Merran Cork - Artist

Are artists born with a different agenda to others?

I don't know the answer. However, I'm sure if you enquired why they create, you'd be given the same answer. Each one is following a burning passion; something that drives them. It gives deep fulfilment, often accompanied by intense frustration, at not being able to attain a desired result.

I've always been interested in my visual world. As a child, growing up in Newcastle, N.S.W. Australia, I wanted to capture what I saw on paper. My grandparent’s front verandah was my studio, and note pads from the local printer were my sketch books.

As a young woman, the work of the Heidelberg school of artists, particularly the paintings of Arthur Streeton, and his ability to capture the grandeur of the Australian landscape, filled my day dreams.

In 1977, a chance meeting with local artist, James Casey turned my life around. He introduced me to the Meldrum method of painting, and encouraged me to go out into the landscape to paint 'en plein air'.

Max Meldrum, influenced by the Spanish artist Velasquez, wrote a book called 'The Science of Appearances'. He believed the underlying structure of a painting needed to be held from its beginning, as an abstract pattern of tonal patches. This made sense to me and my aim was to get a successful image down in three hours working wet into wet. I was transfixed, enthralled and determined to succeed at capturing my Hunter Valley. "Never have I seen such tenacity!" James exclaimed.

I embraced outdoor painting with vigour, making daily trips to favourite spots such as Morpeth or Mulbring, complete with my painting gear, some food and water. I often completed two small paintings in the day and, to my astonishment, I started winning prizes in local art competitions from 1980.

In February of 1981, I was invited to hold an exhibition at the Sea View Gallery at Whitebridge. For a reserved 35 year old, this was a terrifying, but also rewarding experience. Half of my work sold within the first hour, and I was invited to take part in a joint exhibition with Ronald Revitt and Margaret Wright six months later. The same gallery held exhibitions of my paintings in both 1982 and 1983. Also, in 1983, I took part in a joint exhibition with Singleton artist Vivian Dwyer. Many of my works were painted on location around Wambo, Falbrook and, the soon to be flooded, Carrowbrook Valley.

In 1984, I took part in a joint exhibition with James Casey and Margaret Creighton at Lake Macquarie Council Gallery. Commenting on that exhibition, Charles Pettinger, Art Critic for the Newcastle Morning Herald wrote; 'Merran's paintings are appealing scenes done in a straightforward realism that has no gimmicks. The view is just what it is, with the added poetry of the artists brush.' I will always value what I learned from Max Meldrum's words and what mother nature, and my battle with her taught me.

Late in 1984 I took part in a joint exhibition at the Star Gallery with Max Broadley, and over the ensuing years I often jointly exhibited with Newcastle artist Marea Kozacynski-McCaig.