Josephine Truman

Country of Birth

Australia

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts (BA Comm), University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
• Masters of Music (MMus), Sydney Conservatorium of Music (USYD)
• Currently receiving a scholarship to undertake a Doctorate of Creative Arts

Experience

An experience botanical illustrator and visual artist, Josephine Truman established her own small business, Cooee Creations, as an outlet to sell her beautiful botanical prints and cards. Also a musician and composer, she has previously worked for the Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) as a freelance producer in audio arts and documentaries. Josephine is particularly interested in the fusion of visual and auditory arts media.

Achievements

Among her many and varied achievements, Josephine won a Special Purpose Award in 1983 and Australia Council International Study Grant in 1985. She also presented a solo exhibition in Stuttgart in the mid '90s.

Josephine lists the establishment of her own business as a major achievement.

Teaching Style

Josephine promotes a balanced approach to learning and drawing, encouraging her students to explore both expressive and disciplined representational drawing. The course she runs involves basic colour theory, and a hands-on approach to mixing colour, and the application of watercolour.

Students can expect a lot of one-on-one interaction with Josephine as she helps them tackle challenges in an environment where everyone is invited to compare notes and progress, and work towards a small “exhibition” at end.

Something Unique

The most unique thing about Josephine as an artist is her capacity to synthesise and create connection between visual and auditory arts – it’s what could be described as the “syneasthesic” approach.