Pamela Griffith: Etchings 1965-2014

Pamela Griffith b.1943 belongs to an artistic family; her grandmother was a painter, her mother was a potter, and her brother is an artist. She is a painter, a printmaker, a teacher and an author of two books.With a scholarship for studying art education, she attended the East Sydney Technical College. There she became interested in etching, but as this was no longer taught at the art school, she taught herself to etch from a book and then adapted a washing mangle to print her first etchings. Eventually she had a press made in Australia which was later further developed with the help of her engineer husband Ross. In 1976 she set up the Griffith Studio and Graphic Workshop with facilities and technical expertise to promote etching, making the studio available to artists who were interested in printmaking. Many now well-known artists came to work in her studio which became a hub for the new wave of printmaking in the 1960s and 70s. Griffith has been fascinated by the natural world and established an intimate knowledge of the Australian fauna, flora and landscape by travelling across Australia in a caravan or camping in a tent. These experiences became an important component of her subject matter.Though she has always been active as a painter, etching was a passion and for five decades Griffith produced over 400 editions. She has had more than 150 solo exhibitions, and her work is represented in public, corporate and private collections in Australia and overseas. Her important portrait commissions include subjects such as Sir William Deane, Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge. Other commissions include commemorative toiles; two for the Bicentenary celebration and a similar one dedicated for the beatification of Mary Mackillop. Pamela Griffith FRSN BArtEd, has played an important role in art education in NSW; in 2022 she was awarded an OAM for services to art.AUTHOR:Lou Klepac was born in Croatia in 1936. Moving to Italy in 1944 he went to school in Venice and Trieste and in 1950 emigrated to Australia. After graduating from the University of Western Australia, in 1958, he spent several years in London and Italy. He was Curator of Paintings at the Art Gallery of Western Australia 1964–66; and at the Art Gallery of South Australia 1966–70. After a period in London, he became Senior Curator and Deputy Director at the Art Gallery of Western Australia 1974–80. Among the many exhibitions he has organised are: Master Drawings of the 17th Century from the Witt Collection 1968; Walter Sickert Retrospective, 1968 Adelaide Festival; Contemporary Drawing International 1977; Giorgio Morandi etchings 1978; The Drawings of Walter Richard Sickert 1979; Russell Drysdale drawings 1980; Russell Drysdale paintings 1983; Giorgio Morandi: the dimension of inner space (paintings and etchings) 1997; La Serenissima, the fascination of Venice 2003; and James Gleeson Retrospective 2004. Among his books are William Scott drawings 1974; Lloyd Rees Drawings 1978; Russell Drysdale, Life and Work 1983; Australian Painters of the 20th Century 2000; William Robinson 2001; John Coburn 2003; Horace Trenerry 2009; Brett Whiteley drawings 2014; Hans Heysen 2016; and Tim Storrier 2018. Since 1980 he has lived in Sydney with his family where he established The Beagle Press. In 1980 he was made Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana; in 1996 he was awarded an OAM and in 2006 the University of Sydney conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Letters ( honoris causa). He is the Chairman of the Gleeson/O’Keefe Foundation. ISBN: 9780947349769Author: KLEPAC, LOUFormat: HardcoverPublication date: 01/02/2026RRP: $79.95Pages: 204Dimension: 290mm X 280mmImprint: The Beagle Press