John R Walker site
John R Walker site 4 - 30 October, 2014
John R Walker is represented by Utopia Art Sydney Š Utopia Art Sydney and Moree Plains Gallery
Jembacumbine, 2009, archival oil on paper, 168 x 76cm
Recollections
In 1985 one of the first works of art I selected for Canberra’s Parliament House Art Program was by John R. Walker. The painting was called Bouddi and hung in the foyer on the first floor. Walker was then in his twenties and had a studio on the premises that would become Utopia Art Sydney in 1988. I was greatly impressed by this young artist’s work. I purchased Bouddi for a special reason. The architects of the new Parliament House had designated the foyer area to illustrate through works of art the theme of Australia’s “exploration and settlement”. To that end we acquired Albert Tucker’s penetrating portrait, Gold Fossicker, and Sidney Nolan’s Burke and Wills. However, exploration and settlement pictures were hard to come by, so the curatorial team developed the idea of arranging in sequence specially selected pictures that, when hung together, carried the idea of a journey from the coast and across Australia’s vast land.
Walker thoroughly worked the surface of his board in Garie Beach, as he did with Bouddi. The lustrous paint is heavily laid and the artist has revealed his aptitude for colour: soft pinks and greys balance with more strident hues of the sea. In this work and in many others by Walker there is an absence of a horizon line. This encourages viewers to feel part of the landscape, to look down and into it, rather than to envision a panorama. Walker has long been an ardent admirer of indigenous Australian art from the Western Desert. In 2009 he presented the Moree Plains Gallery with the painting, Witchetty grubs, by Warlpiri artist Mary Dixon Nungurrayi, as well as an untitled canvas by Takariya Napaltjarri from the Pintupi language group. Moree Plains Gallery is proud to show John R Walker’s art, which has been especially selected for us by the artist and Christopher Hodges, Director of Utopia Art Sydney.
Walker’s Bouddi proudly hung in the foyer for many years. When we acquired the picture the artist was painting landscapes. Later he shifted to figure paintings and, in recent years, has gone the full circle and returned to landscape as this exhibition exemplifies. Walker has a passion for the landscape. He treks through it on extended hikes and has long painted familiar territories. His 1999 painting of Garie Beach, which he generously gave our Gallery, is an expressionist interpretation of a beautiful section of the beach in the Royal National Park, on the southern outskirts of Sydney.
Katrina Rumley AM Director, Moree Plains Gallery
Site, 2011, archival oil on polyester, 4 panels, 177 x 776cm
Winter in the Fire Forest 3, 2012, archival oil on polyester, 183 x 161cm
Winter in the Fire Forest 5, 2012, archival oil on polyester, 176 x 109.5cm
Winter in the Fire Forest 1, 2012, archival oil on polyester, 180 x 85cm
Crust, 2012, archival oil on polyester, 184.5 x 477cm
Parched, 2006, archival oil on polyester, 183.5 x 331cm. Courtesy of the artist and Utopia Art Sydney.
August Ridge Walking I, 2009, gouache on paper, 110 x 75cm
Badja Walking 5, 2013, gouache on paper, 112 x 76cm
Doughboy III, 2013, archival oil on polyester, 110 x 126cm
Little River Road Gate, 2011, archival oil on polyester, 183.5 x 310cm
Horizon Lines II, 2005, gouache on paper, 55 x 75cm
Horizon Lines I, 2005, gouache on paper, 55 x 75cm
Horizon Lines IV, 2005, gouache on paper, 55 x 75cm
Gate, Southwalking Bedervale, 2009, archival oil on polyester, 177 x 289cm
John R Walker Biography
Born 7 February, 1957 Lives and works in Braidwood, NSW
Education 1976-78 Alexander Mackie College, Sydney, Art Diploma 1975-76 St. George Technical College, Kogarah, Art Certificate.
