Life in watercolour

By Tina Seirlis

For locals seeking inspiration from art, one Moorabool town is lucky to be home to an annual Art Show which takes place over the now King’s Birthday Weekend each June.

Those who lingered a little longer at this year’s Bacchus Marsh Rotary Art Show event may have also had the good fortune to meet the Show’s artist in residence, and local living treasure Janice Webster.

Apart from being a surprise, “it was an honour”, Ms Webster told the Moorabool News.

“I don’t know whether they’ve had that many Artists in Residence, and they don’t have one every year. I was very surprised and also very nervous. Watercolour is such a thinking process,” she said.

Ms Webster spent the early years of her childhood not far from Essendon Football Ground and moved to Bacchus Marsh when she was ten, after her father received a job transfer.

“I was a very shy person in primary school and I didn’t find my schooling happy until I came to Bacchus Marsh. The country atmosphere here was fantastic and I had friends everywhere.”

Being a smaller country town, Ms Webster said you could ride your bike around everywhere.

“It was pretty normal and pretty happy. I had wonderful teenage years, getting dressed up and going to wonderful balls. I met my husband and got married at 21. I lived in the town at that stage, we didn’t have the farm yet. Then we bought the farm at Werribee Vale Road, it was a bit of a shock to the system, an old derelict house. It was an old dairy and it was pretty run down. We had to clear all the boxthorn and start from scratch for a market garden property. I worked out on the property alongside my husband, and my sons later on. From a city girl to the country, I was eased in gradually and ended up loving the farm. A great place for our boys to grow up,” she said.

She describes herself as a realist impressionist artist using watercolour paints, and whilst her works take inspiration from many directions, she likes to specialise in flowers and also paint the local area. However, it may be surprising to discover that art was not her first calling, and it was by chance that art discovered Janice, rather than vice versa.

“My husband took up golf, and I thought there has to be something for me. It’s funny to think I had wanted to get into patchwork class and make quilts, but the classes didn’t fit with hours at the farm. I just happened to stumble on art. It was through going to the Laurels that I decided to take up painting and that’s where it all started in 1983.

Ms Webster said she painted in oils originally.

“Watercolour is the last frontier and is totally the opposite way to paint, you start from light to dark, whereas with oils you start with dark to light. We were lucky enough to have an OAM Edward Heffernan who taught the classes, and took the class on watercolour painting trips. I learned so much over those four years.”

The story continues where she went on to co-convene the original Bacchus Marsh Artists Society (1986-96), along with running her own local art gallery, through to evolving her former Werribee Vale Road farm to include an art studio, winning many awards, and sharing her knowledge via teaching.

“I ended up teaching nearly every other day. It was really quite a good little business including art supplies, and I had many years of enjoyment. I taught up until 2016. Teaching people, teaches me too.”

As a member of the B-MAC Gallery, Ms Webster said they are advocating for a permanent community art gallery in Bacchus Marsh.

“We really need a place for local and new artists to call home, which is why B-MAC is working so hard. There are many art people in different art categories around Bacchus Marsh. But you don’t see them because there is nowhere to display work.”

Reflecting on 40-years as an artist and her greatest achievements, Ms Webster has fond memories.

“Overall it’s the friends that I’ve met through art and being able to teach people. I get a great thrill out of other’s success, and I’m proud of my past students. I’ll keep plodding along while I’ve still got my eyesight, and keep painting as long as I can, and keep my painting friends around.”

To conclude, Ms Webster said, “I’ve had fun.”