Boranup
Gallery

IVANA St. JOHN – ARTIST STATEMENT

Ivana St. John has travelled a colourful road, experiencing the diversity of many countries and cultures. When she discovered Perth, Western Australia, she made her home here and drawing on the richness of her life experiences she turned to the medium of visual art.

Ivana studied art in its many diverse forms and for some time channelled all her energies into watercolours, which complimented her fascination with Western Australian flora. She studied an unusual technique developed by a Western Australian artist and used the knowledge to create her own style so characteristic of all her work.

Her first Solo exhibition, ‘Visually Intoxicating”, was staged at The Old Bakery on 8th Gallery in Maylands in 2000 and from there she has gone from strength to strength.

Always searching for new challenging ways to express her passion with the life around her, Ivana studied the ‘chaos’ technique, which she found exhilarating. This innovative and exciting new medium suits Ivana’s vibrant mind and she draws energy from the remarkable shapes and forms that emerge from what we would see as a muddle of random markings on canvas.

An exhibition in the Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery in Fremantle, was a culmination of all that she poured into this new freedom of expression.

“With Ivana’s first works sent into the gallery in December 2003 walking out within 24hrs, we are sure she will be a talent collected worldwide”

Education in ART
1996 Certificate in Watercolour160, Claremont School of Arts WA
1986 Certificate in Art and Design, Central Metropolitan College of TAFE WA

Education Grants
1996 & 1998 Joseph Griffith Education Fund, Royal Perth Hospital Perth WA

Further training in Art
2004 Searching for Rainbow’s End, Atwell Arts Centre, Margaret Coxall
2003 Working with Inks, Atwell Arts Centre, Applecross WA, Gillian K Peebles
2002 Mark Making to Masterpiece, Atwell Arts Centre, Applecross WA, Tania Ferrier
Oil Painting Techniques, Atwell Arts Centre, Applecross WA, Jane Tangney
2001 Mark Making to Masterpiece, UWA Extension Summer School, Nedlands WA, Tania Ferrier
2000 Art from Nature, UWA Extension Summer School, Nedlands WA, Katrina Syme

Solo Exhibitions
2003 Solo Art Exhibition, DANCE of IMAGINATION, WA Art Auctions, Subiaco WA
2002 Solo Art Exhibition, ART of CHAOS The Moores Building, Contemporary Arts Gallery, Fremantle WA
2000 Solo Art Exhibition, VISSUALLY INTOXICATING Old Bakery On 8th Gallery, Maylands WA

Group Exhibitions
2004
Minawarra Festival Art Award 2004
Friends of the Arthritis Foundation 27th annual Art Exhibition
Cossack Art Awards 2004
Port Hedland Art Awards 2004
York Art Awards 2004
2003
Bunbury Art Extraordinaire
Minnawarra Festival Art Award 2003
City of Albany Art Prize
City of Waneroo 2003 Art Awards
Beverly Easter Art Show
2002
Art Awards / Melville Community Art Association, Alfred Cove WA
Art Award / The Beverly Art Gallery 34th Easter Exhibition, Beverly WA
Cossak Art Awards, Roebourne / Karratha WA
Bassendean Art Awards Bassendean WA
2001
Melville Community Art Association, Alfred Cove WA
Maverick Gallery & Artist Studios, Jolimont WA
City of Gosnells and Rotary Art Award 2001, Gosnells WA
Art Awards, City of Melville, Melville WA
Art Awards, The Katanning Art Prize 2001, Katanning WA
Art and Craft Awards, City of York, York WA
Art Awards / Melville Community Art Association, Alfred Cove WA
City of Stirling Open Art Award, Karrinyup Community Centre, Karrinyup WA
Annual Art Purchase Exhibition 2001, The Beverley Art Gallery, Beverly WA
Town Of Vincent Art Award 2001, Leederville WA
ICT Art Prize 2001, Albany WA
2000
Town of Vincent Art 2000, Leederville WA
The York Society Art & Craft Award 2000, York WA
Selected Botanical Prints, Galileo Books, York WA
Selected Botanical Prints, Roscrea Co. Tipperary Republic of Ireland
ITC (Integrated Tree Cropping) Art Prize 1999, Albany WA

Art in private collections
Australia, Canada, Croatia, England, France, Ireland, Singapore

Art Awards
Beverly Gallery Art Exhibition 2003, Highly Commended Award (acrylics & charcoal)
The York Society Art and Craft Awards 2001, Highly Commended Award (acrylics & charcoal)
MCAA Members Awards 2001, Captured Ideas Award (watercolour)

Publications 2000 to DATE
GALLERY GUIDE AUSTRALIA, POST, Sunday Times BIG WEEKEND, THE YORK CHRONICAL
West Australian HABITAT, WESTERN SUBARBS WEEKLY, Fremantle HERALD 13.10.04