I have a real interest in design history and I often find inspiration from early styles of graphic art. I recently acquired another copy of The Penrose Annual from a second-hand book store and as usual it contains a treasure trove of images and designs. I love this old advertisement for Kodak in the style of an ancient map. It's a fun, imaginative way of illustrating the problems and technical … [Read more...] about Here there be Tygers
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A Design Odyssey
The astronaut/space theme that I have adopted for my website is a fun way of expressing a number of related ideas. I was born in 1965 - halfway through the decade that culminated with Neil Armstrong's first "small step" upon the Moon. I have many early childhood memories of watching the first televised images of rocket launches, the Earth from deep space, and of astronauts walking on … [Read more...] about A Design Odyssey
State Election Guide 2018
My design for the cover of the Mercury's guide to the 2018 state election owes everything to the brilliant work of Mercury photographer Richard Jupe. Richard's great talent for putting his subjects at ease, coupled with his extensive experience in lighting, composition and staging is clearly evident in this stunning combined portrait of Labor party leader, Rebecca White, and Liberal party … [Read more...] about State Election Guide 2018
Drawing the Tasmanian tiger
The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was a large native carnivorous marsupial that was driven to extinction in Tasmania. The tragic story of the animal continues to fascinate many people both in Tasmania and overseas, and although many unverified sightings have been reported since the last one died in Hobart's Beaumaris Zoo in 1936, no concrete evidence of its survival in … [Read more...] about Drawing the Tasmanian tiger
The Penrose Annual, Volume 50, 1956
As an art and graphic design student I often pored over the Penrose Annual collection in the art school library. They were a treasure trove of printing techniques, typeface designs, advertising artwork and illustrations, and I would be enthralled as I turned the pages. I couldn't believe my luck recently when I found a copy of the Golden Jubilee Penrose Annual in a second-hand book store, and … [Read more...] about The Penrose Annual, Volume 50, 1956
Animals of Tasmania
Animals of Tasmania: Wildlife of an Incredible Island is a book that documents and describes a host of Tasmanian species, including the iconic Tasmanian Devil, the mysterious Thylacine, the magnificent Wedge-tailed Eagle and the endangered Orange-bellied Parrot. These animals and many more have their own stories of survival, tragedy and hope in one of the world’s last remaining wild islands. … [Read more...] about Animals of Tasmania
Antarctic wildlife watercolours
In 1990 I completed a series of Antarctic wildlife drawings and watercolours. This series, called Southern Life, was purchased by the University of Tasmania for their fine art collection. Later, in 2007, they were on display in an exhibition at the University. It was a great honour to exhibit work alongside George Davis and Fred Elliott. … [Read more...] about Antarctic wildlife watercolours
Book cover and author website
Tasmanian author Russell Kelly approached me to design and illustrate a book cover for his new novel Only The Empty Sky. I loved the story that Russell had written and quickly became very inspired by the challenge of producing a classical natural history style illustration to suite the tone of the text. Developing the concept Russell's text is a beautiful tale about art, nature, love and loss. … [Read more...] about Book cover and author website
Riding the Devil’s Highway
I have known Don Knowler for many years — we worked together at the Mercury before Don retired a little while ago. I illustrated many of his weekly columns on Tasmanian native birds and wildlife, and it was a great pleasure to work with someone who has such a deep interest in nature and wildlife conservation. Originally from the UK, Don is now regarded as one of Tasmania's most passionate … [Read more...] about Riding the Devil’s Highway
In Mawson’s Footsteps
In Mawson’s Footsteps was a three-part magazine series published by the Mercury in partnership with the Tasmanian Government and Norske Skog, Boyer. The series commemorated the 100th anniversary of Douglas Mawson’s expedition to Antarctica in 1912, and I was very excited when given the task of designing the three magazines. This presented the opportunity of working with a wide range of fascinating … [Read more...] about In Mawson’s Footsteps