Julian’s classes are always buoyant and explorative. Painters are given strong art tuition in drawing and watercolour with the opportunity to explore their own work and alternative mediums as needed. A new theme each term covers something different, such as design, perspective, figure, and landscape to help expand a student’s understanding of art techniques.
Julian is a watercolourist who draws on a variety of themes, with an attention on landscapes, alpine snowgums, city scenes, maritime themes, figure and portraiture. It is difficult for an artist to operate with any real confidence in today’s art market, but hasn’t it always been so? Artists must continue their exploration of the ‘right way’ to paint for themselves with a regard for acceptance in the wider arty landscape.
As a teacher, he believes and educates artists in the importance of drawing and structure in painting. The basic genres are explored in a low-key manner allowing artists to find their confidence with the watercolour medium as well as their style and understanding of subjects. Paintings are made up of Tone, Forms, Colour, Edges and Texture, his teaching concentrates on these aspects.
Painting, Teaching, Workshops, Demonstrations, Judging and an active involvement with the Victorian Artists Society and other Art Societies is his professional domain after many years in Advertising, Publishing and Animation. He is a regular exhibitor in exhibitions around Melbourne, and for the past eight years has been involved with FIVE, an annual group exhibition of select VAS artists. He has twice been awarded VAS Artist of the Year, 2010 and 2013, The Kenneth Jack Memorial Award 2010 and 2014 and the AGRA Medallion Winner for 2013, with multiple awards for watercolour in various Suburban and Rotary Exhibitions including Mt Waverley, Camberwell, Yea, Parade, Warrandyte, Alexandra Bacchus Marsh and Box Hill. He is the Victorian Vice President of the Australian Society of Maritime Artists and a past Treasurer of the Victorian Artists’ Society. He is a member of the Australian Watercolour Institute and a former member of the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society.