Ken Done

Ken Done – my art guru! Bodies on the beach, towels and umbrellas, sunlight, water, small triangles of sailboats, Sydney Harbour Bridge, clusters of frangipanis and suntanned women with flowers in their hair. The ultimate gorgeously bright Australian paintings. I remember grabbing the Ken Done book from the bookshelf in Year 8 Art class and being mesmorised by these multicoloured, fun artworks. This is how I wanted to paint.

‘A lot of the time when I sit down to make a drawing or painting, I guess I am trying to make a piece of magic to show people how to use their eyes, or how you can put some things together – and it’s nice.’ Ken Done

The Done phenomenon was huge in the 1980’s – his graphic designs on T-shirts, calendars, cups and cards.  He said ‘I have no pretensions about where my art can be found. I don’t mind my work ending up on the back of a dunny door in Broome.‘ Vibrant and fun Done painted the icons of Australia – our beautiful beaches, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru in his childlike signature style. Done’s work is now global in it’s proliferation.

He is a true inspiration.