According to Jim Andrew the only painting he’s done over the years is house painting during home renovations. Now, he is an arts honours student and one of his art works was a finalist for the Glover Prize, Australia’s most prestigious landscape art prize.
It was rather surreal. I couldn’t believe it had been accepted. I’m still kicking myself a bit.
As a young boy, Jim’s artistic nature wasn’t encouraged. After he got in serious trouble for drawing in class in grade six, he put aside his creativity.
“The teacher and the headmaster talked to mum and there was a lot of tension around this drawing. That really threw a bucket of water over any sort of artistic pursuits,” he said.
In those days, there really wasn’t a focus on art in school. It’s different now because people now appreciate art and creativity.
Now, he is finally getting the chance to really embrace the arts.
His Glover piece, Beacon: N.Z.O.B.-M-S-A.S 1748, By the light of the silvery moon is a photographic work questioning the Anthropocene (the period of time that human life has been recognised as impacting the natural environment), something Jim thought about while wandering the rocky littoral zone around West Head in the Tamar Valley.
Last year’s study was about moonlight in rockpools and now I’m focusing on the tide, wind and moving sand.
While he has been taking photos since the late 70s, Jim said it wasn’t until he started Contemporary Arts that he began to really explore other kinds of art.
“I’ve done ceramics, painting, drawing, theory, and photomedia.”
Jim said there was one question he asked himself before he started his degree: could I?
“I’d encourage it. It’s very enjoyable.
You can work as independently as you like but there’s plenty of people here who are willing to give advice and support and push you in the right direction.
“I’d like to keep exhibiting and if I do really well I might consider doing further study.”