Image above: Janet Luxton 2023 Survivor oil on linen 160 x 130 cm
Congratulations to Janet Luxton who has been awarded Best in Show for her beautiful oil painting Survivor in the Artists for Conservation international exhibition, Nature in Art.
“River red gum, Brachina Gorge, Flinders Ranges, Australia. River red gums may live a millennium advancing fast in favourable conditions and protectively shutting down in hard times. Their lifecycle is highly complex, and every stage provides sustenance and refuge to birds, mammals and reptiles. After 120 to 180 years useful hollows start to develop, accommodating many. I have been visiting this tree since 2003, an eye blink for the tree but in that time, I have seen it struggle against long droughts and savage flash flooding losing huge limbs to the latter. The tree magnificently persists.” – Janet Luxton, 2023
‘Nature in Art’ will be held from 21-24 September in Vancouver, Canada.
View the online exhibition here
Image above: Janet Luxton Fat Tailed Dunnart – Under Siege 2020 oil on Belgian linen 150 x 115 cm
Janet Luxton had donated her beautiful painting Fat Tailed Dunnart – Under Siege to On the Edge: Species at Risk, a fundraising exhibition for the Foundation & Friends of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.
On the Edge highlights Australian flora, fauna and habitats that are threatened by climate change, development, introduced species and other environmental issues. The exhibition will showcase a diversity of endangered and vulnerable Australian species and ecological communities.
The exhibited artwork includes a wide variety of mediums such as painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, ceramics, wood, and textiles.
On the Edge
On view until 2 April 2023
The Royal Botanic Garden
Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney
For further information, click here or email: foundation.friends@botanicgardens.nsw.gov.au
Above image: Janet Luxton On Mount Olympus 2022 oil on Belgian linen 150 x 130 cm
Congratulations to Janet Luxton who has won the Peoples Choice Award at the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize.
The Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize is the highest value professional art prize for women in Australia. Launched in 2017, the annual, acquisitive prize was established to enhance the opportunities for established and emerging women artists in Australia.
“Inspiring and connecting female visual artists, this significant Art Prize will strengthen the profile and legitimacy of careers in art for current and future generations of Australian women.”
— Anne Johnstone, Principal, Ravenswood
Janet Luxton began her career as a drafts person and graphic designer in Auckland during the 1970’s, before moving to San Francisco where she studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. Throughout her practice she always came back to birds, in 1989 she returned to Australia.
Painting with deft technical skill and sensitivity, Janet Luxton’s exquisite paintings capture the magnificence and diversity of the creatures of the natural world. More than realist interpretations of wildlife, each meticulous brushstroke by Luxton reveals the animal’s distinct character, as well as the artist’s deep respect and connection to each being she portrays. By working on a large scale, Luxton’s paintings not only reinforce the beauty and importance of the natural world, but they force the audience to contemplate our role and responsibility in protecting wildlife in all its forms.
For more information and to view the complete list of finalists click here.
Janet Luxton Orange bellied parrot 2016 oil on linen 120 x 156 cm
Congratulations to artist Janet Luxton who is one of 158 artists featured in the second edition of Feather and Brush, A History of Australian Bird Art by Penny Olsen.
Feather and Brush accounts for the history of bird art in Australia, it explores the transition from traditional engravings to European ornithological drawings to contemporary approaches at capturing the unique array of Australian wildlife.
In this second edition, along with revised chapters and new artists features, the rich history of Australian bird art is represented across four hundred images depicting an abundance of styles and techniques.
Featured in the second edition is Sydney based artist Janet Luxton. She began her career as a drafts person and graphic designer in Auckland during the 1970’s, before moving to San Francisco where she studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. Throughout her practice she always came back to birds, in 1989 she returned to Australia.
The bird life in our region was extraordinarily abundant, ranging from tiny wrens to majestic eagles. We also lived with a large community of parrots and cockatoos. Once we had the studio up and running I was able to spend a delightful ten years etching and painting the locals. It was a great privilege to live surrounded by so much fascinating wildlife.
Painting with deft technical skill and sensitivity, Janet Luxton’s exquisite paintings capture the magnificence and diversity of the creatures of the natural world. More than realist interpretations of wildlife, each meticulous brushstroke by Luxton reveals the animal’s distinct character, as well as the artist’s deep respect and connection to each being she portrays. By working on a large scale, Luxton’s paintings not only reinforce the beauty and importance of the natural world, but they force the audience to contemplate our role and responsibility in protecting wildlife in all its forms.
For the past decade my paintings have been an attempt to portray the individuality and beautiful diversity of birds and other animals caught up in our increasingly turbulent and fraught times.
Janet Luxton Boobook owl 2018 oil on Belgian linen 165 x 125 cm
Penny Olsen Feather and Brush, A History of Australian Bird Art 2022