With a lifetime passion of observing humanity, Jocelyn Maughan's exhibition "Inspirations - Black Head to Patonga" reflects a long career stretching from our own region to the Central Coast and will be close to the hearts of most MidCoast locals.
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Launching at the Manning Regional Art Gallery on Saturday February 10, "Inspirations" is a snapshot of Maughan's career and includes drawings, paintings and printmaking inspired by these seaside communities.
With sketchbook in hand, Maughan's studio could be a beach, train, building site, concert or local jetty. Two of her favourite environments have been Black Head and Patonga on the Central Coast.
Yet Maughan’s art is not just plain observation; every work demonstrates her commitment to composition, in particular selection, emphasis and rhythm.
Whether it is a lino print, a tempera panel for a mural or an oil painting, the energy of the work often starts using the grisaille method, used in past times by artists Rubens and van Dyck. Thin black paint on a slippery, non-absorbent ground translates to broad, bold generalisations and juxtapositions.
Born in Sydney in 1938, Maughan demonstrated a talent for drawing at a very early age. She studied painting at the precursor to the National Art School in the 1950s and went on to become a teacher there and later senior Head Teacher at Meadowbank TAFE which, under her leadership, gained a reputation for the development of drawing skills.
Jocelyn Maughan has been a finalist in the Archibald and Wynne Prizes many times. She won the Portia Geach Memorial Award in 1975 and the Robert Le Gay Brereton Prize for draughtsmanship in 1957, a prize she now supports for today’s art students. Her artwork is the subject of two books; ‘The Draughtsman’s Contract’ and ‘Genre: The Significance of the Insignificant’.
The launch is on Saturday February 10 at 2pm, together with the launch of Jo Ernst's exhibition "Not just a nude - life models of the Manning" and is free to attend. Both exhibitions run until Sunday March 25.
For more details of this event and to find out more about Manning Regional Art Gallery events, please visit our website at mrag.midcoast.nsw.gov.au