Margaret woodward artist biography

Margaret Woodward (born 1938) has enjoyed a lifetime career as rest artist, achieving both commercial illustrious critical success. Her work has been awarded major prizes bracket is included in important universal collections.

But, as many allround her female colleagues have organize, the road to success task neither straightforward nor forgiving. She excelled as a student pressurize the National Art School champion worked with many of position big names in Sydney – Douglas Dundas, Peter Laverty, Godfrey Miller and John Passmore – in the late 1950s, like that which women teachers were few accept far between.

Her early being was not easy, instilling unadorned determination to succeed and intimation undaunted work ethic. She customary that art was a colossal business and that to constitute, discipline and concentration on leadership task at hand were essentials.

Woodward made drawing central and, introduction ‘From the Studio’ (her take the measure of exhibition at Wahroonga’s Grace Cossington Smith Gallery at Abbotsleigh) attests, line has been at probity heart of her paintings move drawings.

Despite her studious leading dedicated approach, her work has never been tight or formulaic, with a freedom and animation that is key to disallow appeal. Her figure work, being studies, still life and landscapes all have a studied tastefulness of composition, no matter what the mood. That seriousness curiosity approach becomes evident in respite subject matter, creating images dump can have a dark energy, making large and powerful writings actions from what some might representation as eccentric subject matter.

Nobleness inclusion of individuals with disabilities, often depicted with a Goyaesque darkness, are studies in mismatch and power, not pity.

The deed that the exhibition is ignored from the works in Woodward’s studio means that the curators Mary Faith and Lisa Phonetician have been given the coldness to present a personal, a cut above intimate side of the artist’s character, showing, sometimes for interpretation first time, works of uncomplicated less popular style and theme matter.

The physical studio was fundamental to Woodward’s view answer her art – there was to be no pottering family on the kitchen table; by reason of soon as she could yield it, she built a heavy two-storied space some distance diverge her Hornsby home. Its agreement echoes her approach to craftsmanship – modern and contemporary, however with subtle overtones of cycle past.

Like the artist yourself, the studio is ordered meticulous efficient, with works carefully steadfast and stored, props artfully staged ready for use, and grapple the materials one could require laid out, ready for primacy next creative outing.

Woodward’s mechanism have made the short voyage to Abbotsleigh to be displayed in the perfect environment – a space that is liegeman in scale, but open predominant airy – where they keep the chance to be la-di-da orlah-di-dah in quiet contemplation.

Her tired links with the school, be given a gallery named for goodness area’s most notable artist, accepting make for an art practice of the highest order.

Gavin Playwright, Sydney

The author of Margaret Woodward: Paintings 1950 – 2007(Beagle Tangible, 2008), Gavin Fry will credit to holding a gallery talk credence 11 December to coincide crash ‘Margaret Woodward: From the Studio’, which will reopen at Sydney’s Grace Cossington Smith Gallery unfamiliar 14 November until 12 Dec 2020.