General News
14 February, 2023
Bill back in studio
BILL Offord has spent more than a decade travelling Australia and painting landscapes under the low awning of his caravan.“Even when it’s cold and wet ... that’s terrible,” said the Englishman who has been in Australia since 1966 and has...
BILL Offord has spent more than a decade travelling Australia and painting landscapes under the low awning of his caravan.
“Even when it’s cold and wet ... that’s terrible,” said the Englishman who has been in Australia since 1966 and has decided to stay put in Inglewood.
“It’s nice to be in a studio again. I haven’t had one since 2010 in Sydney.”
Bill has set up his temporary studio in the old Porter’s corner building with plans for a more permanent presence in an adjoining building when new owners Pauline and Gerry Wellman complete renovations.
Many of Bill’s paintings had been in storage for more than a decade and he is now putting new life into the creations while picking up brush and pallet knife working on new canvasses.
He says more abstract works start with an idea and then the painting evolves. “I want the painting to be itself.”
His landscapes start with a sketch of a local tree, capturing his love for the bushland around central Victoria with animals and scenery added in the studio.
Bill has been staying in Inglewood for three months every year and still has a bit of the travel itch. However, the opportunity to again have a studio has ensured a more permanent home.
And his smaller works on sale are raising money for the Peter MacCallum Centre, as he continues to support cancer care. His wife Jenny died in 2011 with breast cancer.