated) Happy Birthday.The postcard is of heath in full flower. Rocky ground can be seen in the right foreground."The Rose Series. P. 623 Native Heath of the Grampians. Vic." on bottom edge of postcard. A letter written from "Hankelow", Halls Gap on rear (see Additional Images for full text of letter).natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Postcard - Coloured
A postcard which has been embellished with painted colouring (done by hand). The native flowers are Grevillea Dimorpha.A postcard of red native flowers & green foliage in a gilt vase. The colour of the postcard has been painted onto this original."Grevillea Dimorpha" and "NJS" written in blue pen on back. "Post Card; Correspondence; Address Only; Kodak; Ausralia" printed on back.natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - Coloured
Photo shows a close up of a person holding two flowers which look like ducks (Duck Orchids) between their fingers. There is a muted background of foliage.natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - Coloured
The photo is a close-up of a specimen of a type of native pea growing in the bush. Gum leaves and other vegetation also appear in the photo. The flowers have two main colours; gold and rust brown.natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - Coloured
This is a photo of Swainsonia Procumbens (Broughton pea).The photo shows a close-up of a specimen of native pea. The flower is bright mauve with green/yellow stamens. The background is out of focus foliage/grasses.natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - Coloured, C Jan 1987
The photo shows a close-up of a specimen of native pea. The plant has many small flowers and leaves. The flowers are gold in colour with orange/brown (redish) centres. A large gum trunk or branch of a very pale colour forms the background.natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - Coloured
The photo shows a close-up of a specimen of native pea. Four flowers are clearly visible on the plant; they are pale lemon/green with purple brown stamens and colouring. The two lower flowers are not fully open. The background is blurred and consists of unidentifiable plants/foliage in greens, browns and orange.natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - Coloured
This is a photo of Leptospermum Turbinatum (Shining Tea-tree).Photo shows a close-up view of a native flower (tea-tree).The flower has five white petals with small dark pink/red centre petals. Small, red tipped, green leaves surround the flower and can be seen on the stems. The background is out of focus.natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - Coloured
It appears to have been taken from an old photo probably black and white. Photo is of a close-up of a spray of thryptomene. natural history, flora -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Photograph - B/W
Photo shows rocky outcrops and scrub. A small leafless tree can be seen in centre of photo. Other stumpy trees and grasses also appear in photo.General scrubflora -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Print, Nanette Bourke, Just a Gumtree, 2006
Settling in Moyston in 1984, Nanette Bourke is a prominent figure in the Ararat and Grampians arts community, perhaps best known as a member of the ‘Grampians Four’ group of artists. Bourke has been a printmaker since the late 1960s, having studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, and at art societies and the CAE in Melbourne before relocating to Western Victoria. Inspired by the woodcuts and linocuts by Melbourne artists of the 1920s and 1930s - Napier Waller, Murray Griffin, and especially Eric Thake - Bourke embraces the sophisticated results that can be achieved in this medium. Bourke holds a deep affinity with the natural environment, which is integral in her artistic life. Many of the works in this exhibition are inspired by the natural environment of the Grampians. In contrast to the often joyous depictions of Australian native flora, Bourke’s imagery also presents a poignant reminder of humankind’s negative impact on the environment. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Print, Nanette Bourke, The Cult of the Car - Carefree Youth, 1990
Settling in Moyston in 1984, Nanette Bourke is a prominent figure in the Ararat and Grampians arts community, perhaps best known as a member of the ‘Grampians Four’ group of artists. Bourke has been a printmaker since the late 1960s, having studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, and at art societies and the CAE in Melbourne before relocating to Western Victoria. Inspired by the woodcuts and linocuts by Melbourne artists of the 1920s and 1930s - Napier Waller, Murray Griffin, and especially Eric Thake - Bourke embraces the sophisticated results that can be achieved in this medium. Bourke holds a deep affinity with the natural environment, which is integral in her artistic life. Many of the works in this exhibition are inspired by the natural environment of the Grampians. In contrast to the often joyous depictions of Australian native flora, Bourke’s imagery also presents a poignant reminder of humankind’s negative impact on the environment. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Print, Nanette Bourke, The Cult of the Car - Obsolescence, 1989