Solo Exhibitions 2014
‘Terroir: Big Land Pictures’, Orange Regional Gallery, NSW ‘The End of All Our Exploring’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2012 ‘Winter in the Fire Forest’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2011 ‘Space & Time: 10 Years in the Landscape’ Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW ‘Site’ Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2010 ‘The Shed’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2008 ‘Journey through Landscape’, S. H. Ervin Gallery, NSW ‘Gateless Gate’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2007 ‘Working in the Landscape’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2005 ‘Gullies, Roads, Dry Lands and Forests’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2004 ‘Dry Land Paintings’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2003 ‘Paintings from Tallaganda’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2002 ‘Paintings from Bundanon’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2000 ‘Gully’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 1999 ‘Paintings for a New Republic’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 1997 ‘The House of the Stare’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 1994 ‘In a Free State’, Tamworth City Gallery, NSW ‘Pictures from Home’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 1993 ‘New Paintings’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 1992 ‘Recent Works’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘New Sculpture’, Austral Gallery, St Louis, USA
1991 1990 1989 1988 1986 1985 1984 1982 1979
‘Favourite Paintings’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Recent Figures’, Austral Gallery, St Louis, USA ‘Drawings’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW Tolarno Gallery, Melbourne ‘Austral Gallery’, St Louis, USA ‘Figures on Paper’, Austral Gallery, St Louis, USA ‘Utopia Art Sydney’, NSW ‘Recent Painting’, Tolarno Gallery, Melbourne, VIC ‘Deceit, Desire & Narcissus’, Mori Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘Tolarno Gallery’, Melbourne, VIC ‘The Family’, Mori Gallery, Sydney, NSW Mori Gallery, Sydney, NSW The Student Gallery (later renamed Mori Gallery), Sydney, NSW
GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2014 2013
‘Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize’, National Art School Gallery, NSW ‘Artist – Book’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW Amaze Gallery, State Library of New South Wales, NSW ‘The Wynne Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘The Salon’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Angus Nivison & Friends: Christopher Hodges, Helen Eager & John R. Walker’, Walcha Gallery of Art, NSW ‘No Boundaries’, Bayside Arts & Cultural Centre, VIC ‘LANDSCAPE’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2012 ‘Bronze’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘paperworks’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Repertoire’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Big Scope: painting and place’, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, NSW 2011 ‘Heads’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Salon des Refuses’ S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW
John R Walker Biography - continued
‘Alone off the Press’ Braidwood, NSW ‘Up Close and Personal: works from the collection of Dr Peter Elliott AM’, S. H. Ervin Gallery, NSW ‘Fleurieu Art Prize’, Hardys Winery, McLaren Vale, SA 2010 ‘Museum III’ Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘The Wynne Prize’ Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘two six two two’, Goulburn Regional Gallery, NSW ‘Melbourne Art Fair 2010’, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, VI ‘KIAF 2010, Korea International Art Fair’, COEX, Seoul, Korea 2009 ‘pinned & framed’ Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘The Power of Print’, NG Art Gallery, NSW ‘Mono Uno: Australian Monotypes in the Charles Sturt University Art Collection’ Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, NSW ‘The Wynne Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘Eutick Memorial Still Life Award (the EMSLA)’, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, NSW ‘The 23 Annual Packsaddle Selling Exhibition’, New England Regional Art Museum, NSW 2008 ‘The Wynne Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘The Melbourne Art Fair 2008’, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Vic ‘North South East West’ Damien Minton Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘Art of the Nude: Work from the collection of Alex Mackay” Albury Art Gallery NSW 2007 ‘Salon des Refuses’, S. H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘The Wynne Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW 2006 ‘Being at Bundanon’, Mosman Region Art Gallery, NSW (toured by Bundanon Trust), ‘The Big Picture’, The Delmar Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘The Archibald Prize 06’, Art Gallery of New South Wales and touring, NSW ‘View of Maitland from the riverbank’, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Maitland, NSW ‘Chroma Collection’, Macquarie University Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2005
