Studied at National Art School, East Sydney Technical College 1958-63.

Foundation President/ Senior Vice President, Drummoyne Art Society 1964-67

Member of the Australian Watercolour Institute [AWI] since 1972.
AWI President 1989-2003 and AWI Life Member since 1997.
AWI Emeritus President and Vice President 2003
Foundation member of Peninsula Art Society [PAS] 1981
Representative for the Arts, Warringah Bicentennial Committee 1985/86/87

President, Peninsula art Society [PAS] 1986-89.
Senior Vice President [PAS] 1983/84/85/89/90/91
Junior Vice President [PAS] 1992/93/94

Committee Member, Manly Art Gallery and Museum, 1991-2001
Awarded Order of Australia Medal [OAM] 26th January 2006.
Invited to judge and open many art exhibitions/ competitions.

 

Teaching.
Taught 3 years part time Drummoyne Art Society 1965/66/67
Part time Meadowbank Tech College/ Art School 1967/68/69
Part time Ku-ring-gai art centre 1991 and 2001.
Has held many workshops/ classes/ constructive criticism sessions.

Selected Exhibitions

1974 participated in three person exhibition at Munster Arms Gallery, Melbourne

1977 represented in panel of Australian watercolours in the 108th Annual Exhibition of American Watercolour Society, USA

1977/78 represented in travelling exhibition of Australian Watercolours in New Zealand

1981 June, participated in 15 person watercolour exhibition, Hesley Gallery, Canberra.

1981 July, solo exhibition, Nature House Gallery, Cremorne.

1982 invited participant in watercolour exhibition, Hesley Gallery, Canberra.

Regularly exhibited at Delmar Gallery, Trinity Grammar, Ashfield.

1986 participated in two person exhibition at Imprint Gallery, Surry Hills.

1987 August, solo exhibition, Gallery One, Stanmore.

1988 April, solo exhibition, Menzies Hotel, Sydney.

1988 one of 25 artists invited to participate with an etching for the bicentennial book, Warringah 1988 -a celebration by its Artists and Writers.

1989 April, solo exhibition, North Sydney Contemporary Gallery.

1990 represented in panel of Australian watercolours at Museo de la Acuarela, Mexicana, Mexico

1991 March, participated in 13 person exhibition at Blackheath Gallery, London, UK

1991 April, represented in panel of Australian Paintings in Barcelona, Spain.

1991 November, represented in AWI exhibition at Newcastle Regional Gallery.

1992 represented in panel of Australian Watercolours at Federation of Canadian Artists, Vancouver. [Received Commendation]

1993 June, participated in 3 person exhibition at Glen Street Theatre, Belrose.

1994 May, solo exhibition at A.R.T. Gallery, Balgowlah.

1994 represented in panel of Australian watercolours, II International Watercolour Biennial, Mexico City, Mexico.

1995 invited and represented in International Watercolour Exhibition [Exposician International Agrupacion de Acuarelistas] Vascos, Bilbao, Spain.

1996 represented in AWI exhibition, Wagner Gallery, Hong Kong.

1998 as AWI President in conjunction with Beagle Press produced the Australian Watercolour Institute 75th Anniversary Book.

1998 represented in panel of Australian watercolours III International Watercolour Biennial, Mexico City, Mexico.

2000 represented in panel of Australian watercolours, IV International Watercolour Biennial, Mexico City, Mexico.

2002 February, represented in selected AWI exhibition, Wollongong City Gallery.

2002 October, represented in panel of Australian watercolours, Asia Watercolour Festival, Busan Bienniale, Korea.

2002 represented in panel of Australian watercolours, V International Watercolour Biennial, Mexico City, Mexico.

2004 August, represented in panel of Australian watercolours, 2nd Asia Watercolour Festival, Busan Bienniale, Korea.

2004 represented in panel of Australian watercolours, V1 International Watercolour Biennial, Mexico City, Mexico.

2005 participated in two man show at Rushcutters Bay Gallery, Sydney.

