President :

Rob La Nauze

The Guild has been a critical factor in Rob’s
artistic journey of discovery as it has provided him with the professional grounding and the companionship of like travellers. He paints in watercolour and oil, usually scenes that have been sketched and photographed during holidays to the countryside and coastline of Australia. Rob has had 2 successful joint exhibitions at the AGRA Galleries.
As he now paints more-or-less full-time, hopes to bring some of his previous business experience to his term as president of AGRA. Given the talent and breadth of experience on the Council, 2008 is
likely to be an exciting and rewarding year for the Guild.

Hues Editor & Vice President: 

Jan Lowe :

2007 was Jan’s first year as Editor and working with members of the Guild, attending some wonderful studios and talking to some of “the best” . Painting & drawing has been her passion since a very young child—it was her escape! Although her professional responsibilities are demanding, she is looking forward to art projects in ‘08. The winning of a minor award for her oil—Storms over Phillip
Island—was an absolute thrill and is an inspiration to do more! She is now preparing for her second exhibition in July ‘08. Having met some wonderful artists and watched their work evolve over the year has been an honour and is looking forward to new challenges and working with everyone in 2008. As Editor, her aim is to give all
members a bipartisan view and encourage their participation in exhibitions and entice their continued involvement & being aware of the Guild’s role to foster and support realist artists.

Vice President, Professional Development & Student Exhibition:

Raymond Kenyon

Ray, an architect from Camberwell. A member of AGRA since ‘02. Initially self-taught artist, has attended the Camberwell Community Centre Watercolour Group run by AGRA Vice President Alan Rawady. Exhibiting his automotive paintings at the Melbourne International Motor Show and the F1 Experience, Ray has won numerous commendations at the AGRA seasonal shows including a Certificate of Recognition in 2006.
Shared exhibition at AGRA with fellow architect Geoff Sargeant in October ‘06. In ‘05 his painting of architect Glenn Murcutt was selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize. Ray paints people, still life and vehicles. He feels honoured to be asked to join the AGRA Council for 2008 and brings his professional and business experience to the task. Ray hopes to make a valuable and creative contribution to the Guild.

Treasurer:

Carol Harrison A.G.R.A.

Hard working and elusive, Carol is always there when needed, but rarely conspicuous as she goes about the task of keeping us solvent. Carol was awarded life membership many years ago for her consistent involvement with this group.
Roles as Councillor, Secretary/ Treasurer for 12 years before holding her current role as Treasurer is indicative of her commitment to our group. A Gil Brooks winner (awarded for service to AGRA) and member for 30 years she is invaluable to this group for her knowledge of our Guild. Her job as Treasurer just keeps getting bigger as the Guild extends its role

Company Secretary / Gallery Manager/Professional Development:

Brenda Innes BA Dip Ed

Brenda has a BA Dip Ed. Her working life includes 5 yrs in market research, 15 very rewarding years as a Year 7—12 School Teacher and 8 years involvement with AGRA. During this time she has been a passionate advocate for Realist Art and Artists. She has gained much from meeting, mentoring and making professional connections for AGRA members. Brenda managers the gallery and is a true ambassador for AGRA. Held her fifth exhibition with the Harlequin artists at the AGRA Galleries in 2008.

Web Galleries/Web site maintenance

Lyn Mellady A.G.R.A.F

Lyn is a past President of AGRA and a member of the Pastel Society of Vic. and Fusion Six. While her personal painting is her highest priority, she is constantly asked to teach, judge art shows and give professional art demonstrations. As an AGRA Councillor Lyn is a consistent worker always thinking of new ways to bring AGRA to more prominence. Lyn loves painting with pastel and her work is in 5 Government collections, featured in 5 art books and International Pastel Artist. She has limited edition drawings, prints and many awards. Lyn is also represented in NSW and Victorian Galleries. Lyn looks after the AGRA web site and is also responsible for the Australia at Large competitions and collates awards and certificates . Lyn has been awarded Life membership of AGRA

Promotions and Systems

Kris Peter

Kris’s work history combines experience in tax, book-keeping, office administration and training and she now runs her own business providing support to small & medium size businesses and accounting firms. She hopes this practical experience will assist in her role of Promotions & Systems at AGRA.

Kris joined AGRA in 2007 and has already enjoyed the benefits of the professional development activities & new friendships. She twice received runner-up at AGRA exhibitions during 2008 which was a huge inspiration, as she had only seriously applied herself to her art for the previous 12-18 months. Prints of some of Kris’s work sell at various locations in New Zealand and her gum leaf and evocative tree trunk paintings are available as prints at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Kris shared a successful exhibition on the Surf Coast during 2008 and her work is often at suburban art shows. She is working towards a joint exhibition in September 2009 with another two AGRA members.

Art Exhibitions - Awards and Medallion

Radmilla Hardi :

Radmila studied drawing, watercolour, pastel and oil
painting with a number of Melbourne and overseas
artists. Having found a preference for pastels she
explored the ways of using them for six years and her
first solo exhibition was of pastels only. She is now
working in oils as well and experimenting with
gouache. As an AGRA Councillor, is part of belonging to an art community.
Radmila is a Signatory Member of VAS and a member of PSV. Radmila is a very active member of AGRA council.

Exhibitions - Awards and Medallion

Anne Melloy

Art has been a pastime for most of her life with the last four years seeing it coming to determined prominance. Regular classes with Bryan Fitzgeraldn Barbara McMannus and regular paint outs with Ev Hales and Alan Rawady have kept the creative juices flowing. Her prefered medium for land and seascapes is watercolour as she loves its spontaneity and freshness. An introduction to pastels two years ago has also whet the appetite but regardless of the medium, capturing light and movement remain the challenge.Painting trips locally and overseas have been excellent sources of inspiration.

