Artist of the Month - October 2017

Artist of the Month - October


Lynn Pryor

Lynn with her work hanging in the MACG Workshop

I was fortunate as a child that I had a very talented artistic grandfather, he was gentle and patient and encouraged my very naive attempts at drawing. He ignited a passion in me that (after moving to Queensland from South Australia) led me to complete three years in Visual Communications at the Queensland College of Art. While I was an art student I freelanced drawing native animals and race horses. Horse riding was one of my passions until a certain race horse of mine, which shall remain nameless, and I parted company; he went through a fence and I went to hospital! I entered some of my wildlife pen and ink drawings in the Brookfield Show and won first prize in the drawing section for two consecutive years. 

After graduating I worked for about 12 months as a commercial artist, but the Pizza, KFC and Supercheap Auto ads just didn't thrill me! I then landed a job in the Zoology Department at The University of Queensland (UQ) as a scientific illustrator/graphic designer doing all things zoological, this ranged from preparing teaching visuals, creating displays and dioramas in the teaching museum with a crazy Italian taxidermist from the University of Bologna, illustrations for books and publications, microscopy work and assisting postgraduate students with thesis data presentation - I was like a pig in mud, no more commercial art!

I was an inaugural member of the Queensland Wildlife Artists Society Incorporated (QWASI) in 1983 and exhibited pen and ink work in the first exhibition. I also was  a member of a wildlife carers group ONARR (Orphaned Native Animals Rear & Release) and had a lot of pleasure in fostering orphan flying foxes, squirrel gliders and a pouch young eastern grey kangaroo. It was wonderful being able to rear, handle and sketch these amazing animals. In amongst the exciting activities of work, art and wildlife I was also raising my own 2 children so both the art exhibiting with QWASI and the wildlife fostering with ONARR eventually ended. 

Meeting of the Crested Terns - Lynn Pryor (Acrylic)

Over the years there was a series of amalgamations in science at UQ, the end result being a very large School of Biological Sciences. My position rapidly expanded to include creating web pages and content promotional material for international students, 3D modelling, information presentations for postgraduates and I was even given a part-time administration assistant!

My working relationship in science with UQ lasted for almost 30 years, this also included an externally funded research grant for two and a half years illustrating and creating a web-based e-book on medical parasitology. 

I have also freelanced for Queensland Museum and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. 

My hobbies have included photography and dog training, dogs have been easier to train than horses and have required me to have less medical intervention!

I joined MACG Fine Art in late 2015 after moving to Maleny and then joined MACG Pottery in early 2016. Finally I have time to explore new mediums, my past illustrative work at UQ was mainly pen and ink and gouche, eventually all my work was computer based. 

I am grateful to the talented MACG fine artists and clay workers, they have a wonderful diversity of work and very generously share their ideas, techniques and equipment. 

Our Peeking Possum - Lynn Pryor (Acrylic)

Lynn's work is on display in the Workshop this month - make sure you check it out!