Photographs of Western Australian photographers, sculptors, painters, musicians and dancers in their studios and in rehersal, from 1985

artists portraits

Prior to moving to Quinninup in the south western Australian forest I was based in Fremantle documenting visual and performing arts. The following pictures are portraits of artists and musicians in their studios and during rehearsal. Since then I have made snapshots of other photographers - some of these will be eventually included

Artists portrayed include Howard Taylor, John Beard, Greg James, Brian McKay, Roger Smalley, Cathy Travers, and Lindsay Vickery. Aerialist and circus performer and teacher Nel Simpson has her own page. Photographers are tagged on at the end, I know the feeling

HOWARD TAYLOR

Howard Taylor was one of the most celebrated and influential painters in Western Australia. After moving to Northcliffe in the Southern Forest Belt his work evolved to depiction of light as substance with ever increasing abstraction. However, this abstraction never abandoned the original observation of the modulation of light within the forest

Howard and Sheila Taylor installing "Colonnade" at Galerie Dusseldorf, Mosman Park Western Australia. March 1995

GREG JAMES

Greg James and Ella in studio, Fremantle WA. February 1998

Greg James with torso, Fremantle Studio September 2000

Greg James and Debbie Ludlam, Fremantle, Western Australia
May 2002

JOHN BEARD

John Beard won the Australian Archibald Prize for Portraiture 2007, which reminded me of portraits I made of John Beard in Western Australia in 1988

John Beard in his Fremantle Studio, June 1988

John Beard in my Fremantle Studio, December 1988

BRIAN McKAY

Brian Mckay in Fremantle Studio, February 1992

CATHY TRAVERS

Cathy Travers, composer, performing in Nova Ensemble's second
performance of Steve Reich's "Sextet", Fremantle. January 1987

ROGER SMALLEY

Roger Smalley, composer, performing in Nova Ensemble's third performance of
Steve Reich's "Sextet", Quarry Amphitheatre, Western Australia February 1988

Steve Reich's Sextet is one of the most energetic pieces of music I remember from those days. It was also a dangerous piece of music to drive to if there is late sun streaming through roadside trees. The tendancy is for the driver to synchronise the visual and musical pulses, which is about 145Kph. Don't tell the local constabulary

LINDSAY VICKERY

Lindsay Vickery and Linda Rossen in world premier performance of Bratislavan composer Michal Murin's Visual Composition, subtitled Feelings and Moments with Own Music in Mind written in 1987 on a beach in East Germany and realised in Western Australa 1989 and 1991

Michal Murin, Bratislava, wrote "Visual Composition", subtitled "Feelings and Moments with Own Music in Mind" on a beach in East Germany for performance on a beach. Prior to the revolution he was unable to leave Czechoslovakia, so the piece was performed twice for him in Western Australia in 1989 and 1991 and performers personal notes and my photographs documenting the performances sent to him

Later I learned that the boxes of photographs and notes did not reach Michal Murin till after the velvet revolution

This photo of Lindsay Vickery and Linda Rossen was exhibited in Slovak National Gallery in Slovakia in 2001 exhibition titled "Art in Action" 1965 - 1989 and in the current 2009 exhibition "Eighties" in Slovak Visual Art Today

John Patterson

John Patterson in Pilbara in 1985. I plan to make a new portrait of him in mid June with the Speed Graphic

Roger Garwood

Roger Garwood with his Zero Image 5x4" pinhole

John Austin
mail2@jbaphoto.com.au