Born: Established: 1949 Hobart, Southeast Tasmania, Tasmania, ;
Gender:
Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.
BiographyHistory
Most Referenced Works
Personal Awards
- 2023 recipient Australian Academy of the Humanities Fellowships and Medals — Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities — Honorary Fellow
Awards for Works
-
y
A Salute to Max Angus : Tasmanian Painter
Lindisfarne
:
Forty South Publishing
,
2021
21945504
2021
single work
biography
'Lively, generous, articulate —and eternally dapper in his trademark beret — Max was a force for good in Tasmanian society.
'From humble beginnings as an apprentice signwriter during the Depression, Max Angus worked hard to leave commercial art behind and become a successful watercolour painter.
'In the process he made himself a household name in Tasmania and, as his life drew to a close, he was acknowledged as a living treasure.
'Success like this might have been enough for another man, but Max’s passions took him beyond his art practice to publish books on the art of watercolour and share his painterly skills with students in the beautiful Tasmanian landscape.
'It was his love for the landscape that led him to try his utmost to save Lake Pedder from destruction, alongside his great friend, wilderness photographer Olegas Truchanas.
'To further awaken the world to the threats to the Tasmanian environment, he published The World of Olegas Truchanas after his friend’s death, and later, Pedder. The story. The paintings.
'Rich in detail and drawing on the memories of Max’s family and friends, this book brings together all the facets of his life, and in doing so, illustrates Tasmania’s social history over the century that Max’s life spanned.
'A must for lovers of Tasmanian art and history.'
Source : publisher's blurb
-
y
The Waking Dream of Art : Patricia Giles, Painter
Dynnyrne
:
Pillinger Press
,
2019
27758502
2019
single work
biography
'Patricia Giles remembers painting each of the 300 works in this book. She has regaled Alison Alexander with stories that make this a warm and engaging portrait of a leading Tasmanian artist – and a living treasure.
'Patricia Giles has had a career as an artist spanning six decades. Painting en plein air through the challenging weather of Tasmania – sometimes even tied down to avoid being blown away by the Roaring Forties – Patricia captures the light, the landscape and the ever-changing beauty of her island home.
'If you have marvelled at the turquoise waters of Tasmania’s east coast, romped in the snow on kunanyi/ Mount Wellington, or travelled the wild interior with its rugged mountain ranges and still waters, you can see these captured in Patricia’s evocative paintings. A chapter is devoted to Patricia’s poignant watercolours of Lake Pedder, now drowned.
'This long-overdue book, by award-winning biographer Alison Alexander, tells the story of Patricia’s drive to make her way as an artist in an era when young women were expected to take on the role of wife and mother, and put their paintbrushes aside.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
-
y
The Ambitions of Jane Franklin : Victorian Lady Adventurer
Crows Nest
:
Allen and Unwin
,
2013
Z1937565
2013
single work
biography
'In a period when most ladies sat at home with their embroidery, Jane Franklin achieved fame throughout the western world, and was probably the best travelled woman of her day. Alison Alexander traces the life of this inimitable woman, from her birth in late 18th century London, her marriage at the ripe age of 36 years to Sir John Franklin, to her many trips to far-flung locations, including Russia, the Holy Land, northern Africa, America and Australia. Once Jane Franklin married, her original ambition - to live life to the full - was joined by an equally ardent desire to make her kind and mild husband a success. Arriving in Tasmania in 1837 when Sir John became governor, she swept like a whirlwind through the colony: attempting to rid the island of snakes; establishing a scientific society and the Hobart regatta; adopting an Aboriginal girl, and sending a kangaroo to Queen Victoria.' (Publisher's blurb)
- 2015 longlisted Tasmania Book Prizes Tasmanian Literary Awards — Tasmania Book Prize
- 2014 winner National Biography Award
- 2013 shortlisted Queensland Literary Awards — History Book Award
Last amended 21 May 2007 16:42:39
