Greg Deakin-Bell has been a professional art maker and Educator for 40 years. Greg first came to national attention while still a student, when he was awarded the prestigious Henry Worland Print award in 1984 and again as a finalist in 1986.

 

The National Gallery of Australia holds 5 of Greg’s works in its permanent collection and in 1990 the National Gallery used one of Greg’s prints as the featured image for its events calendar.

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Greg taught at the Newcastle TAFE from 1991-1997 where he taught alongside an extraordinary group of art educators including, Ed Rush, John Morris, Michael Bell, Helen Dunkerley and Peter Read.

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Seeking to expand his skill base in the 1990’s Greg embarked on a long-term collaborative research project and partnership with the renowned Australian ceramist Michael Keirghery. The ground-breaking techniques they developed and the work they produced culminated in their ceramic/Print series The Australian Dream being selected to represent Australia as the featured country at the Concorso Internationale in Faenza, Italy in 1995. The Australian Exhibition was titled “The Delinquent Angel” after John Percival’s ceramic figurine which also featured in the exhibition.

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In 1997, Greg was invited to exhibit a selection of his prints and ceramics at the Harriet Green Gallery in London. This exhibition led to an extended stay in the United Kingdom and Ireland where Greg took part in a number of group exhibitions as well as giving guest lectures and workshops at art schools around the UK including The Royal College of Art, Glasgow School of Art, Newcastle University (on Tyne) and Oxford. During this period from 1997 to 1999 Greg was commissioned by the publishers A&C Black/Bloomsbury to research and write a book on the impact of the digital revolution on studio ceramic practice. During this time Greg had the opportunity to research and photograph the collections of Pitt Rivers Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford.

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In 1999 Greg returned to Australia and began working at the University of Newcastle School of Fine Art. In 2012 Greg made a shift to Primary Education where he made use of his extensive knowledge and experience in fine art to develop teaching programs utilising art to underpin the teaching of English language programs to children from a refugee background (EAL/D), to children with reading difficulties and for children on the autism spectrum.

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Greg is currently working on a book that will cover in detail and depth the philosophy, planning and programs that he has developed over the course of his primary school teaching practice.