Jeffrey Makin was born in 1943, in the city of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. Son to father Frederick Campbell Makin and mother Mary Makin (nee Lanyon), Makin’s affiliation with art and painting began at an early age. Makin was given a set of pastels from his grandmother and was told they had belonged to a family relative, supposedly descended from the renowned English portrait painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Through the encouragement of his father and his art teacher at Cowra High School, Makin began private lessons in 1961, from Desiderius Orban (who would also tutor Makin’s friend and associate John Olsen) of the Julian Ashton school of Art in Sydney. From 1962-66 Makin completed a Diploma in Painting at the National Art School in Sydney where he also received an Art Progression Student Scholarship. Later in life, Makin would go on to complete a Masters by Research at Deakin University in Geelong, Victoria, compiling his thesis entitled; ‘Meaning, Significance, and the Sublime in the Depiction of the Australian landscape’.
After graduating, Makin held his first exhibition at the Frank Watters Gallery, and received the Rockdale Prize, Drummoyne Prize and the Mirror-Waratah.
Makin’s development as an artist and particularly as a landscape painter would be inspired by various techniques, not limited to including traditional landscapes, modernism, impressionism and abstraction. Through the 1970’s he travelled across Europe, USA and the UK, expanding upon his knowledge and appreciation for various art forms. During a viewing at the Gloucestershire College of Art in Cheltenham, UK, Makin viewed a Georgio Morandi exhibition that would leave a lasting impact on his regard for the still life medium.
Makin’s paintings of the landscape follow an established tradition of the genre dating back centuries, which echoes works of great European Masters such as JMW Turner and John Constable. However, most notably it is the influence of colonial Australian artists such as Eugene Von Guerard and Nicholas Chevalier that Makin would come to emulate. Similarly, Makin would attend painting excursions with fellow landscape artists and friends in Fred Williams and John Olsen, that would recall to mind the Heidelberg school artists camps of the Australian impressionist movement. One such excursion includes the ‘William Creek and Beyond’ series in 2001, comprising of Makin as one of 10 artists that took part in a commissioned project at Lake Eyre in South Australia.
Makin harnesses both the delicate but also desolate form of natural vistas, expressing their beauty and also their awesome presence. These include seascapes, waterfalls and pastoral vistas. Notable locations such as the You Yangs (first introduced to Makin by Fred WIlliams), the Grampians and Wannon Falls form the setting for Makin’s keen ability to capture the essence of the landscape in strong, flat colours.
In 1982, Makin’s good friend and mentor Fred Williams passed away, catalysing a profound impact for Makin and his future work. Not long after, Makin would go on to exhibit his first sell out show, the ‘Ash Wednesday’ series, and then his first European show at Bernard Jacobson Gallery in London.
In 1990, Makin had completely devoted time to his work and became a full-time artist, following a artist in residence program at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Upon his return to Australia in 1991, Makin embraced a new sense of place and belonging, owing to his Glen Harrow home in the Dandenong Ranges. This setting provided him with a lush garden and surrounding landscape to which he could enhance his bold and emotive technique.
Makin has held numerous other working position alongside his painting career including senior lecturer roles of Fine Art with Melbourne institutions RMIT, PCAE and Prahran College of Advanced Education, as well as acting as Director of the National Art School, Sydney from 1996-7. He was also the Art Critic for the Sun News Pictorial from 1972-82 and Herald Sun from 1997-2009.
Makin’s works have been showcased across Australia and he is represented in all national, state and most regional collections. These include NGA, NGV, AGNSW, QAG, AGWA, Parliament House, Geelong, Benalla, Sale, Townsville, as well as La Trobe and Melbourne University collections.
Today, Makin continues to work from his studio in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy. His son James Makin runs a gallery in nearby Collingwood.
- Writers:
-
- Date written:
- 2014
- Last updated:
- 2014
