ART LOVERS TREAT

Artist Philip Cooper.

Kiama art lovers are in for a treat with two of the regions most renowned local artists exhibiting their work at the old Fire Station from next Tuesday November 28.

Both Helen Bromwich and Phillip H. Cooper have carved out an excellent reputation through their local and south coast landscape and still life portraits.

Helen Bromwich fulfilled her life long ambition to paint and draw after raising four children. She began her career in art during the late 1980s when she took up China painting and drawing with tutor Pat Williams.

After moving to Kiama in 1991 she started experimenting with various mediums before settling on watercolours while studying at the summer school at Charles Sturt University Bathurst.

Her work has been displayed at local, Illawarra and Sydney exhibitions and has attracted a number of awards with landscapes and seascapes many of the local area.

Philip H. Cooper has lived art throughout his lifetime attending East Sydney Technical College as a young man studying oil and watercolour painting, life drawing and sculpture.

He worked as a glass decorator for 30 years doing murals for corporate buildings such as the Hotel Australia, churches and clubs.

Working as the artist for Sutherland Shire Council, Mr Cooper went on to work full time at the Argyle Art Centre drawing portraits in charcoal and colour with up to five people in the drawing.

He then established a small gallery in the centre selling many paintings to overseas buyers.

Once the gallery became too small Mr Cooper moved to Bomaderry where he operated the very successful Allenwood Art centre.

Mr Cooper is enjoying his retirement in Kiama where he is free to draw and paint and he is looking to forward to drawing some portraits during the exhibition.

If time does not permit he encourages people to bring a photo of themselves or family as his portraits make great Christmas or birthday presents.