2005 One man exhibition at Tamburlaine Wines, Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

2006 represented in panel of Australian watercolours, V11 International Watercolour Biennale, Mexico City, Mexico.

2006 represented in panel of Australian watercolours, 3rd Asian Grand Watercolour Festival, Busan Biennale, Korea.

2007 June, represented in panel of Australian Watercolour Institute watercolours at Port Macquarie Hastings Regional Gallery.

2008 May, shared exhibition with Margaret Bendit at Taylor Galleries, Summer Hill.

2008 Represented in panel of Australian Watercolour Institute watercolours in 4th Asian Grand Watercolour Painting in commemoration Busan Biennale, Korea.

2010 Represented in panel of Australian Watercolour Institute watercolours in 5th Grand Festival Asian Watercolour Painting, 2010 Busan Biennale with a subtitle as "The Asia Meeting in Aquacolours".

 

Collections
Represented in many collections including Manly Art Gallery, Lismore Art Trust; Drummoyne, Ryde, Waverley and Pittwater Councils, Montrose Wines, Tooheys, Tomago Aluminium, Trinity Grammar, Scotts College, Kincoppal College, The Prince of Wales Hospital Randwick, Elcom Credit Union, International Museo de la Acuarela Mexicana, Hornsby Bestowed Art Collection and many private collections in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. Also UK, USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Netherlands and Japan.
Represented in private collections in Australia: NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
Have participated in solo and/or mixed exhibitions in Australia, USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Malaysia, Korea, and Mexico.

Study Tours
1977 Fiji
1988/89/90 Kimberley region of Western Australia.
1990 Northern Territory, Bathurst and Melville Island, Bali, UK, France, Italy, Singapore.
2005 Fiji
2007 Northern Territory, Tennant Creek and Barkly area.

Awards
Won over 35 major art awards plus numerous commendations.
1962 Drummoyne Art Award; Local Watercolour.
1964 Mirror Waratah Festival Art Award; Watercolour.
1967 Ryde Art Award; Watercolour.
1967 Blue Mountains Art Award; Watercolour.
1969 Rockdale Art Award; Watercolour.
1969 Hunters Hill Art Award; Watercolour.
1970 Hunters Hill Art Award; Watercolour.
1977 Royal Easter Show; Watercolour.
1978 Manly Art Gallery Purchase Award; [Acrylic].
1978 Gunnedah Tooheys Acquisitive Art Award.
1978 Wellington Art Prize; Watercolour 2nd Prize.
1978 Drummoyne Art Award; Modern 2nd Prize.
1978 Lismore Art Trust Purchase Award; Watercolour.
1979 Quirindi Art Award; Open Contemporary 2nd Prize,
1979 Grenfell Art Award; Watercolour.
1979 Mudgee Montrose Purchase Award; [Acrylic].
1979 Mudgee Art Award; Watercolour Prize.
1980 Mudgee Art Award; Still Life Prize, [Acrylic].
1981 Warringah Art Award; Contemporary Prize, [Oil].
1982 Warringah Art Award; Watercolour.
1983 Royal Easter Show; Watercolour.
1984 Willoughby Art Prize; Traditional [Acrylic].
1987 Warringah Art Award; Local Prize, Watercolour.
1990 Royal Easter Show; Birds in Landscape, 2nd Prize.
1991 Goulbourn Art Award; Watercolour, Equal First.
1991 Raymond Terrace Tomago Acquisitive Art Award; [Oil].
1991 Berinba Art Prize; Watercolour 2nd Prize.
1993 Royal Easter Show; Rural Prize [Oil].
1993 Royal Easter Show; Watercolour 3rd Prize.
1993 Waverley Art Prize; Watercolour.
1998 Currabubula Winsome Busby Prize; [Acrylic].
1998 Australian Artist Magazine National Watercolour Prize.
2002 Central Coast Festival of Arts, Wyong, Elcom Open Award; [Acrylic].
2002 Central Coast Festival of Arts, Wyong, Traditional Prize; [Acrylic].
2005 Royal Easter Show, Watercolour, Third Prize.

