Renowned illustrator to inspire budding artists at festival
WESTWORDSFEST 2017, being held in Dubbo next weekend, is an event to celebrate all things publishing – from the simple joy of reading to learning skills like book illustrating.
Organisers, Outback Writers, have worked hard to bring leaders in their field to town for the event, including renowned Australian visual artist and illustrator, Graeme Compton.
Families will be very familiar with Graeme’s work as illustrator on the children’s books of Dubbo-based author, Pat Clarke.
Titles like “Howie the Yowie”, Return of the Fox” and “Elvira and the Pilliga Mouse”, all by Clarke, are beautifully illustrated by the artistry of Graeme.
Since 2013, he has been collaborating with children’s authors, Alec Trost, Cherelle Fleming, Fred Strassberg, and many more, filling 12 books with his images.
Born in Narrabri, Graeme fell in love with drawing from childhood and today he works professionally in his home studio completing commissions for portraiture and illustrations and holding regular classes and workshops.
While in town on Saturday, September 16, Graeme will host a practical workshop at Westwordsfest 2017 from 9.30am until 1p in Fantasy Art teaching tricks of the trade.
Graeme’s subjects and styles are very broad so you can expect the unexpected, from fierce dragons to happy humans, oneeyed chooks to piano-crunching pachyderms.
He works in graphite, ink, charcoal, acrylic or pixels.
He has twice been a finalist for portraiture in the Mortimer Prize for Realism (2011-2012) and received the Grand Champion award for his work ‘Egret on Tap’ in the Gunnedah Art Exhibition 2013.
Graeme is currently working on the sketches for an exhibition of his fantasy works, along with a series of elephantised masters.
Three of his larger works are featured in ‘Who’s Who in Visual Art - Masters of Realistic Imagery 20152016’, compiled by editor Ulrich Goette Himmelblau. He continues to draw cartoons of elephants thumping pianos for the elucidation and inspiration of his music students.