WILDLIFE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

In honour of Alan McEvey (Founding Member), Geoff Douglas (Past President) and all our Presidents and Council members we transformed the two awards into one Annual Presidents' Award. It’s aim is to acknowledge, encourage and reward members for excellence and participation in exhibitions throughout the year.

The Wildlife Artist of the Year is decided by a point system from all our exhibitions in a 12 month period with points accrued from awards (winner, two runners up and highly commended in each WASA exhibition) plus all work entered. It began in 2007 with the first award presented in October 2008 for the 2007 - 2008 exhibition period for artists.

Website: http://http://patrickhedges.com
Email: patrickhedges@hotmail.com

Telephone: 0414 804 181

12 Fleetwood Crescent
Henley Beach
South Australia 5022
Australia

“Life Blood of Etosha”
Scratchboard

I was absolutely staggered to hear that I had won the 2011 President’s Award. The quality of art produced by previous winners speaks for itself and other art that I had seen at some of the society’s shows had me in awe, so this award is something I will treasure dearly and not take lightly. My art is dominated by wildlife and I usually work in scratchboard or pastels, trying to develop the unique style that I can call my own.

I was born in Uganda in 1960 into a family that was mad about wildlife. We used to camp most weekends back in the days before you needed to go to a 'game' park to experience wild animals. You could pretty much go down the road and see all manner of things. My father built bridges in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and wherever one needed building, we would get transferred. Consequently I got used to life as a nomad living in four countries and about ten different towns or villages before my 14th birthday and attending all manner of schools from chairs on the beach to being the only white kid in a school. We used to keep all manner of animals as pets and I was the lucky lad who caught frogs and snakes and kept them in my bedroom!

After East Africa, I lived in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales for a dozen or so years and I’ve now lived in Australia for over 20 years. I also spent three and a half years as a travelling bum, wandering around the world before meeting my lovely wife and settling in Adelaide. I consider myself amazingly lucky to have lived in such fabulous places. England had its charm and gorgeous countryside which saw me hiking on a regular basis, drinking in the scenery, and Australia is full of unique flora and fauna that is worth learning about and looking after. My art has moved on in recent times to include many of our country’s wonderful species but I have to admit, it is still dominated by Africa, and will probably continue to be.

I have maintained an active passion for conservation both of wildlife and of the environment in general, since wildlife cannot exist without a healthy environment. I seek out opportunities where my art can support conservation initiatives and have been fortunate enough to have had one of my exhibitions opened by the great Dr Jane Goodall, Dame of the British Empire and United Nations Messenger for Peace.

I know what I do is a drop in the ocean, but I try. If each of us helps to conserve some natural corner of the globe, and if we try to inspire others to do the same, then the world will be a better place.

(Dip and Grad Dip Vis Arts, AGRA.)
Fellow of the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia

Website: http://matthews.alphalink.com.au
Email: janet@matthews.alphalink.com.au

PO Box 1400 NARRE WARREN
Victoria Australia 3805
Phone 0418 546 554

Being awarded the Presidents’ Award for my quiet, gentle and sensitive drawings is such a huge honour and achievement. I have chosen to work in a less popular medium, pencil and colour pencil as well as choosing subjects in the less widely appreciated field of wildlife. This makes winning awards much more difficult. Yet I absolutely love the whole journey in pencil, from the sketching of the composition to the slow build up of layers of colour and detail to the final stage of framing and exhibiting.

Many of my works are very sensitive and delicate, yet I am very proud that they have enough power to ‘hold their own’ in an exhibition. I have always had a unique style’ that is easily recognised and is so filled with my own personality, giving my drawings their own life. Even though I admire other artists’ creations I am always thoroughly drawn to pencil work. It has a beauty and presence that I find totally captivating.

My subject choice is also gentle, creatures that are easily overlooked in the world around us, the small wrens, the echidnas, magpies, platypus and other less showy creatures. Never have I been interested in ‘saying anything’ about the big cats or the larger more aggressive animals and showy birds. I am intrigued and involved in the little lives of the less obvious creatures. Getting into their tiny worlds and making them an artwork subject inspires others to notice the smaller elements of nature around their own feet. Giving the interesting views of underwater with the platypus and ducks, a world many never experience, as well as the birds in flight, shares another new aspect on life around us. Nature is such a magnificent inspiration and when partnered with the sensual and detailed medium of drawing is in my opinion, a perfect creation.

Magpies are a favourite at the moment. Their black and white pattern lends itself beautifully to my style of having a small amount of colour among the greylead. These particular birds are visitors to my garden and often chatting away to each other and myself. I wanted to capture their inquisitive investigation of the garden tap and its potential to drip water.

Janet Matthews

Artist Printmaker

Vida Pearson
21 Rill Court
Haddon. 3351
Victoria
Ph: (03) 5342 4629

Website: http://www.vidapearson.com
Email: vpe98041@bigpond.net.au

What are the passions and inspirations of a wildlife artist? A love of seeking, observing and recording the natural world around us. Sometimes this means travels to far and distant lands at others a simple visit to the zoo. Then, of course, if you are lucky enough to live in the bush as I do, a look out the studio window can bring marvellous rewards. Whatever source the inspiration comes from, the most important thing is how you interpret what you see. Fortunately, human beings are all individuals with different life experiences and different ways of looking at the world. This individuality thus provides the public that view our works with many choices. I hope that my being awarded the 2009 Presidents' Award is thus an inspiration for you all to pursue the medium and style that speaks most clearly to you. As many of you will be aware my preferred medium is linocut - not one of the more traditional mediums when it comes to wildlife art. I also have a very distinctive - bold - style another reason that I was very pleased to win this award because it shows the willingness of the Society to embrace all comers.

My passion for linocuts has grown and evolved over many years. I have always been principally a printmaker - originally producing screen prints and etchings. Linocuts became part of my life when I found the toxicity of screen printing inks too dangerous for my health. My first efforts were not great but over the years I have refined my technique and skills. Hand colouring with watercolours remains my preferred application of colour but I occasionally dabble with reduction and multiple colours as well. When time allows, I also love the mediums of pastel and watercolour.

Native birds and flowers have always been a never-ending source of inspiration for my work and we are blessed in this country to have such a cornucopia of wonderful fauna and flora. I have also been determined to pursue the wildlife of other continents in their natural habitats, which has taken me to such iconic destinations as Antarctica and Africa. This has given me an even greater appreciation of what we have - and what we are so quickly losing. Like Lemmings we are falling into the precipice and taking all those wonderful things with us. If my images can make even one person care about wildlife and habitat then I will feel some comfort - I commend you all to take up the same challenge.

Marion Chapman
2 Beach Avenue
Inverloch 3996
Victoria, Australia
Ph: (03) 5674 1266

The sun beams down dancing patterns as old as time through transparent water onto the sandy bottom of the sea. A sinuous frond of seaweed caught in the current drifts by, held aloft by it's array of floatation bladders. For me a wonderful sight. During the 1980's I helped when the Museum of Victoria collected marine specimens prior to the establishment of the Bunurong Marine reserve. Since then I have looked at the beauty, line, colour and texture of seaweeds through my eyes as an artist. Living by the coast has enabled me to closely observe and appreciate these Australian native plants and where they live.