Jeffrey Smart

by Kelly Keegan

Undeniably Australia’s living treasure in the world that is, art. Jeffrey Smart has reconstructed many Australian urban instantly recognizable landscapes by pigment and hog hair.  Jeffrey Smart was born 1921 raised in Adelaide, Australia.   Mr. Smart Studied at Adelaide Teachers Collage then South Australian School of Art (1937-1941) becoming an art teacher. Later he studied in Paris this is where he lives today considering himself an Aussie living abroad.     

Smart firstly marks silk linen with mathematical graphed honeycomb shaping the foundation for reference points to transfers linear formation as such; describes variables that change proportionally to scale.  Stillness of shapes and images of trucks, stop signs, workmen mostly government construction projects is what Smart paints.  Observing each painting noticeably there is no association that Smart has painted on woven canvas, there is no evidence of any diameter brush stroke, and colour pallet selection belong exclusively to him.  Evidentially there’s no beginning or ending visible, none of the tell-tale globular paint drops, dry splash or even the master’s finger print, remarkably every piece of Smarts works are a spatula floorless finish.

My queuing at New South Wales Art Gallery, Lady Macquarie’s Chair, Sydney to peruse and gaze over Jeffrey Smarts construction series profoundly emboss on my creative neurons.  My opportunity to view Smarts collection is still a vivid experience from 18 years ago.  Human brilliance is often spoken, written, televised in many countries and languages however none can fully explain the spiritual connection when standing face to face of a piece that was created by Smart’s hand and mind.

Constructor, draftsperson, builder, painter, plumber, plasterer all too, have the element that beholds Jeffrey Smart.  Their expressional outcome of expertise is similar to Smart in many ways also. Meet Bob The BillDuck, Bob is our can fix it Rubber Duckie, in every painter there is a builder and every builder there is a Smart Rubber Duckie.

 

Come and see what the Quack! Quack! Is all about.

www.rubberduckie.net.au

Sir Ernest Edward “Weary” Dunlop

Sir Ernest Edward “Weary” Dunlop

by Kelly Keegan

Ernest Edward Dunlop engineered nothing more that absolute brilliance 1907-1993.  Earn or Ern as he was called born on 12^th July 1907 in Victoria to parents James and Alice Dunlop. Ernest was the younger of two boys; his older brother, Alan.  Later in life Earnest was known as Weary, however his character distanced from vocabulary meaning of the word weary.  Whilst being enlisted and serving during WW2 Weary was considered a bright young soldier among military hierarchy.   It was clear that Dunlop demonstrated leadership and success for his country on monumental occasions.  One would refer to Dunlop as the Pharlap of the front line, soldiers, civilian and their families actually thought of him as  “Jesus on the Burma - Thailand Railway”. 

Weary a protector of humanity protecting his fellow soldiers from enemy fire.  Whilst compounded himself as a Japanese prisoner of war in Java Colonel Edward Weary commanded the Allied General Hospital.  Patients proclaimed Weary to be their savior often having been treated without available medical supplies.  Risking his own life speaking to the guards to ensure that POW who were suffering illness or in extremely weak physical condition could access medical assistance. These POW not fairing to well but existing in desecrating conditions were allocated less physically draining work, building the Burma-Thailand Railway.   During WW2; Weary was a surgeon medic who utilized anything he could improvise as a surgical instrument to treat and suture up wounded.

During Weary’s war service he kept a secret diary, his recall would be written on small sheets of paper in the smallest handwriting print successfully hidden away from guards.  Long after the war, forty-five years later in fact; Weary’s secret notes became print in a published book called “ The War Diaries of Weary Dunlop”.  Documented biography detailed much of the lives and deaths of young Australian’s, British and Dutch prisoners of war throughout the massive construction undertake that was Burma-Thailand Railway.   Born and raised on his father’s farm in rural Victoria near Shepparton. Weary later studied medicine.  After returning from the war Weary pursued the health profession specializing as a mouth and throat surgeon, he also became president of the international Society of Surgeons.  Vietnam War in 1969, Weary again; led the Australian surgical team.

The war ended, nineteen forty-five this was an apical time when Weary tirelessly spoke up for prisoners of war, he was their advocate fighting the rights for medical needs to be allocated free of charge. With permanent ink of a tattoo Australia’s government established a scheme to provide medical treatment for all prisoners of war. Today’s existing program called Veteran Affairs Repatriation has developed where more services are offered applying to all soldiers who have returned home from serving for their country.

You know!  The heroic spirit of a man like Weary only comes along once in a life time my children, your children and the future Australian children will know the name Weary Dunlop.  Knighted in 1969 and 1988 was named one of the 200 people who made Australia great.   As for me, when I look Corporal Cluck Rubber Duckie I instantly think of every soldier who bravely takes his life and places it before mine. 

  

 www.rubberduckie.net.au

 Rubber Duckies You’re The One For Me !