In Memory of John Pickup OAM

Today is the first anniversary of the death of John Pickup OAM - our dear friend and member of the AnArt4Life blog team. We have chosen The Boundary Rider as the painting to best remember this remarkable and significant Australian artist.

The Boundary Rider by John Pickup OAM

The courageous lone figure battling the harsh elements of the Australian outback against the raging passion of the sky was a subject matter very dear to John.

John Pickup was one of the Brushmen of the Bush, that iconic Australian group of artists from Broken Hill who changed the way Australia was seen both in terms of the landscape they loved to paint and also in terms of the depth of artistic talent this country has produced.

Please check out our past post on the Brushmen of the Bush - their history and individual styles.

Brushmen of the Bush
Today we want to show you a small selection of the paintings from each of the five “Brushmen of the Bush” - Eric Minchin, Jack Absalom, Hugh Schulz, Pro Hart and John Pickup - who helped transform Broken Hill from a mining community to an arts community.

Whilst we knew John as an artist one of his greatest pleasures in life was to receive an Order of Australia Award for his contribution to broadcasting.

John Pickup OAM
Bringing you the news that John Pickup received an Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours. The award was granted in recognition of John’s service to the world of broadcasting. Here is a summary of his broadcasting career.

Due to the various Covid-19 lockdown measures in place in various states of Australia, John couldn’t receive his award until 2021.

This investiture brought John immense pleasure; he enjoyed sharing this experience with all of us.

John Winter Pickup OAM Investiture 12 May 2021
Australian artist and “Brushmen of the Bush” John Pickup received an OAM in the 2020 Australia Day Honours. Today he brings you his account of the investiture at Government House, Brisbane, Qld on 12 May 2021. Image credit: scottrileyphotography.com

But for the AnArt4Life team he will remain one of our very favourite people and definitely one of Australia's best artists.

John Pickup OAM: The Artist
Bringing you the latest painting from John Pickup who this year (2020) received an Order of Australia Medal for his work in broadcasting. But we know John as a brilliant artist.

In addition to John’s lifelong contribution to radio broadcasting and art, John also had wide interests in hobbies such as hot air ballooning, planes and steam trains. You might like to see some of the posts in which he was influential in describing the subject – be it his art, steam trains or planes. Click here if you are interested to read more....”

© John Pickup made a wonderful contribution to the AnArt4Life for over four years and we are so privileged that he gave his permission to share the images of his paintings so that others could enjoy his remarkable ability to capture the essence of the Australian landscape in all its forms and the characters who call it home.

REST IN PEACE J.P. - WE MISS YOU - BUT YOU HAVE LEFT SO MUCH BEHIND FOR US ALL TO APPRECIATE AND LEARN FROM.