Australian & Brighton, Biographical notes / Brighton Prints
Title
Australian & Brighton, Biographical notes / Brighton Prints
Author
Viv CraskeDetails
March 2006. Brighton & Hove Life Magazine.Publication date
March 2006Type
Article
Language
EnglishCountry of context
Australia
Abstract
Australian & Brighton, Biographical notes / Brighton Prints by Viv Craske
Brighton &
Geoffrey Elliott was born in Derbyshire in 1935 where he studied art. After gaining an art teachers" diploma from Brighton College of Art, he joined the army for two years of national service.
He lectured at the college from 1959 to 1961 and again from 1964 to 1975, during which time he notched up several exhibitions in
In 1983. Geoffrey emigrated to
You emigrated to
"I travelled around
It was like stepping back 30 years. The weather was beautiful , and it seemed to be a really laid back place."
Do you ever get nostalgic for
"I’ve been back to the UK once in 23 years but it's just like putting an old, comfortable overcoat on, and you just go straight back to being at home again."
What do you miss most about
“It's my spiritual home! It's very cosmopolitan and its forgiving and accepting, which is quite an unusual thing for a town in the
After you got your art teacher's diploma, you went into the army to complete your national service. How did those two years change your perspective on life?
"Basic training was almost like being in prison. The idea was to get you really fit. which worked. You didn't have to think about getting food or anything, so for me. coming out of studying, it was quite a holiday.
"I was in the infantry in the Wiltshire regiment and I was put into several months training as a junior officer: There was army drilling and learning about weapons and various other things that were top secret. Then I was moved into intelligence, which took me to
"Even during the troubles, I could get afternoons off when I could paint. I used to go to the port at
What made you return to the Brighton College of Art after the army?
"I was originally going to study at the Royal College of Art for two or three years after I left the army. But I was offered a part-time teaching job in
How did your Brighton and
“When I returned to teach at
I spent a year working on them and did about ten different prints but, just as I was completing them, Terry went to
After you emigrated, it took you a while to adjust to the Australian light. When did you change how you viewed the landscape?
"There was this house called Kath's Place. It was a modern kit home built with a veranda facing down a gully with a creek at the bottom. I could see the creek through the gums trees, and on the other side there were tracks with cattle pasture .There was no-one living there at the time and I painted there for nine months. When I first got there it was summer and the light was so intense, but I was sheltered from It as the sun travelled behind me. so it was like being hidden in a bird hide. I went from not being able to paint this intense light to interpreting the colour in the landscape so that it was alive - painting in a far higher key.”
If you could sum up
“The Royal Pavilion is quite unique. I used to take my students in there drawing countless times. I've also had great interest in the West Pier over the years. because I did a print of it when it was still okay. When I was working on it. Sir Richard Attenborough was filming Oh What a Lovely War on it, and he bought a print from me of the pier which was rather nice. They still feature it on the news here, when another bit falls into the sea."
Please note that images mentioned in this text are available from the artist's website: geoffreyelliottartist.com
Last Updated
05 Nov 2021