Jean Isherwood facts for kids
Jean de Courtenay Isherwood (1911–2006) was a famous Australian artist. She painted beautiful pictures of the Australian countryside. Jean used both watercolour and oil paints. She was also a talented teacher.
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Jean Isherwood's Early Life and Art
Jean Isherwood was born in Marrickville, Sydney, in 1911. When she was just 14, she won a special scholarship. This allowed her to study at the National Art School in Sydney. There, she learned important skills like drawing accurately and understanding perspective. Perspective helps artists make things look far away or close up.
In 1929, Jean started working as a fashion artist. She drew clothes for advertisements. But she kept studying art in the evenings for five more years. She later worked as a freelance artist, meaning she worked for herself. In 1934, she showed her first painting at a big art exhibition. After that, she often showed her work in major art shows.
Jean married John Dabron in 1940. They moved to Springwood in the Blue Mountains. They had two daughters, Josephine and Jacqueline. After they divorced in 1948, Jean went back to fashion drawing to support her family. She continued to paint in her free time. By 1952, she became a full-time painter.
Teaching Art Skills
From 1961 to 1974, Jean Isherwood taught at the National Art School. At this time, some people thought that basic art skills, like drawing and perspective, were not important. But Jean strongly believed they were. She was a very strict teacher. She made sure her students learned how to draw straight lines and perfect circles without a ruler. She often challenged them with difficult objects to draw, like old rubbish bins or broken chairs.
In 1959, Jean traveled around New South Wales by car. After this trip, she mostly painted landscapes. She loved the Australian countryside. She won many art competitions, especially at agricultural shows. These shows often had art exhibitions. From 1950 until she died, Jean won over 100 first prizes for her art.
"My Country" Paintings
In 1974, Jean Isherwood took a trip to Central Australia. On her way back, she was amazed by the beauty of the countryside near Tamworth, New South Wales. In 1976, she bought a property in Moonbi, where she lived until 1987. She then moved to Tamworth.
When Jean was a child, she learned a famous Australian poem by heart. It was called "My Country" by Dorothea Mackellar. The poem talks about how Australians love their own country's wild beauty. They prefer it over the softer landscapes of England.
In 1982, Jean heard that a statue of Dorothea Mackellar would be built in Gunnedah. This inspired Jean to create a series of paintings based on the poem. She painted 34 watercolour pictures. They showed the many different landscapes of Australia. These included green fields, floods on the Darling River, and bushfires in the Blue Mountains. One of her best paintings showed a forest of dead trees. It was very difficult to paint in watercolour, but Jean did it perfectly.
These paintings were shown in Gunnedah when the statue was unveiled in 1983. Later, they were put on permanent display at the Gunnedah Bicentennial Regional Gallery. Jean also painted a series of oil paintings based on these watercolours. They were shown in Sydney in 1986.
In 2004, Jean Isherwood, at 93 years old, showed her work in an exhibition called "Eighty and Over." Jean Isherwood passed away at home on January 6, 2006, at the age of 94.
Exhibitions and Awards
Jean Isherwood had 19 art exhibitions from 1946 onwards. Three of these were with her daughter, Jaqueline Dabron. Her art has been shown in major cities like Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. A special exhibition of her past works was held in Tamworth and Muswellbrook.
In 2012, 32 of Jean's watercolours were part of an exhibition called Sister Cities. Her painting of Marjorie Cotton was shown at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Jean's artwork can be found in many important places. These include the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra and the Art Gallery of NSW. Her work is also in many other regional galleries and private collections.
Jean was a member of the Australian Watercolour Institute from 1948. She also joined the Royal Art Society in 1976 and became a Fellow in 1982. In 1994, Jean Isherwood received the Order of Australia Medal. This award honored her great contributions to art through her oil and watercolour paintings.