‘Truth and Likeness’, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, ACT ‘The Melbourne Art Fair 2006’. Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne VIC ‘Moist’, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra and touring, ACT ‘Friends and Neighbours – Togetherness’, Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW ‘Bleak Epiphanies’, Virginia Wilson Art, Sydney, NSW ‘Museum II’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘The Archibald Prize 05’, Art Gallery of New South Wales and touring, NSW ‘New Ideas 2005’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘2005 Robert Jacks Drawing Prize’, Bendigo Art Gallery, VIC ‘Same Place Many Views’, Defiance Gallery, Sydney, NSW Hazelhurst Art Award 2005 - Art on Paper, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre, NSW Marea Gazzard ‘the odyssey’ & John R Walker ‘dry land paintings’, Silvershot, Melbourne, VIC ‘Country Energy Art Prize for Landscape Painting’, Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW 2004 Melbourne Art Fair 2004, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, VIC ‘Depth of Field – Anamorphosis’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘The Wynne Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘A Stroke of Art’, The Gallery, NSW Parliament House, Sydney, NSW 2003 ‘Bloomsday Door Exhibition’, Arthouse Hotel, Sydney, NSW ‘A Stroke of Art’, The Gallery, NSW Parliament House, Sydney, NSW ‘The Archibald Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales touring exhibition, NSW ‘The Wynne Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘The Archibald Prize’, touring exhibition to NSW and VIC venues ‘Arthur Guy Memorial painting Prize’, Bendigo Art Gallery, VIC 2002 ‘The Year In Review’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award’, Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW ‘The Fleurieu Prize’, Mclaren Vale, SA
‘Conrad Jupiters Art Prize’, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, QLD ‘Melbourne Art Fair 2002’, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, VIC ‘Salon des Refuses’, S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘The Wynne and Sulman Prizes’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘Sculpture 2002’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Solstice’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 2001 ‘Museum’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Gone Bush’, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, NSW ‘8th International Works on Paper Fair’, Fox Studios Australia, Sydney, NSW ‘Over the Back Fence’, Bowen Galleries, Wellington, NZ ‘The Archibald’, ‘Wynne’ and ‘Sulman Prizes’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘Bat, Ball & Brush – A Summer of Cricket & Art’, Sydney Cricket Ground, NSW 2001, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘The Archibald Prize’, touring exhibition to NSW and VIC venues 2000 ‘Melbourne Art Fair 2000’, Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne, VIC ‘The Archibald Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales and NSW regional tour ‘SCEGGS Redlands-Westpac Invitational Art Prize’, Cremorne, Sydney, NSW ‘Bloomsday Lunch Exhibition’, ASN Gallery, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW ‘Half Metre Square’, Work by teaching staff, National Art School, Sydney, NSW ‘Landscape’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Encore’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW 1999 ‘7thInternational Works on Paper Fair’, Fox Studios, Sydney, NSW ‘Mosman Art Prize’, Mosman Region Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘University and Schools Club Prize Exhibition’, University and Schools Club, Sydney, NSW 1998 ‘National Works on Paper Award’, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, VIC
1997
1996
1995
1994 1993
1992
