Meet the Teachers
Ian Randall, Head of Visual Arts (BArt Ed, MVA)
As an artist and educator, Ian Randall seeks to build strong connections between his life, art practice and hisclassroom. He delights in the many possibilities of thought and expression in the visual arts and consider it a privilege to share this with young adults. Painting and teaching art in our dynamic and picturesque city is a continual joy.
Ian's paintings contain a strong focus on Sydney Harbour and are heavily influenced by Australian and French impressionist painters, in particular Sir Arthur Streeton and Claude Monet.
Contact: irandall@sacs.nsw.edu.au
Ms Melinda Giblett, Visual Arts Teacher (BArt Ed)
Melinda Giblett investigates issues and theories surrounding the notion of 'Place’ and belonging with a diverse and eclectic style. Her work spans a range of forms including drawing, painting, mixed media, SLR and digital photography and digital media. Inspiration has been drawn from a range of important personal experiences including a two- year relocation to London, England in 2000-2002.
Recent works have included the Terror series exploring the global community’s vision for future political and personal security and Route 14. These works reference Australian legends and history in an attempt to visually grapple with the increasing unease in the world around us.
Melinda’s work traverses as number of artistic disciplines from traditional pieces to contemporary and new media. Together, they underpin her holistic philosophical position on the place of tradition in the arts community. Thus, a secondary stream of her work allows gleanings on still life and arrangement.
The artist finds technical discipline and satisfaction in keeping up her practice in traditional areas in order that she inform her new works with reference to rich intellectual content of past movements. For example, the work of Giorgio Morandi, Donald Judd and the Minimalists have been particular interest areas and study subjects.
Contact: mgiblett@sacs.nsw.edu.au
Cassie Delavere, Visual Arts Teacher (BArt Ed)
When looking at a photograph one can not tell or know if it is a Family Photo just by observation. The importance of this determination lies in the ideas circulating around the Family album and the photograph as a document.
These ideas create an antinomy. It is in the album that the idea “the camera can lie” is most confronting, if our memories are tied to light affected paper, if the images of are youth exist in our minds as references to these pages then our are histories false?
They become a document of our own life and death. They can simultaneously disguise or uncover, distance us from or draw us into; they have the power to shock and injure us. Photographs prescribe the visual language through which we can shape our experiences and recollect our past.
When considered this way the notion of one or more family members posing for a snapshot does not encompass enough of the gamut that can be found within any given families record. Buildings, landscapes, and objects all form part of these documents and it is this relationship of the specific family to these images that give them their significance.
They perpetuate social order by acting as reference points, forming collective memories, the defining element is a relationship to more than one person.
Contact: cdelavere@sacs.nsw.edu.au
Paul FitzGerald, Visual Arts Teacher BA, Mteach (Hons)
Paul’s creative career began as a designer for World Expo 88. Initially employed to provide concept illustrations to secure funding, his role quickly expanded. Paul suggested the concept of a “Lunch Time Parade” themed around the joy of food, which led him to design and develop half of the floats for both the daily, and the spectacular night-time parades. This involved working with draftsmen, engineers, theatre producers, set builders and construction teams. The floats were larger than life complex animatronic creations. Paul went on to create puppet theatres, set designs, costumes and one of the few large open areas on the Expo site, the Piazza Floor, a giant medieval sun. As an international animation series creator, designer and writer his career includes successful projects such as the best selling animation and book series “Gogo’s Adventures With English” and “Gogo Loves English”. He created “Ketchup” a 65 part series for the world television market and worked on many other television projects including “Farscape”, “Blinky Bill” and “Dinky Di’s”. Paul brings his experience and skills with digital media to his teaching and continues to write and illustrate Children’s books.
Contact: pfitzgerald@sacs.nsw.edu.au
