School Management:
Aaron Matheson - Administration and Publicity Officer
Karen Alexander - Teaching Coordinator
....and about Tom Bass
Tom Bass was born in 1916 and, after various jobs during the depression and army service during WWII, he began his career as a sculptor upon graduating from the National Art School in 1948.
Bass was greatly influenced by what he had learned from Dattilo Rubbo, whose art school he attended in 1937-40, and he also benefited from being taught by Lyndon Dadswell. Bass was Dadswell's assistant in 1949-50, after which he taught at the National Art School until 1953. From 1951 to 1964, he held various executive positions with the Sculptor's Society, of which he was a founding member.
Tom Bass' work as a sculptor has been concerned with communities, namely schools, universities and government and corporate and religious institutions. In the late forties, Bass developed his philosophy of working as a sculptor in making totemic forms and emblems, namely work expressing ideas of significance to particular communities or to society at large.
More from Tom Bass's own website...
Wendy Black
General Workshop, Beginners Workshop
A graduate of the Wimbledon School of Art and Exeter Art School, UK-born Black's extensive skills and experience have spanned over twenty years within the creative industries. She has worked intensively as a sculptorfor nearly ten years.
In 1987, Black and her family moved to Australia. She has studied life drawing at the Paddington Art School and Ku-ring-gai Art Centre and ceramic sculpture. She joined the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School as a student in 1998. A senior teacher with the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School since 2004, Black divides her time between sculpture commissions, teaching commitments, group exhibitions and family. The past four years have witnessed Black commit more time to private and public art sculpture commissions that has included the Captains¹ Walk (Jubilee Park, Cootamundra).
As a collaborator on ongoing projects with the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio, Black brings understanding and experience when engaging with the needs of the student, client and community.
Michael Christie
General Workshop, Beginners Workshop
Originally trained as an architect (University of Sydney) and graphic
designer (National Art School), Christie spent then ten years working as a
corporate and freelance graphic designer before going into art education.
Teaching art for over twenty-five years at the prestigious Saint Ignatius¹
College, Riverview and ten years at Chatswood College, Christie received his
Masters in Art Education (Hon) in 1997. In the same year he commenced study
under Tom Bass and since 2000 has taught part-time at the Tom Bass Sculpture
Studio School.
Christie has worked professionally as a sculptor since 1998 exhibiting
annually and completing several important community commissions for St
Leonard¹s Church, Sydney (Lectionary), Saint Ignatius¹ College (The Altar),
and the Rainbow Serpent for Erskineville Public School Sydney (in
collaboration with the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio). Most recent commissions
include the Captains¹ Walk (Jubilee Park, Cootamundra) and Madonna and Child
for the Matthew Talbot Hostel in association with St Vincent de Paul
Society.
Bernice Lowe
Life Study Workshop, General Workshop, Beginners Workshop
Lowe's artistic and performance practice spans over twenty years with study
undertaken at the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School (1989-94), The Julian
Ashton Art School (1995), Sydney Community College (1989) and Red Cedar
Workshop (1988). With degrees in Health Science in Acupuncture, Manaka
Acupuncture Protocols (both from the University of Technology) Lowe
successfully divides her time between her art practice and alternative
therapy consultancy.
In 2004, Lowe became the Life Drawing teacher at the Tom Bass Sculpture
Studio School and in 2005 officially took over the teaching role in the
School¹s central Life Study workshop program from Tom Bass AM.
Exhibiting annually, Lowe¹s understanding of form and materials allows her
to straddle both abstract and figurative art styles with ease with
collaborative commissions including the Captains¹ Walk (Jubilee Park,
Cootamundra) and sculptor¹s assistant to Tom Bass AM for St Augustine
(Parish of St Augustine, Yass).
Sue Alexopoulos
Life Drawing, Life Study Workshop, General Workshop, Beginners Workshop.