‘Bloomsday: Joyce & the Nymph’, Coach House Gallery, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW ‘Symbiosis’, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale and Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘ACAF 6’, Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne, VIC ‘Kedumba Invitation Drawing Award’, Leura, NSW ‘Faces of Hope’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘Drawn from Life’, National Gallery of Australia touring exhibition, ACT ‘6th International Works on Paper Fair’, State Library of New South Wales, NSW ‘Bronze’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Portraits’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Nineteeninetyseven’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘The Theresa Byrnes Foundation’, Westpac Art Auction, Westpac Plaza, Sydney, NSW ‘ACAF 5’, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, VIC ‘Return from the Art Fair’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Paperwork’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘The Gesture’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Flagging the Republic’, Sherman Galleries and New England Regional Art Museum touring exhibition, NSW ‘Ironsides’, The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, NSW ‘The King of the Accordian’, New England Regional Art Museum touring exhibition, NSW ‘Works On Paper’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘5th International Works on Paper Fair’, State Library of New South Wales, NSW ‘ACAF 4’, Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne, VIC ‘Contemporary Australian Painting’, Works from the Allen Allen and Hemsley Collection, Westpac Gallery, Melbourne and Newcastle Regional Gallery, VIC and NSW ‘On the Dark Side’, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale, NSW
1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983
‘ACAF3’, Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne, VIC The Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘Images of Sydney’, Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘Images of Women from the Holmes a’Court Collection’, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘The Sulman Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘The Annunciation’, Mandorla Art Prize, New Norcia, WA ‘Windsor and Newton Painting Prize’, Coventry Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘Religious Images in Australian Art’, National Gallery of Victoria, VIC ‘The Sulman Prize’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘King of the Mountain’, Noosa Regional Gallery, QLD ‘Visual Instincts’, Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘New Year New Art’, Utopia Art, Sydney, NSW ‘Opening’, Utopia Art Sydney, NSW ‘Intimate Drawings’, Coventry Gallery, Sydney, NSW ‘Drawing in the 80s’, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, ACT ‘Drawing’, Tolarno Gallery, Melbourne, VIC ‘Savage Club Invitation Drawing Prize’, Savage Club, Melbourne, VIC ‘From Field to Figuration’, National Gallery of Victoria, VIC ‘Backlash’, National Gallery of Victoria, VIC ‘Best of Young Australians from the Budget Collection’,National Gallery of Victoria, VIC ‘Urban Anxieties’, Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra, ACT ‘A First Look’, Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra, ACT ‘Symbolism and Landscape’, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Biennale of Sydney Satellite Exhibition, NSW ‘Modern Australian Masters’, National Gallery of Victoria, VIC ‘Ballarat Invitation Prize’, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, VIC ‘The Pleasure of the Gaze’, Art Gallery of Western Australia, WA ‘Drawing Now’, National Gallery of Victoria, VIC ‘Survey ‘84’, Michael Milburn Galleries, Brisbane, QLD ‘D’un Autre Continent: L’Australie, le reve et le real’, Musee D’Art Moderne, Paris
1982 1979
‘Australian Perspecta’, Art Gallery of New South Wales, NSW ‘McCaughey Prize Exhibition’, National Gallery, Melbourne, VIC ‘Eight by Four’, Students Gallery (later Mori Gallery), Sydney, NSW
COLLECTIONS
Artbank Allens + Linklaters Art Gallery of New South Wales Art Gallery of Western Australia Artworks Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children ACT Legislative Assembly Bankers Trust Bathurst Regional Art Gallery Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery Campbelltown City Art Gallery Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery Commonwealth Bank of Australia Griffith University Collection Holmes A’ Court Collection James Wolfensohn Collection Macquarie Group Collection Myer Collection National Gallery of Australia National Gallery of Victoria New England Regional Art Museum New Parliament House, Canberra Phillip Morris Collection Smorgon Collection State Library of New South Wales The Savage Club Collection The University of Sydney Union
The Australia Club, Sydney University of New South Wales Western Mining Corporation Wollongong City Art Gallery
Publication inclusions 2014 2013 2012
2011
