Brian Stratton

Brian Stratton OAM

Born Sydney, Australia 1936.   Residence and Studio 67kms from Sydney in rural Bringelly NSW, Australia.

Left school at the age of 15 and for the next 10 years was employed in the printing industry.  At 15 enrolled in part time evening classes of drawing and composition conducted by National Art School.   At 17 joined the still life wash class (watercolours) of two hours per week.  At the age of 22 was employed to teach this class and at 25 joined the Staff of the National Art School as a full time teacher.  Retired from teaching in 1990 to concentrate on my painting.

ORDER OF AUSTRALIA MEDAL
Awarded 2006 (Australia Day) – ‘For service to art as a painter, educator and to professional organisations including the Australian Watercolour Institute’

AUSTRALIA

• President Australian Watercolour Institute 1964 – 1972 and 2006 – 2009.
  Elected Member 1961.   Life Member, 1989.  
• Exhibited in every annual exhibition of AWI for the past 62 years
• Member Royal Art Society of NSW, 1958, Elected Fellow 1964
• Foundation Member City of Ryde Art Society, 1959. President, 1962–69.
  Life Member, 1968
• Member of Australian National Advisory Committee for UNESCO (Visual Arts) 1965 – 1966 and 1969 – 1971
• Member Fairfield Art Society
• Edited and published 1974 ‘Douglas Dundas Remembers’  Life of noted Australian Painter;
  Original transcript – Australian National Library ACT
  Interview with Douglas Dundas MBE – Oral history Australian National Library ACT
  Gift to the Art Gallery of NSW Douglas Dundas painting ‘The Toreador’
• Awarded over 300 art prizes mainly for watercolours plus numerous commendations
• Judged numerous art competitions
• Lecturer: recent PowerPoint presentations ‘Mistakes Painters Make’ and ‘Artists View of History’
• National Art School archives – interviewed by Deborah Beck 2017
  Gift of Douglas Dundas portrait of Alfred H. Cook
• Articles:
  • Australian Artist Magazine 1987, 1999
  • Australian Impressionist & Realist Artists 1998
  • International Artist – Australian Showcase 1999
  • Australian Watercolour Institute 75th Anniversary Book 1998
  • A Gallery of Australia’s Finest Watercolours 2006
  • Australian Watercolour Institute Brushes with History – Masters of Watercolour  2015

INTERNATIONAL

• Since 1975 exhibited as a member of the AWI on exhibition panels in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan, USA, South Korea and the Grand Festival of Asian Watercolours.
• Award Winner Inaugural Shanghai Zhujiajiao Watercolour Biennal Exhibition 2010
• Invited to hold first solo International Watercolour Masters Exhibition in Shanghai Zhujiajiao ‘Sand, Sticks and Stones’ together with DVD 2011
• Exhibited Shanghai Zhujiajiao Watercolour Biennal Exhibition 2012
• Award Winner Inaugural Shenzhen Watercolour Biennal Exhibition 2013
• Taiwan Watercolour Elite Exhibition 2015
• Invited Artist Rhythm of Watercolour Exhibition in Taiwan 2016
• Invited Artist Formosa Art Show in Taiwan 2016
• Award Winner Taiwan World Watercolour Competition Jury’s Excellence Prize 2016
• Invited Artist Taiwan World Watercolour Exhibition 2016
• Shenzhen Art Museum
  Induction of Xidan Chen’s watercolours into permanent collection 2016
  Exhibited a panel of paintings as part of the Friends component of this tribute exhibition
• China Art Museum – tribute to Xidan Chen’s watercolours.  Exhibited two paintings as           part of the International Friends component of this exhibition 2017
• Exhibited six paintings in the Jimo/Qingdao China 2016
  International Masters Watercolour Exhibition
• Participated in Travelling Exhibitions of small paintings Taiwan/USA
• Articles:  
  • The Art of Watercolour (France) 5th Issue 2012 ‘An Arrangement of Shapes’
  • Secrets from the Contemporary International Watercolour Masters Volume IV, 2018