Artists

Alana Ambados is in her final year of a Bachelor of Art Education at the College of Fine Arts, Paddington (COFA). After completing her fine arts major in Printmaking this year, Alana exhibited her work at Beowulf Galleries Woollahra and has also completed Printmaking short courses at the National Art School in Darlinghurst. She has a passion for working with children, and is currently a Visual Arts Specialist at St. Lucy's School, Wahroonga, a creative arts school for prim ary students with special needs. Alana is also currently working as an intern with the Education and Public Programs departments for the Biennale of Sydney 2012. 

Painting figurative works or hard-edged abstracts, Tanya Baily's passion is the nuance of visual language as expressed through colour, tone, materiality and composition.

"My interest is not in detached reporting, but in expressing ideas and emotions. I encourage students to deepen their sensitivity to visual expression, and to increase their knowledge of paint mediums and techniques."

Tanya studied at the Chelsea school of Art, London: Foundation Course and COFA, UNSW, Sydney: MA painting.

Link to Tanya's website

With over 20 years experience as a visual artist interspersed with studies at the New York Studio School and the National Art School in Sydney, Susan Baird's artistic practice is one of practical exploration primarily in the medium of oil on canvas.

Susan is well known for her inner city vistas painted in situ and more recently made a shift towards landscape inspired by the landscape of Hill End. These paintings have been included in several exhibitions and prizes including the Salon Des Refuse, the Mosman Art Prize, The NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting prize and the Paddington Art Prize where she was awarded an Honourable Mention and won the People's choice award in 2010. In April 2011, she was Artist in Residence at Haefligers Cottage in Hill End.

Susan's teaching style comes from a love of showing others to see beauty whether that may be in the landscape, urban landscape or simple still life forms expressed in traditional and modernist approaches. Susan is a hands on tutor that will introduce you to the work of contemporary practicing artists and inspirational masters.

She is currently doing a Master of Art at UNSW, COFA.

Link to Susan's website

My life goal is to experience the world and myself deeply. Making art and teaching art are some of the ways I have discovered I can do this. I think we are all born with a lot of creative energy and curiosity. I have utmost respect for all creative expression professional and amateur and I love working with people in this enviroment. Teaching a diverse group of people with different skill levels and motivation requires a diverse and flexible teaching approach. Art is very personal and I have often described my teaching approach as being like a 'smorgasboard' in that I provide a broad range of ideas and technical approaches from which students can select and respond to those elements that suit their 'creative tastes'.

Pina has a Bachelor Visual Arts COFA (UNSW) majoring in painting and Drawing and a Fine Art Diploma from Seaforth TAFE majoring in painting and minor in printmaking

Link to Pina's website

Being born and raised in Orange Larissa Blake is a country girl at heart but through her creative family Larissa was exposed to art and all its possibilities from an early age. Larissa went on to study communications and alternative therapies but it wasn’t long before the creative disposition that was coursing through her genes surfaced and she pursued art as a serious lifestyle.

Larissa’s vibrant works are inspired by her extensive travels both here and abroad, but it is in her everyday world and all its spontaneity that she draws most of her inspirations.

Combining her love of art and alternative therapies, Larissa is an intuitive and insightful teacher who brings a new and creative energy to her students. Through years of painting and being an avid supporter of other artists Larissa has a unique eye for the technical as well as being an extremely gifted colourist.

Larissa has recently relocated back to Orange where she has set up a studio with her artist mother, Loretta Blake. Larissa continues to run workshops in Sydney, and is a sought after tutor. Larissa exhibits regularly and her works are found in private collections throughout the world.

Link to Larissa's online gallery

Linda Bowden has been working as a professional sculptor for the past nine years after graduating from the National Art School with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Sculpture) in 1999. She has exhibited widely throughout NSW in various selected and group shows, including Sculpture by the Sea nine times since 2000, Sculpture from the Sea and Sculpture in the City 2001.

In 2002, Linda was awarded the Waverley Council Prize (Sculpture by the Sea) and this work can now be seen at Hunter’s Park, Bondi. In 2003, she was commissioned to create a serious of sculptures for the Private Patrons of Sculpture by the Sea. In 2010 Linda's sculpture Into the Trees II won the Sculpture by the Sea Art Gallery of NSW Prize and the work was acquired by Transfield. Linda again won the Art Gallery of NSW Prize in 2011.

Linda is passionate about the fine arts, drawing and sculpture in particular. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm with others and believes learning should be fun and hopes to inspire students to explore new ideas without worrying about the outcomes.

Linda is a sessional tutor at the National Art School, Sydney.