Bibliography:
• Encyclopedia of Australian Art. Allan McCulloch, Hutchison 1964/67/84.
• Artists and Galleries of Australia and New Zealand. Max Germaine, Lansdowne 1972/79.
• Australian Watercolour Painters 1780-1980. Jean Campbell, Rigby 1983.
• Artists and Galleries of Australia Max Germaine, Craftsman House 1984, 1990
• Warringah 1988, A Celebration by its Artists and Writers. Warringah Shire Council.
• Australian Watercolour Painters. 1780 to the present day. Jean Campbell, Craftsman House 1989.
• Australian Watercolour Institute. 75th Anniversary 1923-1998. AWI, The Beagle Press,1998.
• Australian Watercolour Institute. A Gallery of Australia's Finest Watercolours. Text by Peter Pinson, Jean Campbell, & Peter Laverty. Phillip Mathews Book Publishers 2006

 

The Biographical Sub Plot
If it was not for the encouragement of drawing in and decorating school text books Graham Austin would have been a dismal pupil. He did however, become a Prefect at high school which some intimated “He shows leadership skills and has a good mind, appearing very relaxed and unmotivated to use it”. Whilst attending High School at Leichhardt my father an engineer, said “if you gain good marks in maths, I will send you to art school on Saturdays, if not, I will send you to coaching college”. He sent me to coaching college and my marks for algebra and trigonometry became impressive. The tolerant tutors also enjoyed my cartoons of them. In 1956 I left school at 15 after acquiring the Intermediate Certificate, comfortably passing in all subjects. Mission accomplished and I have never had any necessity for algebra or trigonometry since.

My grandfather took credit for discovering my artistic talent, he maintained I was unbearably crying in my cot, something of a nuisance. “Give him a pencil and paper, that always shuts them up!” he exclaimed. They gave me the pencil and paper and he often repeated how I drew the ceiling and adjoining two walls and the light hanging from the ceiling. Unfortunately that drawing was never kept as evidence but I like to continue my belief.

After leaving school I worked in Insurance for three months and hated it. With my samples from the National Art School where I had received 'A' passes with monotonous regularity, receiving one 'B' pass. Took a job as a Junior Artist at a display company, and loved it for six years. Moved on to a design studio for 7 months. I was painting in my spare time, won my first fine art prize while studying part time at the National Art School.

After my 7 months at that studio I was offered a job with another design studio. I stayed 3 years before moving to George Patterson Advertising, employed as an Art Director. In December 1968 I won the Sun Newspaper’s Police Commissioner’s Road Safety Poster Competition. First prize was a Holden Torana and a $200 Wales Bank Account and I was very pleased.

Later moved to Weston Advertising as Creative Director before moving on 3 years later to SSC&B:Lintas as a Senior Art Director. I was always writing, designing and illustrating for these companies. I went freelance which gave me more time to paint, freelancing one minute and painting the next.

I was always keeping myself busy. I was ‘virtually’ the first President of the Drummoyne Art Society. The ‘actual first' pulled out after 3 months, I took over and was President for three years getting that group up and going. They continue to this day.

I later did a stint of three years as President with the Peninsula Art Society that was flourishing on Sydney’s northern beaches. In later years it ran out of momentum.

I was approached to become President of the Australian Watercolour Institute [AWI]. I ultimately became the longest serving president in its history, over 14 years. BE Minns, the first president in 1923, also served 14 years. The AWI continues to successfully advance into the future.

I had energy to burn and enjoyed serving twenty seven years of my spare time, [fourteen as Vice President], on the Board of the Masonic Youth Welfare Fund, now called 'A Start in Life', a worthwhile charity assisting needy children. For those twenty seven years I created and donated the Fund’s successful marketing and advertising as my goodwill and worthwhile effort, raising extensive charity dollars. Now I paint full time.