- Works of Art
- Yvonne Audette, Sun's Rebirth
- G W Bot Hieroglyphs (Requiem)
- Arthur Boyd
- Alexander Boynes: Changing Places
- Robert Boynes, Observer and Observed
- Robert Boynes, Those Lifeless things
- Jan Brown, Magpies
- Hilary Crawford, Sugar Town and other works
- Fred Cress A Hidden Place
- Ray Crooke , The Islanders & Girl at Table
- Ante Dabro Reclining Figure
- Greg Daly Dawn & Dusk
- Neville Dawson: Dr Tom Calma
- Diane Firth, Bimbimbie
- Graham Fransella, Figure in the Sand
- Sally Gabori My Country
- Bernard Hardy, Canberra Series
- Bernard Hardy, Woolwinder
- Libby Hathorn by Myriam Kin-Yee
- Bevan Haywood Final Showdown
- Napanangka Katungka Kutjarr Kunya at Intinti
- Dale Huddleston, Mural
- Michael Johnson Ellamatta Mauve
- Abie Loy Kemarre Bush Medicine Leaf Dreaming
- Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Untitled, Awelye
- Warren Langley, The Collective Memory
- Doug Lawrie, Untitled Round Vase
- Michael Le Grand, Yo-yo.
- Sue Lovegrove: Vanishing #352
- Tim Maguire, Untitled
- Queenie McKenzie Mooloogoor Hills
- Ann Marie McMahon, The Two Walyers
- Sally Morgan The Circle and other works
- Ngoia Pollard Napaltjarii: Water Soakages near Nyrripi
- Walangkura Napanangka Kutungka Napanangka at Papunga
- Trevor Nickolls, Bird
- Sir Sydney Nolan: Night and Desert Landscapes
- Tiger Palpatja Wanampi Tjukurpa
- Ningura Papurrula Women's Ceremonies
- Peter Pedriau, Coverer in Yellow
- Minnie Pwerle, Women's Ceremonies
- William Robinson , Twin Falls
- Darby Jampijimpa Ross: Emu & Water Jukurrpa
- Tom Rowney, Black, White and Grey Merletto Bowl
- William Sandy, Bush Bean Dreaming
- Jörg Schmeisser, Here and Now, Echoes of the Past
- Brian Seidel, Autumn Pond and Tropical Pond
- Michael Taylor, Showers
- Imants Tillers: Home Visitation III
- Freddie Ngarrmaliny Timms, Mud Springs
- Mykal Zschech, various works
- Agni Klintuni Boedhihartono Mural paintings
- David Voigt Ravenhill Gate and other works
- George Gittoes, The Henna Tattoo
- Sydney Nolan: Mask VIII
- Judith Clingan, Shearing Top Naas
- Eris Fleming, Hillside Paddock
- GW Bot, Threnody
- Ante Dabro, Untitled Drawings
- Robin Nelson Drawings
- Colin Jordan, Intruder
- Stan De Teliga, Kydra River
- Dianne Firth, Black Opal
- Jack Featherstone, Alpine Ash Bark Painting
- Karla Dickens Second Skin
- One by Geoffrey Drake-Brockman
- Sculpture 19 by Derek F Wrigley
- Robin White wood cut series
- Graham Eadie,, Various works
- Peter Laverty, Seascape
- Paul Cavell, Postcard Incident
- Frank Hodgkinson, Black Cockatoo
- Brian Hirst Flat form Teal
- Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri Marrawa
- Tommy Watson, Untitled, 2013 & 2016
- Sándor Györfi, Ignaz Semmelweis sculplture
- Jimmy Baker, Kalaya Tjukurpa
- Ian Henderson, Where is your heart and other works
- Maringka Baker: Kalinpil
- David Miller: Inarki
- Robert Hannaford, Jean Blackburn
- Elizabeth Kruger: Blushing Banksias
- David Armfield, Morris's Vineyard
- Cecily Gibson, Untitled Stoneware Bowl
- George Baldessin, Ed25 & Untitled works
- Andrew Sibley, The Trolley Pushers and other works
- Keith Looby, Packaged Landscape
- David Rose- Magpie in Orange Tree
- Unknown artist: Japanese Wedding Kimono
- Salvatore Zofrea, Various Works of Art
- Basil Hadley: Over Under the Trees
- Dacre Henry Deudreath Smyth: Towards Captains Flat
- Nancy Parker, Main Street, Braidwood
- John Coburn, Various Works
- Geoffrey De Groen: Untitled
- Kenneth Jack: Normanton Station
- Elizabeth Rooney: Various Drawings
- Frances Jones: Still life works
- Margaret Olley: Interior
- Colin Moyston: Victoria Line
- Sven Hiroe: Various ceramic works
- Keiko Schmeisser: In the Fold and Stellar Reflections
- Les Blakebrough: In the Long Grass with Claudia Rose
- Anne Greenwood Untitled
- Bea Maddock Square II
- David Lu Spring Melody
- Cedric Flower Cooma Cottage and other works of art
- Sam Herman Red and Yellow Glass Vases
- Graham Kuo Harbour Mist and other Works
- David Schlunke Air
- Gillie and Marc: Love the Last Exhibition