Leah Haynes, ‘Art Notes’, Art Monthly Australia, March 2014, number 267 Nicole Kuter, ‘Artist deals with the big picture for the first time’, Central Western Daily, 15 March, 2014 Exhibition brief, ‘John R Walker: The End of All Our Exploring’, Art Almanac, April 2014 Gina Fairley, ‘John R Walker: The End of all Our Exploring’, ArtsHub [online], 1 April 2014 Stella Rosa McDonald, ‘A Matter of Taste: The Redlands Konika Minolta Art Prize’, The Art Life, April 2014 Andrew Flatau, ‘At the Gallery: Legend still in the picture with Alan Sisley gallery’, Central Western Daily, 5 April, 2014 Gavin Fry, The Peter Elliott Collection of Australian Art, The Beagle Press, The Macquarie Group Collection: the Land and its Psyche, Editors: Julian Beaumont, Felicity Fenner and John McDonald, UNSW Press Chloe Watson, ‘Winter in the Fire Forest’ in exhibition online catalogue, Utopia Art Sydney. ‘His eyes wide shut on an indelible landscape’ Elizabeth Fortescue, The Daily Telegraph, 24 October, 2012. Alexander Sussman, ‘John R Walker artist books’, State Library of New South Wales Acquisitions Blog, 27th November Chloe Watson, ‘Site’ (pamphlet), Utopia Art Sydney ‘Space & Time: 10 Years in the Landscape – John R Walker’, exhibition catalogue, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, 7 October – 4 December
2010 2009
2008
2011 (essays by Andrew Sayers and Joe Eisenberg) Artist Profile, ‘John R Walker responds to Joe Frost’s article “Bad words and thoughts”,issue 12: Mag-blog, August 2010 ‘Naturally Inspired’, Nigel Featherstone, Panorama, Canberra Times, 10 September, 2010 Arts Etcetera ‘Walker finalist in Wynne Prize’ Bungendore Mirror, March 11. Mono Uno catalogue, Australian Monotypes in the Charles Sturt University Art Collection ‘John R. Walker Interviewed’, Artist Profile # 6, March 2009, pp. 28 - 35 ‘No Thanks, I Don’t Want the Money’, Australian Financial Review, Perspective, Sep 10 - 11 Journey through Landscape podcast interview with Sean O’Brien, May 2008: http://arttalk.podomatic.com/entry/2008-05-09T02_10_17-07_00 Critics’ Choice - ‘John R. Walker Journey Through Landscape’ Time Out Magazine, May 21 - 27 ‘Poetry through Landscape – Poetic interpretations of the artworks of John R. Walker’, DiVerse, At the S. H. Ervin Gallery Art Talk: Talking to Artists and Curators, Sean O’Brien May 2008 at the S. H. Ervin Gallery transcript John R. Walker, Journey Through Landscape Media Archive, National Trust, S. H. Ervin Gallery ‘Secrets of the Self Unearthed’, John McDonald, Spectrum, Sydney Morning Herald, June 7-8. ‘Lure of the Land’, Libby Peacock, Panorama, The Canberra Times, May 31st. ‘Exposing the Scars on Nature’, Elizabeth Fortescue, Sydney Live, Daily Telegraph, 27th May. ‘Walker Retrospective at S. H. Ervin’, press release, Bungedore Mirror, 21st May. ‘Journey Through Landscape’, What’s On, Central Magazine, 21st May. Critics Choice, Time Out Sydney, 21st – 27th May. John R. Walker, Journey Through Landscape, What’s On, Time Out
2007
2006
2004
2003
Magazine, June 4th – 17th. Event Diary, Sunday Arts, ABC TV Sunday 5pm, 6th June. Whats On Elsewhere, Look Magazine. John R. Walker, Journey Through Landscape, ‘Exhibitions’ section: National Trust Magazine, Winter 2008 Essay by Andrew Sayers in Working in the Landscape, (cat), Utopia Art Sydney “The best of the rest actually the best”, Sebastian Smee, The Australian, 8 March, p,14 “Anything goes in the silly season”, John McDonald, SMH Spectrum, 2424 March 2007, pp16-17 “Robert Kennedy – Salon des Refuses 2007”, State of the Arts Online/ reviews, 2 March 2007 Painting Australia, ABC TV series Episode #3, 11 April, 2007 Art in Restaurants, Australian Art Review, p82 Archibald 06 (cat), Art Gallery of New South Wales Winter Crow, a collection of poems by Jeremy Nelson, illustrations by John R Walker “Is the truth of portraiture vested exclusively in likeness?”, Michael Desmond, Portrait 21, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. CAPO Annual Auction 2006 (cat), Canberra Arts Patrons Organization, Canberra Australian Artist, No.253 July 2005, p.25 Archibald 05 (cat), Art Gallery of New South Wales Essay by Simeon Kronenburg in being at Bundanon (cat), Bundanon Trust touring exhibition Essay by William Wright in Gullies, Road, Dry Lands and Forests (cat), Utopia Art Sydney Moist: Australian Watercolours (cat), National Gallery of Australia “Moist: Australian Watercolours 27 August-4 December 2005”, Anne McDonald, Artonview, Spring 2004 “Art Now”, Laura Murray Cree, State of the Arts Magazine (The Design Issue), July - September “Generations of Collecting”, Jenna Price, Australian Art Collector, July-
2002
