Narre Warren North artist Janet Matthews has designed four stamps for Australia Post.
A NARRE Warren North artist has stamped her mark on success.
Well-known artist Janet Matthews has designed four stamps for Australia Post, which were released on Tuesday, as part of the Australian Antarctic Territories series.
The four designs feature deep-sea Antarctic fish and were created with colour pencil, which is Ms Matthew’s artistic forte.
The renowned tutor and art judge said it was a great honour to be commissioned by Australia Post to illustrate the stamps.
The 46-year-old said creating stamps was a long process and it often took six months to a year to finish the design and illustration process.
Because the fish were quite rare subjects Ms Matthews said she had to work from a few sea creature images provided by Australia Post’s research department.
During the design process the images had to be scrutinised by a scientific expert who counted scales, measured fins and approved the colour and patterns of the fish, which are now incredibly accurate to life.
Ms Matthews said she had been given her specific design brief last November and was extremely happy with the finished product.
“I did not realise how important it was until I had them (the stamps) in my hands,” she said.
The latest achievement is another accolade in Ms Matthews’ artistic career, with the stamps to be sold Australia-wide.
Last year the fine artist represented the City of Casey at the 2005 Kevin Hills Top ten Australian Artists exhibition and she is also a member of the city’s Arts and Cultural Reference Group.
Ms Matthew’s individual style of combining coloured pencil and graphite has been described as “weaving magic with pencil.”
Her realistic, detailed and gentle drawings of animals and birds have also won many awards.
Ms Matthews, who exhibits regularly in Australia and overseas, holds a Diploma and a Graduate Diploma of Visual Arts from Monash University’s Gippsland campus.
She is also a Signatory Fellow of the Australian Guild of Realist Artists as well as President of the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia.
Ms Matthews conducts daytime and evening classes from her Narre Warren North Studio, teaching subjects in graphite, coloured pencil, pastel and pen and ink.