Link to Linda's website

Margaret went to East Sydney Tech, as the National Art School was known as in the old days, followed by City Art Institute and has a Bachelor of Arts, Visual Arts. She also has a Diploma of Education and currently works in the field of early childhood providing an art program based on the principles of Reggio Emilia.

Her ow n art practice is a combination of collage, mixed media, drawing and painting. Most recently she has completed design and illustration work was winner in the Picture Book section in the GOYA Art Prize. She has been hung in many group shows and had her first solo exhibition in June 2010.

Link to Margaret's website

Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Barbara Duckworth graduated with a Diploma of Art from Central Technical School, Toronto and then studied Natural History Drawing at the British Museum of Natural History in London. She worked for the Australian Museum in Sydney from 1975-1988; then in that year she moved to Macquarie University where she worked for the next 11 years as a Biological Illustrator/Artist while also teaching Scientific Illustration courses in fundamental and advanced techniques.

She has had work exhibited in the Botanica exhibition at the Sydney Botanic Gardens since 1999 with sell outs most years. She has held two solo exhibitions, two 2-person exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions. Barbara is represented in the Shirley Sherwood Collection, London and in private collections in USA, Canada, England and Japan. Her work is published in Cronin's key zoological guide Australian Reptiles and Amphibians and in other scientific texts and journals.

Barbara is inspired by the gorgeous colours of the botanical world around her. She believes that everyone can draw and so gives individual attention to each student, regardless of whether they are just starting out or working at an advanced level.

Kate de Kantzow has always had a passion for art and studied art and design throughout school. Since then she has completed a Certificate in Fashion and Fashion Design at the University of Darwin as well as a Certificate in Graphic Design at Enmore College of Design.

Over the past ten years Kate has been designing personalised stationery to boutique homeware stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, NZ and London. She has sold paintings through many of these stores, and has been commissioned to paint for many private clients.

Kate specialises in wedding stationery and personal stationery and has a wide variety of clients such as Australian Harpers Bazaar, Inside Out magazines, YSL Beaute, Witchery and Croser sparkling wine.

Rachel Fairfax is a figurative painter. She was born in Sydney and grew up in Forster/Tuncurry, on the NSW mid-North Coast of Australia. Currently she lives and works in Sydney and Hong Kong.

Rachel studied a BA (Fine Art) then Honours (Drawing) at National Art School, East Sydney from 1998-2002. Rachel is trained as a painter and has exhibited Paintings, Drawings and Ceramics, professionally since graduation. She is a Lecturer in Drawing and Painting at the National Art School, East Sydney 2003-present.

She is currently represented by NG Art Gallery, Sydney. She was represented by Ray Hughes Gallery 2005-2010 and Defiance Gallery 2003-2005.

Rachel won two Reg Richardson Scholarships in 2003 and carried out two Hill End Residencies in Murray’s and Haefliger’s cottages. She won the Art Moment Gallery Painting Prize in 2006. She carried out a Taronga Zoo Artist in Residency in 2009 and is currently working on an Artist in Residency project in Hong Kong.

Rachel has taken on significant commissions and residencies and been selected for many art prizes, all listed in her CV. Her work is held in public collections of Artbank, Sydney Airport, St Vincents Hospital, Bathurst Regional Gallery, Tetsyua’s Restaurants and private collections of Ray Hughes, Reg Richardson, Joe Montano Jonathan Self (Ireland), Defiance Gallery, Michael Nock (Hong Kong) to name a few.

Rachel was named as one of Australia’s 10 leading artists on Australia Day 2009 in The Sydney Morning Herald.

www.rachelfairfax.com

Twenty three year old Todd Fuller has exhibited widely across Australia as well as internationally. His work moves across across sculpture, painting and animation but at the core of all he does is a love of drawing. Todd has recently returned from an artists residency in Paris which he received through the National Art School where he completed a BFA Honours Sculpture. He has also been awarded the Lloyd Rees Memorial Art Prize, Newcastle Emerging Artist Prize (Sculpture), and the Deakin University award at the Emerging Artist Awards in Melbourne. He as been a finalist in many major prizes including the National Youth Self Portrait Prize at the National Portraiture Gallery and will be one of six artists in residence at Waverley Council throughout 2011. 

Todd has taught and worked with for the State Library of New South Wales, Cessnock Regional Art Gallery and Sydney Boys Grammar and will continue to exhibit throughout 2011. He is proudly represented by Brenda May Gallery at the Danks St Depot.

www.brendamaygallery.com.au

Link to Todd's website

Gralton began her career as a textile designer but returned to study at The National Art School Sydney at the age of 26. She has since shown to wide acclaim in Sydney and across Australia with 10 solo shows and 15 group shows since 1994. Her last show at Charles Hewitt Gallery was an immediate sell-out and she has a loyal following both in Australia and overseas, which strengthens with each new exhibition.

