MFPA - Artists

My life began at the finishing and bulk grain handling town
of Port Lincoln in South Australia in 1947. Here I spent my
childhood years and did my basic education. As a typical
country kid of those days, I got into mischief, enjoyed
roaming in the bush and loved sport. I played football,
cricket and became the local High School athletics
champion.

In the "sixties" there was plenty of well paid work about
and, as I could not wait to get out into the world and earn a
living, at the age of fourteen I left school to work in the spare
parts department of a motor company.

In 1962 at the age of 15, after a diving accident off one of
the town jetties, I moved to Adelaide for treatment. The
accident left me a C3/4 quadriplegic confined to a
wheelchair. Life as an artist began in 1964 after a 4 year old
boy asked me to draw him a picture. The next day I tried to
draw with a pen in my mouth. I then attempted painting. It
was a television programme on mouth and foot painting
artists which prompted me to contact MFPA and further
experiment with the technique. I progressed through water
colours, oil colours and in the late 70’s settled for acrylics. I
studied a brief course on the history of Art at the Adelaide
University.

My work was first published in 1971 and I became a full
Member of MFPA in 1974. While hospitalised in the late
sixties I "fell for" one of the nurses at the hospital, Avriel
Saunders, who was a lovely Christian girl. It was just over a
year later that I became a Christian. Our relationship
developed and because of the ability to make a living out of
my art with MFPA, Avriel and I were married in 1971.

Landscape painting is my first preference and my favourite
subject is our native Australian dry landscape, especially
the Flinders Ranges and South Australian landscapes. This
is enhanced by the wonderful opportunities my wife and I
have had to travel throughout Australia. I have held about 30
one-man exhibitions, numerous one-day exhibitions as well
as many shared (with other artists) exhibitions. I also give
talks and demonstrations at Schools, Community Clubs,
Church groups and at times I do face-painting at shopping
centres, local agricultural shows, school fetes, kids clubs
and local shows etc.

Other than my art work I enjoy Biblical studies, teaching,
preaching, involvement with Rotary and Avriel and I are
called upon to do a lot of counselling. I have a Master of
Arts in Biblical Studies, a Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma in
Divinity, Graduate Bible College Diploma and a Graduate
Certificate from Trinity Uniting Church Theological College
Brisbane. As an ordained Minister in the Uniting church in
Australia I have served in four Parishes and lectured in a
Bible College

Avriel and I now reside in Port Lincoln and enjoy this
beautiful coastal town and its magnificent scenic area at the
southern end of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Today, I
am still painting, studying and very involved with our local
Church and community.