Roberta the Painter: Roberta is still painting at 92 years of age.

Roberta and Col Jordan
[below right] Mangroves 1989

Roberta began painting in the late 1940s, but it was only after marrying Jack Howland in 1960 and moving to Wellington that Roberta began painting in earnest. Later, artist Col Jordon named her as one of a small group of artists living in Wollongong who, although not able to practice as full-time artists, were nevertheless serious about their art.
Roberta has continued painting since that time, developing her medium of oil on board with shellac, sometimes adding collage elements, and entering works in important regional and national art prizes to maintain her level of professionalism. Many of her works are held in private collections in Australia and overseas.
Throughout her career, Roberta has focused on a number of themes within her artwork. She is able to achieve a high level of excellence and sentience in the fields of landscape, genre, religious and spiritual themes. Shown here is a watercolour painting Mangroves, 1989, selected as a finalist in the Wynne water colour prize called the Pring Prize for women artists. Roberta’s profound perception of the landscape is rendered with much sensibility and subtlety in Mangroves, executed with the most minimal of palettes, meandering line, delicate wash and translucency.
Phoenix Series Horizon Series
The below works demonstrate Roberta’s style, and are displayed in Chronological order. Click on each artwork to see more detail.

Mosman Bay – 1948
Oil on board
310mm x 260mm

The Glebe – 1955
Gouache on watercolour board
700mm x 400mm
Exhibited at Copperfield Gallery

Showgirl – 1960
Charcoal and Wash on Parchment
400mm x 400mm

Riverbank: The Darling – 1960
Mixed Media on watercolour board
760mm x 650mm

Sea Dream – 1960
Shellac on watercolour board

Sea Dream II – 1960
Oil on board
1200mm x 1500mm
Sulman Prize entry

Country Fair Ground – 1960
Mixed Medium
900 x 600 mm

Parable of the Sower – 1962
Oil on Board
760mm x 1360mm
Blake Prize - Highly Commended
Orange Regional Art Prize - Highly Commended

The Gossip – 1963
Oil on board
760mm x 1360mm
Sulman Art Prize - Finalist
Orange Regional Gallery - Highly Commended
Manly Regional Gallery - Highly Commended
Hunters Hill Gallery - Highly Commended
Displayed in the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Night on the Pilliga Road – 1963
Oil on board
1500mm x 1060mm
Wynne Prize - Finalist

Phoenix I – Phoenix Emerging – 1964
Oil on board
1400mm x 900mm

Coal Cliff by the Sea – 1964
Oil on board
1000mm x 800mm
Wynne Prize entry

Rockpool – 1965
Shellac on Watercolour board
600mm x 900mm
Displayed at Bonython Galleries

Japanese Film Night – 1965
Part of a mixed media series based on Japanese design and theatre.
650mm x 540mm

Snowline – 1968
Oil on board
1060mm x 1360mm
Hunters Hill Art Prize

Through A Glass Darkly – 1970
Oil on board

Steel Heat – 1970
Watercolour
660mm x 860mm
Highly Commended Wollongong Art Prize

The Sweet Life – 1970
Shellac and Oil
1200mm x 1200mm

Cracker Night – 1970
Mixed media on watercolour board

Captured Sea Myth – 1971
Oil on board
900mm x 900mm
Woolongong Art Prize - Highly Commended
Woolongong Art Prize - Highly Commended

The Tunnel – 1971
Watercolor
650mm x 500mm
Wynne Prize - Selected
Wollongong Art Prize - Highly Commended

God Divided the Light From the Darkness – 1971
Blake Prize - Finalist

Horizon I – 1971
Oil on board

Serpent in the Garden of Eden – 1972
Oil on board
1060mm x 1360mm
Blake Prize - Finalist
Used to begin an ABC documentary o the Blake Prize

Cambeligo Image – 1972
Oil on Board
1060mm x 1360mm
Wollongong Art Prize - Finalist

Tent Show Girl – 1972
Watercolour on blotting paper

God’s Promise To Noah – 1975
Oil on board
1200mm x 910mm
The Blake Prize Entry

Horizon II – 1975
Oil on Board/li>
Camden Art Exhibition - Highly Commended

Horizon IV – 1975
Watercolour and gouache on board

Sunset at Fitzroy Falls – 1976
Gouache on watercolour board

Lady of the Night – 1984
Oil on board

Celebration – 1990
Oil on board
1200mm x 1200mm
Opening exhibition of the Bell Gallery

Containers: Glebe – 1991
Watercolour on board

Horizon V – 1991
Oil on board

Many Moons, Many Doorways – 1992
Mixed media on watercolour board
500mm x 900mm

Phoenix Out of Medieval Castle – 1993
550mm x 700mm
Phoenix II

Spring Day – 1993
Gouache and chalk on board
760mm x 1060mm

Magician On Stage – 1993
Watercolour and Gouache on board

Moonlight – 1994
Oil on board

Highway. Hot Day – 1994
Watercolour and gouache on board

Storm – 1994
Watercolour on board
1060mm x 760mm

Phoenix Blazing – 1994
Polymer on board
500mm x 600mm
Phoenix III

Phoenix IV – 1994
Mixed media on board

Phoenix VII – 1994
Mixed media on board

Phoenix VIII – 1995
Gouache

The Dunes – 1995
Watercolour on watercolour board
1060mm x 760mm

Temptation of Eve – 1997
Oil on board
The Blake Prize - Entry

Ebb and Flow – 1998
Gouache on board
800mm x 700mm
Camden Art Prize - Highly Commended
Entry of Camden Art Prize, Camden Civic Centre

In My Dreams The Biggest Fish – 1999
Oil on board
Sulman Prize - Entry

Captive Circus Seal – 2000
Oil on board

Odyssey Remembered – 2001
Sulman Prize - Entry - Mixed media on board

Splendid Return of the Phoenix – 2002
Oil on board
1500 x 1300mm
Triptych
Sulman Prize entry

The Finale – 2002
Mixed media
500mm x 750mm

Jacobs Coat – 2002
Oil on board
Blake Prize - Entry

Parade Of The Trees – 2003
Collage and watercolour
600mm x 750mm

Many Moons II – 2003
Watercolour and Chalk

The Watchman – 2004
Gouache and collage
750mm x 500mm

Through a Glass Darkly II – 2004
Oil on board

Genesis – 2004
Mixed Media and Collage

Point To Point – 2005
Oil and acrylic on board
1500mm x 1000mm (1500 x 500, 1500 x 500)
Diptych

The Rapids: New Zealand – 2005
Mixed Media Collage
500mm x 650mm

Ascent of Icarus – 2008
Oil on board
Sulman Prize - Entry

Fascination Of Icarus – 2010
Oil on board
Sulman Prize entry

The Encounter: Black and White – 2011
Oil on board
1250mm x 900mm
The Sulman Prize entry

The Endangered – 2012
Mixed Media
650mm x 500mm

Flashpoint – 2013
Oil on board
1250mm x 1600mm (1250 x 950, 1250 x 650)
Sulman Prize Entry

Before the Cock Crows Thrice – 2000
Mixed Media
Study for the Blake prize