Gralton's distinct style focuses heavily on layering and texture. Her works have a sense of re-invention. She 'rescues' broken objects, finds things that have been deemed obsolete and gives them a new life. Parts of children's clothing, manila tags, children's story books, linoleum, lace and postage stamps are all applied
directly to the canvas. Clothes from her own childhood feature heavily, including the swimming costume she wore when she was young and the shoes her husband wore as a child. Sophie is also fascinated by 17th century Dutch portraiture of children.

Link to Sophie's exhibition at the Charles Hewitt Gallery

Julie Hickson has a BA in Mass Communications and Fine Arts, and worked in television production in Australia and the UK for over 20 years.

Julie was inspired to start exploring pochoir printing after the Margaret Preston retrospective at the AGNSW in 2005. Her 'Rock Lilies' were noted as 'coloured stencil on board' and Julie was keen to find out more. When it became obvious that no-one was teaching the technique she began the process of teaching herself and has not been able to stop since 2006. This fine art stencilling technique was also used by Henri Matisse in some of his 'Jazz' series.

The technique is a perfect combination of painting and print-making, using acrylic paint and brushes - giving the graphic
result of a lino cut print yet allowing a loose painting style. The
stencil can be designed in one or many layers, and can be
executed on paper or on canvas where the stencil is lifted away
to reveal the resulting image.

Julie has given away the bright lights of television to focus on art full-time. She was a finalist in the 2009 Mosman Art Prize, and participated in many group shows, the Pittwater Artists' Trail and Artisans in the Garden, and held two solo exhibitions at Eden Gardens in 2010

In 2009 Julie established her online art business 'pod & pod'

Visit www.podandpod.com.au

Nicola has always had a passion for creativity and has channeled her energies into fine art photography and sculpture. The past 10 years have seen Nicola travelling widely in search of beautiful moments to capture and inspire through photography. Nicola recently won the Photomedia prize in the StArt Art competition with her image, "Commution" shot in Hong Kong. Her work is held in private collections in Australia, the UK and France.

With a love of exploring and experiencing all that the world has to offer, it is clear that nature, colour and form together with the idiosyncrasies of human nature all strongly influence her practice. Nicola spent 10 years as an intellectual property lawyer before making the decision to commit to her art practice full-time in 2008.

With broad experience in presenting and managing workshops, Nicola has recently been teaching art to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, as well as running a series of creative photography workshops for different levels. Her teaching style is energetic and enthusiastic, and the focus is always on hands-on learning, ensuring everyone takes something away with them at the end of the session.

Link to Nicola's website

Gabrielle is a colourist whose process taps into memory, imagination and internalised landform structures to portray a physical and personal experience of our landscape. Her work evokes the landscape but is abstract in genre.

Gabrielle graduated from Australia's National Art School with Distinction, and has held seven solo shows at some of the top galleries in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, and was invited to exhibit in a solo show in the main gallery at the Goulburn Regional Gallery in November, 2010.  She has been appointed as Artist in Residence at Bundanon, Tahiti and Bora Bora and recently, in Mojacar Spain. A selected artist in numerous prestigious art prizes and curated shows, Gabrielle is also an experienced Painting and Art History teacher with a degree from Sydney University majoring in Education.

Gabrielle is also conducting Art Retreats in Bali.

Link to Gabrielle's website

With over 20 years teaching experience with students of all ages Jane is passionate about artmaking and the art process. "I love providing opportunities for people to explore their creativity, teaching them the skills and principals of art and guiding them through their artmaking journey. Their excitement, satisfaction and creative development are fabulously rewarding and inspiring."

She attained a Bachelor of Arts at Sydney College of the Arts (SCA) studying ceramics, photography, drawing and jewellery, and a Diploma of Education at Canberra College of Advanced Education (CCAE). Her pursuits in the art arena have varied enormously and have included salt glazed ceramics, ceramic sculpture, fibre art, silver jewellery and most recently enamelling.

Jane has been Lecturer in Charge and Tutor for Visual Arts Curriculum and Teaching and University Practicum Supervisor at the Australian Catholic University (ACU), has written curricula, presented inservices to teachers on ceramics, taught primary and high school students as well as adults. She currently teaches in high schools and other art schools in Sydney.

As well as teaching at Art Est., Ochre Lawson currently works for the Art Gallery of NSW teaching adult courses in Mixed media and Life drawing and teenage classes in contemporary drawing. She also teaches sculpture and drawing to adults at various art colleges throughout Sydney and children's holiday art programs.