- John Santry, Geese at Hill End
- Arthur Wicks, Stretcher
- Owen Piggott, Rock Platform
- Robert Pengiley, Various Works
- Heather Ellyard, Dust Storm
- Maximillian Feuering, Bellevue Hill Park
- William Fletcher, Banksia
- Richard and Dilys Brecknock, Various works
- Dick Roughsey, Various works
- Fred Jessup, Boats and Shells
- Jean Conron, Flower Study
- Kevin Conner, Self Portrait with Bird and other Works
- Charles Blackman, The Girl with Dark Plaits
- Reg Livermore: Hydrangea
- Frank Knight Red Kangaroo
- Brian Dunlop Various Works
- Dennis Baker, Kimberley
- Ronnie Tjampitinpa: Untitled
- Art Collection Updates
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- Works of Art
- William Fletcher, Banksia
William Fletcher, Banksia
William Fletcher, Banksia
The Artist
According to the William Fletcher foundation website, William Fletcher was born at Bellbird, in the Hunter Valley, on 27 October 1924. Leaving the town at the age of 18 to join the Royal Australian Navy, he saw active service in the Pacific for four years until his discharge in 1946. He settled in a Stanley Street terrace (East Sydney) and studied at East Sydney Technical College and the Julian Ashton Art School between 1946 and 1952. He painted inner-city streetscapes, but also floral studies, which sold well in the Eastern Suburbs boutiques.
In 1954 Fletcher moved to Pittwater, where he lived a reclusive life for the rest of his short life. Initially he stayed at the Barrenjoey lighthouse and began painting Australian wildflowers. Later he moved to the Pittwater side of Newport. For one year, 1961, he travelled with Sorlie’s tent show, sketching circus scenes.
In 1965 the house and studio at Church Point became his permanent home, from which he made several sketching trips to the bush around Sydney, the Snowy Mountains, and to Central Australia to sketch the wildflowers.
In 1977 Fletcher spent four months in England and Europe, including a tour of Greece. In 1978 he began a series of silkscreen prints, including wildfowers, circus scenes and still life.
William Fletcher died suddenly of an asthma attack at his Church Point (Sydney) home, on 22 January 1983. Fletcher’s estate contained many previously unexhibited paintings and drawings.
John Brackenreg OBE, then director of Artarmon Galleries, who was a supporter of the artist during Fletcher’s last and most productive years, provided a foreword to the study of the artist which was written and published by Trevor Andersen in 1983. Brackenreg commented that Fletcher’s subjects were ‘beautifully drawn and rendered with infinite patience and love’.
Lloyd Rees, who visited an exhibition of Fletcher’s work at Artarmon Galleries, remarked that the apparent naturalism of the works was deceptive, for Fletcher’s painting was ‘an abstraction from nature and not a mere imitation of it’.
Elwyn Lynn (Art and Australia, vol 21 no. 4, June 1984), referred to Fletcher’s mysterious and haunting use of colour and the imaginative way in which he mingled precision in treatment of species with ‘baroque accumulations’ of flora.
The Work of Art
Banksia is a beautiful study of one of the most iconic species of plant in Australia painted gouache onto paper. To some degree the composition harkens to the observation by Lloyd Rees that it is not a straight forward study but presents the subject in an abstract way. The work was created and acquired in 1974 having been exhibited in the 'New Music Society Exhibition'.Similar works of art show subjects in a varied manner of display. Some are, like Banksia, on rather non-descript backgrounds. Others are set into landscape scenery. Fletcher was just as adept at still life compositions as well as landscapes and floral studies.
Although this is the only work of art by William Fletcher in the University's Art Collection, there are other examples of Australian wildlife flora and fauna studies in the collection worth exploring.
References
William Fletcher biography: http://www.williamfletcherfoundation.org.au/biography.html