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Margaret Senior Wildlife Illustration Award 2007

The winner of the 2007 Margaret Senior Wildlife Illustration Award was recently announced by Robert Quirk, manager, Hunter Region National Parks and Wildlife Service. Seven final year students from the Bachelor of Natural History Illustration and Natural History Illustration (Honours) programs have spent six months during their coursework fulfilling the requirements of the award. The student's work was judged on the quality of artwork and presentation at an interview.

Funding for the Award that carries a prize of $1,000 is made possible from a bequest from the late Margaret Senior and the Department of Environment and Climate Change. This year a $200 highly commended award was also made. Margaret Senior spent much of her working life as a wildlife illustrator for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. She became interested in the program at the University of Newcastle and wanted to foster the training and education of Natural History Illustration students. The Bachelor of Natural History Illustration program is unique in Australia and before her death Margaret took pleasure meeting and encouraging students in the depiction and understanding of Australia's distinctive flora and fauna. Her generous bequest has encouraged and assisted more than twenty five students to achieve their goals and to progress their careers and scholarship in this exciting area.

The seven students vying for the 2007 Margaret senior Wildlife illustration Award are: Sarah Falzon, Lauren Hartley, Nicole Maloney, Erin Lowe, Riona Tindal, Elizabeth Oldmeadow and Lauren McCowan. The work of these students can be viewed until Thursday 27 September 2007 in the Design foyer.

STUDENT STATEMENTS

The completion of the Margaret Senior Award has been challenging and rewarding. It has allowed me to illustrate a number of native Australian flora and fauna using a variety of techniques. When initially undertaking study in Natural History Illustration, I had a varied knowledge of Australian wildlife and ways of successfully illustrating them.

I have learned in the past three years how to enhance my knowledge on rendering techniques and colour theory. Both are vital to a successful and believable image. This exhibition showcases the knowledge and skills I have acquired over the past three years in fields such as scientific, botanical and creative illustration.
Sarah Falzon

Before commencing a Bachelor of Natural History Illustration degree I completed a year studying fine art. My natural passion has always been to draw things in detail and the Bachelor of Natural History Illustration program has a strong focus on observational drawing. I am inspired by the bright colours found in the natural environment, and so for the Margaret Senior Award, I focused on Grevillea Marmalade and the Rainbow Lorikeet. I found the Margaret Senior Award to be testing but it was a great opportunity to expand my skills in watercolour painting. I am interested in a variety of illustration styles and have worked on cartoons for a children's magazine, illustrations for Christian children's books and have worked with Psychologists making visual tests for people with mental illness.

At this point in time it is hard to say what direction I am moving in with my illustration, I am keen to improve and expand my skills and tackle whatever work comes my way.
Lauren Hartley

Having been interested in wildlife and nature most of my life, it was a natural and logical step for me to enrol in the Bachelor of Natural History Illustration in 2005. During the program I have learned about fauna and as part of an elective course, I was prompted to work with the Amphibian Research Centre at the University. Over the past year and a half, I have worked as a lab volunteer so that I can study frogs 'up close and personal' and in doing this have made a number of contacts within the 'frog' world. These people are very inspiring and in my view are champions in frog conservation. I have spent many hours going out 'frogging' which means spending many hours in the middle of the night, up to my armpits in swamps looking for frogs. This has become my passion.

My interest in amphibians, environment, ecology as well as photography with drawing has been refined during the program and I consider frogs to be my muse when it comes to illustrating wildlife. I also have a passion for the vibrancy of colours in the natural world. My artwork reflects this dual passion of colour and environmental matters. In the future I hope to continue working with frogs in various disciplines but mainly as an illustrative communicator between the scientific and wider community. My ultimate ambition is to create an illustrated book on all frogs of Australia depicted in their niche habitat.
Riona Tindal

I live on a bushy acreage in Salt Ash, which is on the Tilligerry Peninsula, Port Stephens. Growing up in this area, surrounded by bushland and beaches, definitely fuelled my love for nature and the outdoors. As a child I would be outside playing in the trees until it was too dark to see anymore and was forced to come indoors. I also had a considerable flair for the visual arts. So when I finally completed my secondary education, this degree looked like it could satisfy my love of both art and nature. I have found the course to be very informative and very, very exciting. I have learnt so much about both art and science. My work has definitely evolved over my three years of study and I feel that I have a distinctive style of my own. At the moment I am working on a body of work that includes more traditional pieces such as scientific plates, but it also includes a graphic novel, which deals with contemporary issues such as global warming and pollution. Next year I plan to begin studying Marine Science. This is very exciting for me, as I will be able to learn more and more about science. No doubt that in my future career, having an extensive portfolio such as that achieved in my Bachelor of Natural History Illustration will open many exciting opportunities for me.
Erin Lowe

I have always had a real interest and strong passion for the environment, and at school the subject that gave me the most joy and fulfilment was visual art. I feel so lucky to have had this program available to me, to combine these two main interests in my university study, and eventually my career. The Bachelor Natural History Illustration program has given me the ability to strengthen and refine my artistic skills, as well as broadened my knowledge of the natural world. Having done work experience for the Hunter Wetlands, and National Parks and Wildlife Service, I am excited at the thought of a career in Natural History Illustration. Having grown up in Port Stephens, I am constantly inspired by the natural environment, and I always enjoy exploring the bush, beach and ocean. For the Margaret Senior Award, I have illustrated subjects found in the Port Stephens area, and have tried to utilize a range of artistic techniques to demonstrate my versatility as an illustrator. These include scientific illustrations, accurate depictions, expressive pieces for use in children's' books, photography etc
Liz Oldmeadow (WINNER)

So much of an artwork is not seen in the final piece. Over the past three years we have spent countless hours in many different habitats: observing; exploring; discovering; recording; enjoying. It is these hours, the scribbles; photographs and inspirations that arise, that come together to form a finished illustration.

Throughout my work there always seems to be a coastal theme. The ocean and its surrounding habitat are always drawing in me in and constantly inspiring. In my work I often find myself wanting to communicate the sense of place that comes with familiarity of this certain habitat. Little Beach, on the Central Coast, forms the cornerstone for this body of work. It is located within Bouddi National Park, and is a place where I am always amazed by the beauty and intricacy of creation. The flora and fauna illustrated were selected for their presence and the role they play at Little Beach. The flora, fauna, found and observed objects are bound into a book: Beachcombers Dreaming that takes the viewer on a journey along the beach. Paper for the book was left on site for a time, to make the shapes and colours that form the environment. I am always looking forward to what will inspire and direct my illustration.
Nicole Maloney (Highly commended)

I am currently an honours student in the Natural History Illustration program, after completing an Environmental Science degree from the University of Newcastle. I discovered a passion for illustration after doing a scientific illustration elective course as part of my degree. I've become particularly interested in the way art is used as a tool to provide scientific information. My Margaret Senior Award works depict native plants and animals from freshwater environments, which are all sensitive to changes in their surroundings. Following this theme my honours project will be focused specifically on the beautiful native rainbow fish and their relationship with each other and the immediate environment.
Lauren McCowan

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