Title

Art of colour printing. Miss Ethleen Palmer's advice.

Author

Sydney Morning Herald.

Source

Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney) 18 April 1831 - ongoing

Details

supplement, 24 April 1939, p.8, col.1-2.

Publication date

24 April 1939

Type

Exhibition review

Language

English

Country of context

Australia

Full text

ART OF COLOUR PRINTING
Miss Ethleen Palmer’s Advice

ON Thursday, April 27, at 3 p.m. an Exhibition of colour, prints by Miss Ethleen Palmer, who won the first prize for colour prints at the 150th Anniversary Celebrations Art Competition, will be opened at the Macquarie Galleries.

MISS PALMER travels all over the place in her little car with sketchbook and dog Bruin for company, when, suddenly, an idea comes and the subject is studied from all angles.

"I make drawings," she explains, "then coloured sketches, and by the time I have done that I really know if the subject has an appeal. Next, I work at it in the studio, eliminating every unnecessary detail. If I get past that stage it usually turns out well in the cutting. The process of the linocut entails all this preliminary work, and so absolute failure is rare."

Set on the heights of Seaforth, Miss Palmer's studio overlooks The Spit, with North Head in the blue distance, while from the back verandah is a view which looks up Middle Harbour - an artist's dream become reality.

PARENTS TO BLAME
MISS PALMER, who is teacher of colour printing and the art of the lino-cut at the Technical College, says that she loves teaching. "But," she added, "I do not like to hear all the criticism leveled at the enormous number of students who fall by the way after the first year's effort at the art course; the gradual dwindling in numbers during the subsequent years; and the few who gain the coveted Diploma of Art after five years' study."

"Who is to blame?" she was asked.

"I blame the parents and especially fathers, who say there is not enough possibility of return for the outlay of money in fine art education," she answered. "Parents should give the matter deep thought before allowing their children to start a five-year course. Once decided, they should see them through. Every possible assistance and encouragement should be given at home, and, above all, a quiet place, where they can get away on their own and express themselves as they like. Nothing should be allowed to stop them.

"All children have a universal desire to scribble on paper; give them plenty of scope to develop their own ideas, not copy. Many are ruined early because they become expert copyists and crib other people's ideas instead of thinking for themselves.

"When they pass out of school the persevering ones who go on to the Technical College have two alternatives when taking up an art course - a five-year study of fine art or a three-year course of commercial art. Many attend the first-year classes, which are identical for both careers. This is really the testing time. Those who cannot stay the course are weeded out. Some lose confidence and give up before they give themselves a chance. Others are too impatient. Others again do not think it is worth a life's devotion - it is the survival of the fittest.

"The second year entails the study of perspective, colour, anatomy, object drawing, design, and the history of art. As the course progresses students pass on to more advanced stages of colour work, finally tackling antique and life subjects. By this time still more have dropped out - some branch off into commercial art, as there is a more im- mediate return - others think their talent is not as great as they thought, and financial troubles account for a good number. An unsympathetic home background drags many to despair, and again, marriage takes its toll."

Miss Palmer contends, however, that none of the training is wasted. Those who drop out will always raise the standard for the future - that is the valuable part. Because of it they will have more artistic homes and influence their friends by example. Also, they will be able to encourage their children in developing then talents from the very beginning by using right methods.

VALUABLE MEDIUM
I FEEL," says Miss Palmer, "that with colour printing the artist is able to make contact with many more lives than is possible with most media, and, although it may be incapable of plumbing the greatest depths, yet if the subject matter be good and simple, and if the necessary emotional content is realised it should have an almost universal appeal and be capable of supplying the artistic needs of many people."

Some time ago a film of leading art connoisseurs of London wrote to Miss Palmer, referring to an article on her work in the Women's Supplement of the "Sydney Morning Herald" on August 30, saying that they "are inclined to believe that an outlet for your work can be found here.

The illustrations look particularly attractive, and we should be glad if you would send us some examples of more recent work of this type." As this firm never handles colour prints, this is one more success for Miss Palmer.

[Sydney Morning Herald, supplement, 24 April 1939, p.8, col.1-2]

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Last Updated

14 Jan 2021