John Armstrong Ogburn

Place: St Arnaud

Born: 1925

Death: 2010

Biography:

John Armstrong Ogburn was an Australian painter, born on June 4, 1925, in the central western Victorian town of St Arnaud. He was educated at the local state school and later worked as an industrial research chemist for Shell Co. in Melbourne. During this time, he became a "Sunday painter" in oils and watercolours and did life drawing at the Victorian Artists Society studio.

Early Career and Education

In 1946, Ogburn realized that his work as an industrial chemist was not fulfilling his artistic desires. He bought a scooter and traveled to Northern Queensland, where he worked in the sugarcane fields and on pearling luggers and timber boats off Cairns and Cooktown. After returning to Sydney in 1948, he worked as a freelance science correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald, while studying under the painter Desiderius Orban and the philosopher Austin Woodbury.

Artistic Career and Achievements

Ogburn's first one-man exhibition was held at the Macquarie Galleries in 1953. He then sailed to Europe, where he hitch-hiked, worked, and studied in museums and galleries. Upon his return to Australia in 1957, he conducted an art teaching studio in Sydney and was Vice President of the Contemporary Art Society from 1957 to 1962. In 1963, he opened the John Ogburn Studio of painting and drawing in Lower George Street, Sydney. Notable Achievements:

• Founded the Harrington Street Artists' Co-operative Gallery in 1973
• Held a one-man exhibition annually at the gallery until his final exhibition in October 2009
• Received acclaim and admiration from art critics, including Clement Greenberg

For more information on John Ogburn's artwork and biography, visit John Armstrong Ogburn or Wikipedia. You can also explore his paintings on Wikioo.org's collection.