Ochre has a Degree in Fine Art from the National Art School in Sydney majoring in Sculpture and a Diploma of Fine Art from Brisbane Institute of Tafe and also a Certificate IV in training and assessment. Ochre has been a practicing artist since 2000 exhibiting in group and solo shows from Sydney, Brisbane, Alice Springs and Northern NSW. Since being in Sydney she has been included in the Defiance small sculpture prize and sells work through her studio in Rozelle and 'Graphis Art and Framing' in Woollahra. She is an experienced tutor of seven years having taught art through TAFE for 2 years with adults, conducted numerous community art projects, and teaches art to young children through to adults.

Link to Ochre's website

Paul has been painting and selling his work for the last 25 years. At the end of 2000 he left the corporate world where he worked in logistics management  to paint full time. In those endeavours he has had numerous solo and joint exhibitions both here and overseas, including a joint exhibition in Soho New York in 2001.

Paul has worked extensively as a community artist in varied capacities including working with a remote aboriginal community, high schools, and acting curator for the Sydney Children's Hospital. He has also coordinated several groups of volunteers working with groups covering the Sydney Children's Hospital, the Sydney Cancer Centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital as well as adults with disabilities at Studio Artes Hornsby.

He is a sought after prize winning tutor who brings a sense of fun and excitement to the classroom, encourages individuality as well as developing design composition and colour skills.    

View Paul's exhibition A Brush with My Palette that was at Art Est. Gallery 1-18 October 2011.

Mie completed a four year course majoring in drawing, painting and clay modelling at Yoyogi Seminar Formative Arts School in Yokohama, Japan. She has a Bachelor of Graphic Design from Tohoku University of Art and Design, and studied drawing, oil painting and duplication at Sophia Art School in Tokyo where she also taught for four years.

Mie enjoys teaching beginners about art as she likes to instruct individually, step by step. She enjoys helping her students experience the joy of discovering an creating, not only of learning new skills.

Matilda graduated from the National Art School in 2008 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in painting. Since graduating, she was the overall winner in the Waterhouse Art Prize and has been a finalist in many other prestigious art awards including the Eutick Memorial Still life Award, the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Awards and the AME Bale Art Prize.

During her time at the National Art School she was the recipient of a William Fletcher Foundation Grant and the Pata Paris Studio Residency Award. She won the Art History and Theory Prize in both first and third year, and was highly commended in the John Olsen prize for Figure Drawing and the Arthur le Gay Brereton Draughtsmanship award. Matilda also has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Media Arts and Production, and a Bachelor of International Studies from UTS.

Link to Matilda's Website

Sally studied painting in London at Chelsea College of Art (Painting BA 1st Class Honours) and at the Royal College of Art (MA Painting). After graduating, Sally was involved in the organisation of an artist run studio and gallery space. Since returning to Sydney, she has been teaching, painting and developing new work.

Sally has a studio at Art Est.

Link to Sally's website

Bernhardine’s forte is traditional Etching. Her work is her response to the Australian landscape, which Bernhardine Mueller studied printmaking at Meadowbank Technical College, and at the National Art School, East Sydney, where she gained her Diploma of Fine Arts.

She is an established Artist/Printmaker and teacher, who is passionate about promoting the art of printmaking. Her artworks, large and in miniature, are exhibited Australia-wide and internationally and have gained her a multitude of First prizes and Awards.

Bernhardine has 20 years experience as a teacher of printmaking, continuing to inspire students with her unique style she finds compelling - from the harshness of the outback to the beauty of its flora and fauna. She gains her inspiration both from the power of imagination and the actual world we live in.

Susie has been a watercolour artist for 27 years and in the last few years decided to share her passion for watercolour painting and started teaching.

"I teach a loose approach to painting. Very much 'less is more'. I like to have fun in my lessons and do not hold back when someone is not doing the right thing. In the nicest possible way of course! I certainly give lots of praise too. I try to give students confidence in their ability and believe that you only need basic drawing skills with watercolour. If the paint is properly applied, you will end up with a lovely painting.

Link to Susie's website

Mignon Parker is a Sydney artist living and working from her northern beaches home and studio. Mignon studied at North Sydney Technical College and attended the Diploma Course in Design at the National Art School after which she worked in advertising as a commercial artist.

Mignon is an established artist and teacher. During her thirty year career in the arts, Mignon has remained a prolific artist working in a broad media of watercolour, acrylic, oil, rust and patina. Her passion is colour and texture, working on the large canvas to miniature pieces of art. Favourite subjects are figurative and still lifes which she shares generously with her students.

