User:Finrod.Ancalime/sandbox

Gray Smith (13 February 1919 – 7 August 1990) was an Australian artist, poet and jeweller who was part of the Heide Circle. While best known as Joy Hester's spouse, his most productive artistic period came later while married to Joan Upward in the '60s and '70s. Smith’s modernist paintings often featured isolated figures in Australian outback landscapes.

Early life
Gray was born in Melbourne, Australia. At 14, he left school to study as an optician and studied art at night. He left Melbourne in 1939 to become a timber cutter in North Drummond, Victoria, sparking a life-long interest in the Australian bush and its folklore.

In 1943 he returned to Melbourne to study with the well-known artist and teacher Max Meldrum and to work in the family picture-framing shop.

For his entire life, Gray had epilepsy which stopped him from working steady jobs and slowed his artistic output.

Artist Life
During the late ‘40s, Gray joined the artistic group that became known as the Heide Circle, where philanthropists John and Sunday Reed supported artists so they could practice their art unencumbered by paid work.

But even before then, Gray was already acquainted with Sidney Nolan and the Boyds through his older half-brother Martin Smith, a close friend of Nolan’s. He was also a member of Contemporary Art Society along with Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan and John Perceval.

The Reeds also already considered the Smiths (Martin, Gray and their mother Elsie) as extended family. Gray's brother Martin was a picture framer who regularly framed artwork for the Reeds. In addition to Gray's painting, Sunday and John encouraged his poetry. He published his poems in Angry Penguins and Ern Malley's Journal.

In 1947, Gray fell in love with Joy Hester and eloped to Sydney. While money was tight, this first year together marked an intense and productive period of painting and drawing by both artists.

After about a year, they returned to Melbourne, settling in Hurstbridge, then later moved to Box Hill where they could easier access medical treatment as Joy had Hodgkin lymphoma and Gray continued to struggle with epilepsy. During this time in the country, Gray refined his solitary man in the bush motif drawing on his love of Australian myths and legends. As artist and critic Geoffrey de Groen put it, “Gray Smith’s paintings are powerful expressions of the work ethic, and in particular, the man on the land. His paintings heighten the drama of ordinary situations.”

Joy Hester’s time with Gray (1947—1960) was her most productive when she produced the acclaimed series Faces, Love, and Sleep. Gray and Joy had two children: Peregrine in 1951 and Fern in 1954. After being together for 12 years, Gray married Joy on 11 November 1959 in Queens Street, Melbourne.

In 1958 John Reed established the Museum of Modern Art Australia and John and Sunday donated their artworks as the foundation collection. This set includes 18 Gray Smith paintings.

Gray and Joy lived a tumultuous yet on balance a happy life together, practising their art until Joy’s death in 1960 from Hodgkin lymphoma.

Gray and Joan Upward (nee Davis) began a relationship, bringing their families together in Box Hill, Melbourne. Joan had two sons, Brett and Matthew from her marriage to artist Peter Upward. In November 1961, they all moved to Canberra. Here, Gray began the most prolific period of his artistic career producing over 200 paintings. During this time, Joan did much of the historical research for Gray’s artwork, notably the Canberry series. In 1964, Joan and Gray’s daughter Sheenagh was born.

The Reeds supported Gray and his family in many ways. For example, in 1958, John Reed sent one of Gray's paintings to the Museum of Modern Art director in New York. John also set up trusts for Gray, Peregrine and Fern and purchased them houses in Melbourne and Canberra. Gray and John corresponded with each other until John died, an extraordinary forty years of correspondence.

In 1966, Gray submitted his portrait of Lady 'Molly' Huxley to the Canberra and Goulburn regional round of the Helena Rubinstein Portrait Prize in 1966 and was judged the regional winner and went into the finals.

The French Government invited fellow artist John Perceval and Gray to exhibit in Paris in 1967. The plan was to steam to Europe with Joan and their five children. In the end, Perceval was unable to make the trip, and Arthur Wicks took his place, and they exhibited together in Paris.

Gray contributed in many ways to Canberra life. He taught art to locals in his backyard. He helped children with disabilities learn to paint as part of their therapy. He taught at the Canberra Technical College (forerunner to the Canberra School of Art). And in 1971 and '72, Gray was The Canberra Times art critic writing over 80 critiques of art shows in Canberra.

Gray died in Canberra on the 7th August 1990 at his nursing home with his daughter Fern Smith by his side.

Exhibitions
Held 11 solo and eight group exhibitions.

Solo Exhibitions

 * 1956: First solo exhibition at Gallery Modern Art Melbourne
 * 1958: Solo exhibition Gallery of Contemporary Art – opened by Vance Palmer
 * ‘The Truth about the Outback’. June 1965, Gallery A, Canberra.
 * ‘Canberry Paintings – the first 100 years’. 1966. Theatre Centre Gallery.
 * 'Eurimburra Paintings and English Paintings'. October 20, 1968. Australian Sculpture Gallery.
 * 1969: The ANU Arts Society Acquisition exhibition of Gray Smith’s paintings Union Building ANU opened by Dr. B. E Kent
 * Captain Cook Series. February 1970. Australian Sculpture Gallery.
 * 1971: Daisy Bates Series for the ABC broadcasting commission The Daisy Bates series was researched and developed by Professor Tulip
 * 1975: Solo exhibition at Solander Galleries arranged by Joan Scott (nee Davis)

Group Exhibitions

 * 1946 - 1950 Contemporary Art Society (CAS) Annual Exhibitions in Melbourne
 * Herald Outdoor Art Show 1953, 12 December 1953 - 20 December 1953. Treasury Gardens, Melbourne
 * Studio Nundah. 1962.
 * 1965. 'Sidney Nolan, John Percival & Gray Smith'. Australian National University.
 * 1965. Gallery A. Canberra.
 * Canberra and Goulburn Regional Round for the Helena Rubinstein Portrait Prize (Winner), David Jones Department Store, Canberra, 23 - 28 May 1966
 * Helena Rubinstein Portrait Prize (Finalist), Claude Hotchin Art Gallery, Perth, June 1966
 * Paintings by Gray Smith and John Perceval, Residence of Henri Souillac, Cultural Attaché to the French Embassy, Canberra, 10 - 13 May 1967
 * Deux Aspects de la Peinture Australienne: Gray Smith, Arthur Wicks, Cité Internationale des Arts in association with Qantas Airways, Paris, 1968
 * 2001Joy Hester & Friends. National Gallery of Australia.

Collections

 * Museum of Modern Art (New York)
 * Museum of Modern Art Australia (Melbourne, Victoria)
 * National Gallery of Australia (Canberra, ACT)
 * University of Canberra (Canberra, ACT)
 * Australian National University (Canberra, ACT)

Publications

 * Shumack, S., Smith, J. E., & Smith, Gray. (1967). An autobiography : or, Tales and legends of Canberra pioneers / Ed. by J.E. and Samuel Shumack ; [Illus. by Gray Smith] C. Canberra: A.N.U. pr.
 * TV Series in Daisy Bates.