Settling in Moyston in 1984, Nanette Bourke is a prominent figure in the Ararat and Grampians arts community, perhaps best known as a member of the ‘Grampians Four’ group of artists. Bourke has been a printmaker since the late 1960s, having studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, and at art societies and the CAE in Melbourne before relocating to Western Victoria. Inspired by the woodcuts and linocuts by Melbourne artists of the 1920s and 1930s - Napier Waller, Murray Griffin, and especially Eric Thake - Bourke embraces the sophisticated results that can be achieved in this medium. Bourke holds a deep affinity with the natural environment, which is integral in her artistic life. Many of the works in this exhibition are inspired by the natural environment of the Grampians. In contrast to the often joyous depictions of Australian native flora, Bourke’s imagery also presents a poignant reminder of humankind’s negative impact on the environment. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Print, Nanette Bourke, Scarlet Banksia, 1988
Settling in Moyston in 1984, Nanette Bourke is a prominent figure in the Ararat and Grampians arts community, perhaps best known as a member of the ‘Grampians Four’ group of artists. Bourke has been a printmaker since the late 1960s, having studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, and at art societies and the CAE in Melbourne before relocating to Western Victoria. Inspired by the woodcuts and linocuts by Melbourne artists of the 1920s and 1930s - Napier Waller, Murray Griffin, and especially Eric Thake - Bourke embraces the sophisticated results that can be achieved in this medium. Bourke holds a deep affinity with the natural environment, which is integral in her artistic life. Many of the works in this exhibition are inspired by the natural environment of the Grampians. In contrast to the often joyous depictions of Australian native flora, Bourke’s imagery also presents a poignant reminder of humankind’s negative impact on the environment. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Print, Nanette Bourke, She-Oak in Spring, 2002
Settling in Moyston in 1984, Nanette Bourke is a prominent figure in the Ararat and Grampians arts community, perhaps best known as a member of the ‘Grampians Four’ group of artists. Bourke has been a printmaker since the late 1960s, having studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, and at art societies and the CAE in Melbourne before relocating to Western Victoria. Inspired by the woodcuts and linocuts by Melbourne artists of the 1920s and 1930s - Napier Waller, Murray Griffin, and especially Eric Thake - Bourke embraces the sophisticated results that can be achieved in this medium. Bourke holds a deep affinity with the natural environment, which is integral in her artistic life. Many of the works in this exhibition are inspired by the natural environment of the Grampians. In contrast to the often joyous depictions of Australian native flora, Bourke’s imagery also presents a poignant reminder of humankind’s negative impact on the environment. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Print, Nanette Bourke, Aftermath, 2005
Settling in Moyston in 1984, Nanette Bourke is a prominent figure in the Ararat and Grampians arts community, perhaps best known as a member of the ‘Grampians Four’ group of artists. Bourke has been a printmaker since the late 1960s, having studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney, and at art societies and the CAE in Melbourne before relocating to Western Victoria. Inspired by the woodcuts and linocuts by Melbourne artists of the 1920s and 1930s - Napier Waller, Murray Griffin, and especially Eric Thake - Bourke embraces the sophisticated results that can be achieved in this medium. Bourke holds a deep affinity with the natural environment, which is integral in her artistic life. Many of the works in this exhibition are inspired by the natural environment of the Grampians. In contrast to the often joyous depictions of Australian native flora, Bourke’s imagery also presents a poignant reminder of humankind’s negative impact on the environment. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Goanna, c. early 1950s
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. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Mosaic, c. 1962
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. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Tiger Stripe, c. 1939
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. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Crete, 1948
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. -
Ararat Gallery TAMA
Textile, Frances Burke, Plum Blossom, 1948
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.