Link to Mignon's website

Born in Berkley USA, and raised in Israel, Ben initially studied at the Le Cordon Bleu culinary academy, and worked as a chef using food as his artistic expression. A self-taught photographer, he has explored the relationships between the different cultures and the connections between man and the landscape.

Ben moved to Sydney in 2001 and studied Printmaking at COFA. It was here that he devised unique conceptual methods of combining photography and printmaking through photosensitive techniques. Ben's work has been exhibited in various group shows in Australia and he won the Blacktown Art Prize, the Newtown NCA Art Prize and the COFA Art Scene prize.

Since 2006, Ben has been working closely with Cicada Press to provide technical and printing support for visiting artists from Australia and around the world. He is actively involved in a community building project, known as Papunya Tjupi printmaking program at COFA which helps indigenous artists to develop their printmaking skills.

Link to Ben's website

Jasmine has a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in oil painting and drawing from the College of Fine Arts, UNSW (COFA). Her artistic path has spiralled into numerous avenues, including studying classical painting and portraiture at the Studio Arts Centers International in Florence, private art tutoring for children, and as a freelance caricaturist, cartoonist and graphic designer.

Jasmine has also attained her Bachelor of Teaching (Visual Art) at Sydney University. She has a classical approach to her art and enjoys teaching all facets of art to both adults and children.

Bernadette Trela is a practising artist based in Sydney who has worked in galleries and academia for the last 20 years. She has studied in all three Major Art Schools in Sydney; beginning with the National Art School (NAS), East Sydney, Sydney College of the Arts (SCA), University of Sydney, and College of Fine Arts (COFA), University of NSW.

While studying Arts and Fine Arts, Bernadette has worked in areas of the arts to consolidate her passion and understanding of what art is about and how to study, paint and thrive while doing so! Her work in the Art Gallery of NSW for four years informed her eye of painting and has enhanced her teaching abilities, along with her post graduate studies and painting studio practice. Bernadette is interested in the academic and the painterly! She currently works as an art teacher and gallery assistant.

Chloë Waddell’s jewellery and objects revolve around colour and a sense of fun. She works by finding objects and ideas and then transforming them into wearable pieces. Much of her practise is based around exploration and a sense of play, which carries through to the finished piece.

Lisa studied drawing, painting and printmaking at Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney Gallery School Meadowbank (Dip Fine Arts), College of Fine Arts, UNSW (BFA). She has taken part in numerous group exhibitions in Sydney and has been a finalist in numerous art awards including the Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing, Burnie Print Prize and Mosman Art Prize.  In 2008 she received the Works on Paper award at the Waverley Art Prize and in 2011 received Highly Commended in the CPM National Print Awards as well as the Earle Backen Award for Printmaking from the College of Fine Arts, UNSW.   

Lisa's main interest is the landscape and her current project is a folio of large scale etchings and drawings based on her wanderings through the Manly Dam catchment area.  As all artists need a steady income, Lisa can also be found helping out in the Art Est. office and the Gallery.  She is also one of the Art Est. Studio artists. 

Link to Lisa's website

'I am very inspired by students who push their creativity to the next level!'

Kieth Yap is completing final studies towards a degree in Art Education at the College of Fine Arts, UNSW. His practice encompasses the foundational art forms of drawing, painting, sculpture and printmaking.

Kieth is a creative assistant for the music festival Big Day Out and has been involved in public art events such as Art Month Sydney, the Biennale of Sydney 2010 with the most recent project, Outpost at Cockatoo Island - Art from the Streets. Yap has also worked closely with the Western Plains Cultural Centre (Dubbo) as a tutor, exhibition technical assistant, gallery guide and ambassador.

Link to Kieth's work  

Founder and Director, Jennifer McNamara, has a passion for art that guides her own creative journey. She believes everyone has some artistic ability, and with the right environment and the best teachers, anyone can discover their inner creativity. Her desire to inspire an artistic future in people of all ages has led her to establish Art Est., and is guiding the principles under which Art Est. operates. 

Jenn's 20 year career in the arts, festivals, museum programs, fundraising, business events and marketing, combined with her passion for art has culminated in fulfilling her dream to open an art school. She is still searching for her work/life balance but loving every minute of Art Est.!

Pablo, her Cavoodle named after Picasso, is a regular at Art Est. and a favourite of students of all ages.

Brendan comes from a strong background in the Sydney arts industry working for a number of Australia's leading arts organisations including Sydney Opera House, Opera Australia and Sydney Dance Company.

Brendan possesses extensive skills and exprience in marketing, communications and development for the arts and cultural sectors. A musician at heart, Brendan has a passion for all facets of the arts most importantly the visual arts.

Brendan's expertise will help drive Art Est. in 2011 and further.