Main points:
- Partners in life and art, Spearwood’s George Haynes and Jane Martin are synonymous with Perth’s professional art scene
- George Haynes and Jane Martin are the 6th addition to our Quintessentially Cockburn series
- See their art at Show Off 18 at Memorial Hall, Hamilton Hill, 18-26 March.
Partners in life and art, Spearwood’s George Haynes and Jane Martin are synonymous with Perth’s professional art scene, as prolific sought-after creators and respected elders and teachers in careers spanning a combined 100+ years.
While each have their own art practice and style, they experiment with various painting mediums depending on the subject matter from their light-filled Spearwood studio, a former Babich market garden potato and onion sorting shed.
Jane’s work tends to focus on landscapes and still life – with a more recent fruitful obsession for largescale colour-soaked woollen cross-stitch in a project she has enjoyed sharing with her daughters.
After many decades, including much landscape work, George is primarily in the studio producing sophisticated illuminated studies ranging from nature’s inspiration to much-loved vistas of a peaceful domestic and suburban existence.
The pair is undeniably Quintessentially Cockburn, such is their dedication to their historic Spearwood studio and lush surrounding garden fed by a rich belt of that famous Spearwood Red soil atop limestone, and the community art scene, especially Show Off in which they have participated every year since its 2003 inception.
Show Off a “democratic collection”
The City of Cockburn’s annual Show Off exhibition – this year’s instalment set down for 18-26 March at the Memorial Hall in Hamilton Hill – has been seen by thousands over the past 20 years, exhibiting works collectively valued at more than $2.4m from more than 800 exhibitors.
“There is no other exhibition like Show Off anywhere. It is a democratic collection of passionately made art by the people of Cockburn,” Jane said.
“This means there is variety and diversity and inclusivity in these gutsy exhibitions, which is a credit to the City and curator Cassandra Cooper,” George said.
Childhood experiences influenced artists’ love of drawing and painting
Both Jane and George credit their discovery of a love of creative drawing and painting to a childhood where their parents refused to buy toys – apart from a few Dinky Diecast cars in Jane’s case – expecting them to use found objects to create their own fun.
For Kenya-born George, there was always pencil and paper at his disposal despite growing up in very isolated African outposts where his father worked as a doctor.
He studied at the Chelsea School of Art and soon after arriving in WA in 1962, began a life of national and international exhibiting, winning various accolades. He has taught some of WA’s best-known painters across the decades including Giles Hohnen, Jeremy Kirwan-Ward, Eveline Kotai, Jonathon Snowball, Nigel Hewitt and Ben Joel.
Jane, awarded and represented in Australia and overseas, began studying painting and drawing at Perth Tech in the 60s as a 15-year-old with dreams of illustrating book and album covers after spending seven years of her early childhood growing up in England. She now mainly exhibits through Perth’s Art Collective.
Quintessentially Cockburn artists reveal their favourite local haunt
Aside from the undisputed beauty of Cockburn’s coastline, both say their favourite place in Cockburn is their garden and studio.
And why wouldn’t it be. It was pure grit that transformed the dusty, unlined 1960s work shed into today’s uplifting studio space.
Removing the huge concrete spud washing tank from the backyard made room for a new generation of growth and creativity, a garden featuring every shade of green, and a quiet respite to foster their unique artistic expression.
Find out more about Show Off 18 on the City’s
website.
Learn more about the art of
George Haynes and
Jane Martin.
Read about our previous Quintessentially Cockburn inductees
Marissa Verma,
Matt Willson,
Anna Davey,
Soa ‘The Hulk’ Palelei and
Belinda Cipriano.
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