Awards and Medallion Exhibitions

Kath McCann

I am pleased to be able to give back to AGRA as a Councillor, as it provides so much stimulus for artists, in the variety of images and techniques in the exhibitions, the casual conversations, the venue and the locality.

I had a brief experience of art at school, and was introduced to watercolour by a friend. I love plein air painting and the sensation of the breeze, wind, heat of the sun, raindrops pattering, shadows, streaks of sunlight or scudding clouds is my fuel to put down an image in pencil or watercolour.

In my other life I taught drama, music and English in secondary government schools for a number of years. I currently work in Philanthropy, administering scholarships to students in primary and secondary schools.

Professional Development and Drawing:

Alan Rawady

Studied at: RMIT, Swinburne, M.S.P.G.A. and Melbourne School of Painting.
Alan is an award winning artist and watercolour tutor who was professionally employed in Graphic & exhibition design, illustration and advertising art from 1956. He has worked in Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Germany. In 1989 he won an international graphic design competition. Since retiring in 1992 he has concentrated on teaching, demonstrations and workshops. He is also taking tours with painters.
Member of AGRA, VAS, MAS, Hon. Member of BAS and Mentone—Mordialloc Art group and Past president of Watercolouur Society of Victoria and A.G.R.A.

Sponsorship and Grants

Margaret Keogh

Through the years I have divided my interests between sport & Art. Until 5 years ago, heavily involved with netball in Victoria, all aspects of the sport—active participating to development & policy making while on the Board of Netball Victoria, where I served as President for 2 yrs.
Art has played an important part in my life. I began with porcelain painting, member of APAT (Australian Porcelain Art Teachers), taught for 15 yrs. 9 yrs ago took up watercolour. Have worked with excellent tutors such as Ev Hales, Ron Muller & Joseph Zbukvic. I have been impressed with the unique quality of the Guild, from its professionalism to its friendliness and encouragement to all realist artists, professional & aspiring. It is an honour to be a councillor, and I look forward to contributing where I can.

Days of 100 Paintings/Assistant Editor:

Rodger Scott:

Rodger has always loved wildlife and has been paintingnothing else now since 1990. Still learning how to utilisethe various aspects of watercolour and gouache. He has attended many wildlife art workshops both here and
in the US which has helped him enormously and hiswork has improved as a result. Those trips also allowedhim to collect quite a lot of reference material of North American animals
and birds, plus their habitat, which is something you can't get froma zoo.
Having all that material led Rodger to submit some work to the prestigiousArts for the Parks show in Wyoming. He managed to get acceptedin ‘05 and ‘06. His believes that his future challenges are to get betterand push the boundaries a little bit further in his preferred medium.

Amenities & Days of 100 paintings

Ian Pascoe

Trained as a botanist and microcologist, his artistic output was limited for many years to technical drawings. Inspired by pastels seen at an art show he began painting in 2002, and then on retirement in 2004 he began to become more involved. Having done plein air watercolour classes with Ev Hales for two years he is now determined to conquer watercolour, moving towards more experimentalapproaches to different media. He isinterested in painting cityscapes, industrial subjects, maritime art and natural history subjects, in particular the microscopic world. He is an active member of AGRA and PSV and paints every week with the Harlequin artists.

Artscapade

Thel Cardwell

A.G.R.A.Thel has been a very able and constant member of the AGRA Council.
She has had several terms as President and is always a willing helper. Thel started painting in oils in 1978 with Alan Martin, a tonal painter from the Max Meldrum School and later began working in pastels with John Duncan-Firth.
She likes working in both mediums and paints whatever she is enthused about at the time but particularly likes still life and landscapes. She has won many awards, run regular workshops in NSW, judges art shows and teaches weekly classes at home.
Thel’s aim as an artist is to keep painting, hoping to make the next painting the best she has done and to be successful at what she likes doing best. Thel works tiresly with the organising and arrangements of the Artscapade for our members of AGRA.

Thel is a Life Member of AGRA

E- Hues

Velda Palazzi

Velda is the contact for the e Hues.Velda is not a council member but is working closely with them and is responsible for the email news you will receive regularly. This is free and is available to anyone who is interested in the activities, art and artists of AGRA.

If you want to be part of this aspect of membership please email; on:- gvli_ellis@hotmail.com

Seasonal Exhibitions:

Pamela Pretty

Painting and drawing have always been an integral part of Pamela’s life growing up in a family where both parents were watercolour artists. Love of animals drew her to paint birds and animals during her teen years. Pamela paints pastel landscapes and portraits and has worked as an acrylic tutor in Decorative
Art for 15 yrs. Pamela has been encouraged by receiving several awards in 2007 including the MEC 1st prize for general pastellists
(Pastel Society of Vic) and other awards. As a member of AGRA, she finds the encouragement and professional advice invaluable viewing the work of the diverse and highly talented realist artists of AGRA.
Pamela will be having a Joint Exhibition in July with Jan Lowe.

Seasonal Exhibitions Assist:

Taff Richardson

Her sister, Marion got out their father's watercolour paints, brushes and instruction book and said "Let's have a go!" Taff's parents are artists (glass, porcelaine/silk). Watercolour is Taff's main medium. She has also used acrylic. She finds it a bit like meditation and food for the soul. " I love that being an artist changes the way I see the world." She exhibited at AGRA in a joint exhibition with friends "A Class Act" in 2008. Exhibition in various Art shows like Camberwell, Sorrento and Mt Waverly, Taff also paints commissions and paintings for friends.