After a lifetime of capturing Tasmanian landscapes and winning international recognition for her miniature works, artist Joan Humble is holding her final exhibition.
The 88-year-old has a terminal cancer diagnosis.
But she is determined to keep painting as long as she can still hold a brush.
“I want to make the most of the rest of my time. I’ve got five commissions to do, so I’ve got to keep going,” Humble said.
In 2014, Joan Humble won the Golden Bowl, the highest international prize for miniature artwork. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)
She says painting is keeping her alive.
“You can’t think about your body at all when you’re painting, you’ve got to concentrate on what colour you’ve got on your brush,” she said.
“Every brushstroke counts.”
Humble says painting helps to keep her alive. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)
Tasmanian landscapes captured in minute detail
Humble is known for her works in miniature, capturing vast vistas of wilderness in tiny works of art.
“When you are looking at a miniature, you’re looking at the whole subject, so everything has to work,” she said.
“Your eyes are not travelling around the painting; you can see exactly what’s in front of you, so it’s got to be right.”
In 2014, Humble won the Golden Bowl, the highest international prize for miniature artwork.
Many of Humble’s artworks are images of Tasmania’s rugged South West Wilderness, inspired by her visits there. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)
Like many of her artworks, the winning painting was of a scene from Tasmania’s South West Wilderness.
She has visited the remote location 16 times and plans to take one more trip.
“It’s true wilderness, absolutely unspoilt, rugged,” Humble said.
“I paint what I love. You can’t paint it if you’re not enjoying the subject.”
The artworks produced by Humble require intricate brushstrokes and attention to detail. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)
Large to small — Joan Humble’s exhibition
Humble has finished work on an exhibition of more than 40 works.
It has taken her three years to complete the paintings, which range in size from large to small pictures, some covering just 10 centimetres by 5 centimetres.
Humble’s exhibition is on at the Lady Franklin Gallery just outside of Hobart, a building dating back to the 1840s built in the Greek Revivalist architectural style, which was privately funded by Lady Jane Franklin, the wife of Tasmania’s then-lieutenant-governor, Sir John Franklin.
The space is now home to the Art Society of Tasmania.
It’s taken Humble three years to paint the collection for her final exhibition. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)
The vice president of the society, Vicki Chapman, said Humble’s realist style of paintings captures wild places, particularly Port Davey in Tasmania’s far south.
“They are very precise and those who have been down there and know the area, you could pick exactly where it is,” Ms Chapman said.
“Joan is recognised for her miniatures all over the world. She’s exhibited in Russia, England and Europe and she is in collections all around the world.”
Joan Humble has been described as an inspiration, with an impressive attitude towards life. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)
Ms Chapman described Humble as an inspiration.
“When you are driven and she is driven to get up and paint every day, what a wonderful way to live your life,” she said.
Humble said she was grateful for her life as an artist, her “wonderful” husband and her oncologist.
“I look back and think of all the blessings I’ve had and the happiness I’ve had through my life.
“How you think about things makes a big difference. I could just sit in a chair and mope, where would that get me?” she said.