About the Artist: 

Eleanor Austin --- B.Educ.

Born in Launceston, Tasmania, my family moved to Burnie when I was 3. Like so many of that post WW2 era, and being one of six siblings, I grew up with home grown vegetables, piano lessons, weekend sporting commitments and the freedom to explore the environment. My tertiary education commenced with a studentship at Launceston Teachers College and later with Bachelor of Education at UTAS.   

I always created:  -  cutting, drawing, arranging, sewing, pasting, and collecting bits that to me had some appeal. My habit of retaining creations after a weekend workshop, summer school or doodling to fill in a winters rainy afternoon, resulted in a treasure trove of collections that have meaning of time and place. Often these findings have provided the inspiration for a new piece of work.

While my teaching career took precedence, I was always hungry to augment my skill base and often participated in professional development both in Tasmania and the mainland. Those skills included printmaking (stone lithography, cyanotype) the use of natural and synthetic dyes including many textile applications. There was always encouragement in the form of exhibition work, the occasional art/design award, and tutoring to maintain these skills.

My current work, identifies that I am often drawn to using blacks and greys for definition to emphasise line and induce form into the work. Sometimes my original plans change and I end up with several layers of paint which I really like as it gives me a means to scratch and gouge into the surface – adding another layer of interest. I do very little sketching before I start, but use the immediacy of the paper and paint to affect my design.

I am an emotional painter -  stirred by conversation or visual images that resonate with my current thoughts -  I must emotionally engage with the work for it to feel complete.  A recent example is of my son’s pilgrim walk on ‘The Camino de Santiago’ in Spain. His 32 day marathon and ensuing stories of people met and villages traversed, inspired a series of paintings. Likewise, my grandson’s crayon addition on a piece of work left on an easel, is now part of the completed work!

I have long held an interest in people  -  their lives, their interaction. This may be because of my teaching and the need to understand students. ‘Moving Conversations’ is about people in situations and engaged in the process of managing their environment.

This year (2017) has been particularly full and exciting:  -  Finalist in the Bay of Fires Art Prize; Patron’s Award at the BCAG Exhibition; Burnie City Council TasArt Major Award; and recipient of a Regional Arts Australia Grant to assist siting this exhibition in the Burnie Regional Art Gallery, curated by notable arts writer and administrator, Seán Kelly.

Eleanor Austin

The Narrative

I always knew it!!!  Never throw anything out.

I have always created  -  cutting, sewing, pasting, drawing, arranging and collecting ‘bits’ that to me have some appeal.  My habit of retaining creations after a weekend workshop or summer school, or ‘doodling’ to fill in a winter’s rainy afternoon, has resulted in a treasure trove of collections that I find I can now use, particularly as they have a meaning of ‘time and place’ Often these ‘findings’ become the inspiration for a piece of work.

I am a mixed media artist. I am never satisfied to use just one art technique, finding a need to air my ‘story’ and become impatient with one element when  it does not explain the message I am hoping for. I am an emotional painter - stirred by conversation or visual images that resonate with my current thoughts - I must emotionally engage with the work.

My understanding and use of colour I believe, is fairly raw. However, I work by selecting 2-3 analogous colours and load them on to my canvas in various ways, (brush, twig, paddle-pop sticks) all this to engage emotionally in the work. I am often drawn to using blacks and greys for definition and also use graphite to emphasise line and induce form into the work. Frequently my original plans change and I end up with several layers of paint which I really like, as it gives me a means to scratch and gouge into the surface,   -   adding another layer of interest. Currently I am cutting lino and using printing as an adjunct to some pieces.

The selected work for this article (Tracking West) is the juxtaposition of simple mono printing on paper, stencil painting, collaging hand torn printed crepe paper, and acrylic paint