The painters in Newcastle who I had the pleasure of knowing for many years, are some of the best that Australia has to offer. They are all friendly and hard working people who are always on time for appointments, have their own studio or work from a rented space. There is one group though that I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with, which was a group of painters called the “Newcastle School of Art”. These painters, have a wonderful talent for sketching and painting abstractly, and they are able to create beautiful pieces of art without even using the most advanced tools. They are able to leave their mark on any wall they wish. I have seen their work displayed at galleries in the past, and there is no doubt that these painters work hard, and are extremely creative.
When I was younger I had the great fortune of meeting one of the younger generation of painters in Newcastle. This young fellow was about 19 years old, and he was working in a printing press when I met him. He was a very shy man, but once you got to know him you could tell that he had an amazing talent for his art. His paintings were vibrant and lifelike, and he took great pride in his work. He showed me some of his latest work, which was really good.
One of the painters in Newcastle that I have been able to meet, was Peter Chung. Peter worked for some time in the local pub business before he began to paint professionally. When I spoke to him he was pleased with the results and said that he enjoyed what he was doing. Peter worked on the buildings that were damaged by the war, and he has an incredible ability to capture the essence of what a building has undergone. One of his favourite types of work was water features.
Another of the great painters in Newcastle is Craig Ballantyne. Craig is another local artist that enjoys creating art pieces that are full of colour and character. He has a firm belief that all people on this earth have a great story to tell, and that every one should be able to look at their life and be inspired by it. When I spoke to him he was really happy that we met and said that he enjoyed the feedback that people gave him. He was painting the exterior of the local pub and thought that the overall style was quite nice.
The last great artist I would like to speak about is Declan Sheedy. He creates beautiful watercolour paintings, and his colours are vibrant and unique. He has a fantastic sense of humor and told me that he enjoyed what he did as much as people did. He also told me that it was hard work, because the more he tried to put a situation together, the more he liked it.
All three of these artists have their own individual styles, and I am sure that if you talked to them and asked them about their favourite areas of art, they would all have different answers. It really comes down to personal preference. I personally like the area of painting called pop culture, and the look at the city that are portrayed in the work of local artists such as Declan Sheedy. It makes me think about a few different aspects of my life and makes me enjoy spending time looking at the world that surrounds me every day. If you are considering getting a job in the creative arts, you should definitely take some time to check out some of the wonderful work that is created in Newcastle.