CHELSEA ROTARY ART SHOW RE-OPENING 2021

Paul McDonald Smith OAM FVAS FRSA

Paul started painting in his early teens influenced by the work of Australian artist Sir William Dargie. Since then he has made full-time a career of painting in the tradition of tonal impressionism, mostly in oil.

Paul studied Fine Art at RMIT, undertook extensive private study (1973-79) and received the 1986 Camberwell Travel Scholarship for European Study.

Exhibiting since 1974, Paul has conducted painting classes and workshops since 1977. He has judged innumerable art competitions throughout 5 states of Australia and is frequently invited to lecture and demonstrate to art societies.

Known for his paintings of flowers and still life, Paul’s work includes landscape, portrait and figure painting. He has won many awards including the “VAS Artist of the Year” in 2001 and is represented in Public, Institutional and Private collections throughout Australia. Awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2005 for services to the Visual Arts as a painter and lecturer.

Past president of the Twenty Melbourne Painters Society he is a Fellow, past president and Honorary Life Member of the Victorian Artists Society.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts London, Chairman of the A.M.E. Bale Scholarship 2003-2014, he is past president of the Glen Eira Cheltenham Art Group, Life Member of the Box Hill Art Group and Honorary member of the Hobsons Bay Art Society.

Author of Mavericks and Masters - the 100 year history of the TMPS, his bibliography includes: Who’s Who in Australia, State Library of Victoria - Oral History Interview Archive DVD recording, VAS Journal, many editorial, biographical, curatorial and instructional publications.

Greg Earl AFIAP, AAPS - Photography Judge

Greg is a self-taught photographer who began learning from books and magazines in his late teens, long before the days if internet courses. He purchased his first serious camera, a Single Lens Reflex (SLR), some 54 years ago. 

Greg joined the Bureau of Meteorology, initially training as a Weather Observer, then followed on in later years as a Technical Officer, using his photography skills as OIC of the Satellite Cloud Photography Department.

Greg's photography has always moved with the times, from the days of black & white film and darkroom work to colour slides and colour film, and eventually to the digital age, which he has enthusiastically embraced.

Greg has gained several international awards and gold medals for his work.

Greg was a member of the Melbourne Camera Club for a short period in the late 1960s. He joined the Southern Suburbs Photographic Society ten years ago. He served seven years on their committee, with four years as their President, retiring in March 2019. Greg's knowledge and passion for photography also extended to running several training courses in digital photography as membership and fund-raisers for the club.

Greg was awarded the Photographic Honour of Artist FIAP - Federation Internationale de L'Art Photographique (AFIAP), in 2018 and Australian Photographic Society Honours (AAPS) in recognition of his Photographic Skill and Artistry 2019. 

Greg has been judging since 2016.

Memberships:

APJA - Australian Photographic Judges Association

APS - Australian Photographic Society

PSA – Photographic Society of America

SSPS – Southern Suburbs Photographic Society