Keith Norris

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Keith is a amazingly versatile artist and teacher whose work encompasses oil, acrylic and watercolour mediums. Also renowned for his drawing, Keith produces everything from Australiana and landscapes to still life, fantasy and floral studies.

Born in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire England in 1940, Keith spent most of his early life living in different areas of the country, due to his father’s various postings in the Royal Air Force.

At the age of four he was confined to bed with long period of illness, during which he amused himself by drawing in pencil on the white-washed bedroom walls. Subjects drawn ranged from horse-drawn carriages to castles and sailboats. The visiting doctor was amazed by the skill and accuracy of the illustrations, but was particularly stunned by the incredible drawings of Spanish galleons, perfectly detailed in immaculate perspective. The majority of these were stern views of these huge complicated sea vessels. The puzzled doctor questioned the mother as to how a four year old child, who had at that time not seen the sea, let alone an ancient sea vessel, could achieve such fine drawings. It was a time of war with few books and no television so where did the child get his information from? The mother could not answer that question and was more interested in the fact that her sick son was quiet and amused. What did concern her was the fact that the wall was full of drawings with no more space to draw, so she resolved this by simply repainting the walls white for fresh work, much to the dismay of the doctor.

In his teens, Keith travelled to London to study furniture design and later settled in Yorkshire where he studied at Bradford Art College. At the age of 37 he emigrated to Australia and proudly became a naturalized citizen. He and his wife Wendy drove over 33,000 miles around Australia recording historical buildings of the country. Wendy researched and recorded the history of the subjects Keith drew and the result was the book, Australia’s Heritage Sketchbook, which was published in many editions.

Keith is widely skilled in all subjects, styles and media and has taught at many schools and universities. Whether he is better known for his traditional landscapes or his intricate pen and wash drawings of historically significant buildings is debatable. Both aspects of his work have their followers, though the intimacy of his highly detailed drawings has a charisma few can resist. Those who meet his work before meeting him are often surprised to find an Englishman responsible. His sympathy with the Australian landscape, both natural and man made, and a genuine love for Australia and its history have made a powerful impression on both Keith and his artwork.

As well as the hours he devotes each week to painting, Keith is well known as an outstanding art tutor. He has been a popular guest lecturer at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst for over 20 years and also Sturt University, Wagga, the University of Sydney Science Challenge for Hearing Impaired Children, Artfest workshops at Grafton, the Maryborough Winter Festival workshops and the Mitchell Creative School of Arts summer and winter schools. Frequently approached by councils, Keith has been involved in several large mural projects using his talents as a teacher to guide local children through the planning, preparation and painting processes. As head of Art and Design for TAFE Orana Region for over eleven years, Keith taught painting, drawing, sculpture and calligraphy. He obtained permission to use the syllabus taught at the then East Sydney Tech and thereby provided many country students with training and opportunities they would not have found otherwise.

Although he is well versed in all subjects, styles and media, Keith has become particularly well known as one of Australia’s finest pen and wash artists with work in collections all over Australia, the Americas and Europe, including the collection of HM the Queen. His splendid draughtsmanship and attention to detail make his work immediately recognisable to admirers and have earned him numerous assignments including a series of works for Heritage Calendars and cards. Most notable would be the collection of detailed pen and wash drawings of each State Parliament House, commissioned by the Perth Mint for its limited edition of the Centenary of Federation collection.