September 2003 Australian Artist, No.12 Vol. XIX, June 2003, p.29 “Experiencing the Land”, Simeon Kronenberg, Asian Art News Vol.12 No.2 March/April 2002 “Money and Collecting”, Michael Reid, The Weekend Australian 20-21 April “Critics Picks”, Victoria Hynes, SMH Metro 26 April - 2 May “The Plains: Wimmera and the imaging of the Australian Landscape”, Simeon Kronenberg, Art Monthly, November 2001, #45 “Days in Body Country”, Simeon Kronenberg, Artlink, June 2002, Vol.22 #2 Paintings from Bundanon, (cat) Simeon Kronenberg, Utopia Art Sydney 2001 “Gone Bush: Artists in the Royal”, Tracy Sorensen, St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, October 18 Over the back fence (cat), Bowen Galleries, NZ Gone Bush (cat), Jennifer Hardy, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, NSW Australian Artist, Vol.XVII No.11, May 2001, p.49 2000 Beyond the Fatal Shore, Interview with Robert Hughes, Episode #6 BBC TV series “The Odds on the Archibald”, Sebastian Smee, SMH, March 16 “On the Canvas”, Elizabeth Fortescue, Daily Telegraph, March 15 “Go you good thing”, Sharon Vergis, SMH, March 15 “Framed and they’ve got form”, Darren Knight and John McDonald, SMH, March 15 “Hanging out for the Archibald”, Giles Auty, The Australian “Frame and Fortune”, Edmund Capon, SMH, March 20 Australian Artist, Vol. XVI No.12 June 2000, p.21 “Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed”, Sebastian Smee, SMH Metro May 26 “Utopia Art”, Andrew G Frost, Australian Art Collector, Issue #8 1998 “Interview with collector, Hugh Jamieson”, Australian Art Collector Issue #2
1997 “Porn Again NETurally”, Sebastian Smee, SMH Metro, October 24 Faces of Hope (cat), Amnesty International Drawn from Life (cat), Deborah Edwards and Andrew Sayers, National Gallery of Australia 1995 King of the Accordian (cat), J. Eisenberg, New England Regional Art Museum, NSW 1994 Who’s Who of Australian Artists, National Association of Visual Arts (NAVA) The Encyclopedia of Australian Art, revised and updated by Susan McCulloch Contemporary Australian Painting from the Allen Allen and Hemsley Collection (cat.) 1992 Communicative Abstraction/Philosophical Reflections, Rudolf Talmacs, Utopia Art Sydney On the Dark Side (cat), Belinda Cotton, New England, Regional Art Museum, NSW King of the Mountain (cat), Noosa Regional Gallery, Queensland 1990 Artists and Galleries of Australia Volume II 1990, Max Germaine, Craftsman House Press Images of Religion in Australian Art (cat), Rosemary Crumlin, Bay Books 1988 Australian Contemporary Drawing; Resurgence and Redefinition, Arthur McIntyre, Boolarong Press 1987 Best of Young Australians Exhibition from the Budget Collection (cat.), National Gallery of Victoria 1986 Drawing in Australia, Contemporary images and ideas, Janet McKenzie, Macmillan, Melbourne Backlash: The Australian Drawing Revival 1976-1986 (cat), Ted Gott, National Gallery of Victoria 1986 6th Biennale of Sydney: Origins Originality + Beyond (cat), satellite exhibition, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney Review “Pleasure of the Gaze”, ArtNetwork, Summer-Autumn 1986, p.19 1985 Pleasure of the Gaze (cat), Art Gallery of Western Australia
1984 1983
Australian Art Review, Leon Parossien Australian Perspecta (cat), Bernice Murphy, Art Gallery of New South Wales D’Un Autre Continent: L’Australie le reve et le real (cat), Musee D’Art Moderne, Paris
Awards and Commissions 2009 2002 1998 1990 1988 1982
Winner Eutick Memorial Still Life Award (EMSLA) Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, NSW Highly Commended, Wynne Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales BT Australia, 400 George St, Sydney Windsor and Newton Painting Prize, Coventry Gallery, Sydney Savage Club Drawing Prize, Melbourne Tamarisque Prize, Alexander Mackie College, Sydney
Teaching experience 2007 2000
“Walking the Landscape”, Art Workshops Australia, Byron Bay, QLD “Drawing the Nude”, Workshop, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, NSW 1998-2000 Painting lecturer, National Art School, Sydney Life Drawing teacher, National Institute of Dramatic Art, UNSW 2000 Visiting lecturer in Drawing and Painting, Calrossy School, Tamworth 1987-94 Art Program Co-ordinator, Panania East Hills Vocational Skillshare 1988-89 Drawing teacher, College of Fine Art, UNSW 1987 Visiting lecturer, Canberra School of Art, ANU
Scholarships & Residencies 2002 2002 2001 2001 2000 2000
Hill End Artist in Residence (invited artist) Bundanon Trust Artist in Residence Bundanon Trust Artist in Residence (invited artist) New England Artist in Residence (invited artist) National Art School Staff Travelling Scholarship New England Regional Art Museum Artist’s Travel Scholarship
Monkittee Creek, 2013, archival oil on polyester, 91 x 48.5cm
John R Walker site 4 - 30 October, 2014
John R Walker is represented by Utopia Art Sydney Š Utopia Art Sydney and Moree Plains Gallery