CRISS Canning has been painting for more than 50 years, but it was a trip to the Greek Islands in the mid-1980s that changed her perceptions and has seen her become one of Australia's foremost still life artists.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ms Canning, from Ascot, has been named as an Order of Australia Medallist (OAM) as part of the Australia Day honours for her decades-long contribution to Australia's arts scene.
"It is a shock, I was quite overwhelmed," she said.
"I read it, then couldn't read it and I asked my husband to read it so it could sink in. It's a wonderful honour, it's great for a creative person, I'm in my 58th year as a painter this year."
MORE AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS
- ART PIONEER: David Thomas named as AM
- ENVIRONMENT WARRIOR: Madeline Townsend awarded an OAM
- EDUCATION LEADER: Ballarat Clarendon College principal honoured
- LOVE FOR TEACHING AND SCIENCE: Lynn Kelly awarded an AM
Ms Canning said her love of still life art began on that trip in 1986.
"I wasn't always involved in still life, I studied portraiture, landscape and still life when I was still very young, but I never went to formal arts school, I did classes at night after work in Collins Street.
"I used to do a lot of portraiture and landscape, then I went to the Greek Islands to paint for 12 months with my children and that was a really pivotal year.
"It was a fabulous year, I painted a whole exhibition that year, I kept getting images of still life that kept coming to me in my dreams and waking hours.
"I have no explanation as to how or why that happened, so when I came back to Australia at the end of 1986, I showed my paintings and from then on I've not worked on anything but still life. Here I am 30-odd years later and I'm totally besotted in that genre."
"I adore colour, it allows me to use colour in a significant way, I can do beautiful bold colour or subtle grey, it's endlessly fascinating and we'll never know everything there is to know about colour. It's an adventure."
Canning has exhibited her works across the country, while a number of publications have also highlighted her work.
She has hosted solo exhibits since 1982 across Australia and has been included in numerous group exhibitions which have been seen all around the world.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.
