Shay Docking facts for kids

Shay Docking (born in 1928, died in 1998) was an Australian artist. She was especially good at drawing and painting landscapes, which are pictures of nature like mountains, forests, or oceans.

Early Life

Shay Docking was born in Warrnambool, Victoria, in 1928. She was the youngest of seven children in her family. Her father was a clergyman (a religious leader), and her mother was a musician. In 1939, when she was about 11 years old, her family moved to Boort.

Her Art and Inspiration

Shay Docking was known for her landscape paintings. Much of her art was inspired by the beautiful natural areas of western Victoria, where she grew up. When she lived in New Zealand, the amazing volcanoes there gave her ideas for new artworks.

She also created many paintings inspired by the landscapes of Ku-ring-gai Chase in New South Wales. Another famous series of her paintings showed the beauty of Sydney Harbour.

Exhibitions and Recognition

Shay Docking's art was shown in many exhibitions.

• In 1957, her work was part of a big exhibition in Melbourne.
• By 1961, she had her first solo shows, meaning only her art was displayed.
• A special exhibition called From Tower Hill to One Tree Hill toured several galleries in 1975.
• In 1982, the Art Gallery of New South Wales organized a traveling show of her work. This exhibition focused on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
• Later, in 1987, another exhibition called Hill and other Volcanoes was shown in Warrnambool, Bendigo, and Swan Hill.
• A major look back at her career, called Song of Earth and Sea: Shay Docking 1955–1996, was held in 2011 and 2013.
• In 2012, some of her art from the Newcastle Art Gallery was also put on display.

You can see examples of Shay Docking's work in important art galleries. These include the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Personal Journey

Shay Docking studied art at Swinburne Technical College from 1947 to 1950. Before she finished, she started working as a freelance artist. She illustrated myths and legends for the Victorian Education Department.

In 1952, she married Gil Docking. The next year, she became an Education Officer at the National Gallery of Victoria. She continued her art studies there from 1954 to 1955.

• In 1958, she moved to Newcastle.
• In 1965, she moved to New Zealand.
• Later, she bought a house in Paddington, Sydney, which became her art studio. In 2015, this house was given to the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Shay Docking also won awards for her art. In 1979, she received the Gold Coast Purchase Award and the Trustees Invitation Purchase Award from the Queensland Art Gallery.

In 1987, artist Margaret Ackland painted a portrait of Shay Docking. This portrait was a finalist for the famous Archibald Prize. The next year, it won the Portia Geach Memorial Award.

Shay Docking passed away in 1998 in Paddington. In 2019, she received a memorial plaque from Woollahra Council to honor her contributions.

Books About Shay Docking

Several books have been written about Shay Docking and her art:

• Shay Docking: The Landscape as Metaphor by Ursula Prunster (1983)
• Shay Docking Drawings by Lou Klepac (1990)
• Shay Docking herself wrote Tower hill and other volcanoes in 1987 to go with an exhibition.