Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Australian artist Tim Storrier working in his studio. He is shown preparing to continue working on his large painting of the Australian night sky. He looks at a small study he has previously done and familiarises himself with a star chart. He commences painting and the camera shows him from behind, standing in front of the work, with close-ups of his use of the brush. As he paints, he discusses his technique.

Educational value points

• Australian artist Tim Storrier, born in 1949, has enjoyed a successful 40-year career, during which the Australian landscape has been his most significant source of inspiration. He has won many national prizes and awards and has exhibited widely in Australia and abroad.

• The nocturne is introduced in the clip as a valid depiction of the Australian landscape. 'Nocturne’ was originally a musical term for a piece of music inspired by the night, but has also been used by visual artists and poets. Australian spaces are traditionally portrayed, in media and the arts, in daylight, with common elements being parched desert under a baking sun and the colours of landforms at sunrise or sunset. The nocturne pays poetic tribute to the profound beauty of the night and seeks to validate its artistic worth. Storrier’s pursuit of this links him to the Romantic tradition.

• The clip shows Storrier working on a painting that is exemplary of his oeuvre. Storrier is famous for his large-scale depictions of the night sky, his 'burning rope’ paintings, the intensity of his colours and the technical flair and confidence of his brushwork, all of which are evidenced here. His works are considered to have a magical glow and breadth of vision.

• Landscape is a predominant theme in the work of many Australian artists, and Australian artists are often defined by whether they approach landscape in a romantic fashion, imbuing it with mystery, or turn away from it to more postmodern, urban or abstract preoccupations. Storrier has stated that his outback travels and perceptions of Australian country life are major influences on his work.

• Film techniques are used to communicate how Storrier works in his studio. Such footage provides invaluable evidence of this artist’s approach and may assist in understanding his work. For example, close-ups of loading paint onto the brush and creating stars through the application of tiny dots of paint illustrate his technique. Storrier’s musings provide a useful background to the visuals, as he reflects on the extent of experimentation, impressionism and accuracy in his work and how he will pace the painting.

Tim Storrier is in his studio. He takes a partially completed painting of a shelf and sets it on a stool.
Tim Storrier I suppose that’s the one.
He looks at a star chart, marking it, then to a large blue canvas. One of the curious things about Australian landscape painting is there are very few nocturnes. When people think of Australian landscape painting, they are usually thinking of the noon-day sun or late afternoon, curiously enough. But pictures about evening, especially about night, aren’t that prevalent.

Tim stands in front of the large canvas painted blue, talking to a photographer who takes some photos.
Tim So, where do you want me to start?
Photographer Wherever you want to start.
Tim I’ll probably start about there, then I’ll pull the ladder in and go up the top somewhere, just start putting a few on. I mean, it doesn’t have to be completely accurate. Or I don’t think it has to be completely accurate. Photographer Ok.
Tim So, do you want me just to go ahead?
Photographer First things first — I want to know whether this works.
Storrier begins painting dots onto the dark blue background. The dots gradually take the forms of constellations.
Tim Well, I think I’ll leave it at that for the moment. It’s not something I want to hurry.