Adam Frith

My study of painting stems from an initial interest in the lives and work of various Melbourne Painters from the late nineteenth to mid twentieth century.

My mother’s family had lived at Hestercombe in Walpole Street, Kew from the 1930’s until I was a child in the mid 1960’s. The property was owned by two sisters, Amy and Marion Mann who were both avid followers of the arts in Melbourne.

Amy Mann had been a student at the National Gallery School in the 1890’s under the tutelage of Frederick McCubbin and Bernard Hall, with fellow students including Max Meldrum, Hugh Ramsay and Dora Meeson to name a few.

The Mann sisters lived at Hestercombe which had been divided into separate flats. My family had become very close to them over the years and even after leaving Kew we would regularly visit Marion. Sadly, the lovely old house was demolished after Marion’s death at age 103 in 1978.

The Ranges from Templestowe

Oil on linen

Entering the Mann residence truly was a step back in time and had a profound influence on my early years as a child, teenager and even now it continues to create very special memories. I can still smell old fashioned flowers as I sat on Victorian age furniture with mum and Miss Mann drinking tea from china cups in the breakfast room. I remember the treats being barley sugar or licorice allsorts. Miss Mann called them sweeties. Amy’s paintings were on the walls although the room was poorly lit having minimal electric light. The rooms were quite cluttered with Mann family collectibles dating from the 1870’s, with lots of books and ornaments covering shelves.

My mum grew up in the Walpole Street house and remembered Miss Bale (AME Bale), a fellow Walpole Street resident. She also remembered often catching the tram to or from school with fellow passenger Max Meldrum who lived nearby in Belmont Avenue. Although my family didn’t directly influence my interest in painting, it was this exposure to the Mann sisters and their lives and painting history that inspired my desire to study the history and technical aspects of painting during a past era in Melbourne.

A Mixed Bunch

Oil on linen

After completing year 12 schooling, my working life fumbled along. I deferred an Arts degree to work at the Port of Melbourne Authority for several years, maintaining an interest in history and painting outside of work. I then held various jobs without really connecting with any of them and I was unable to find a career path that would compliment my other interests.

Books and Roses

Oil on board

In about 1991 after reading Patricia Fullerton’s book on Hugh Ramsay, I met art historian and painter John Perry. The Hugh Ramsay book had included a group photo of NGV students from 1896 with Amy Mann and fellow students.

I mentioned to John that I’d like to paint in the traditional style that I had been following all these years. John suggested that I contact Don James and very soon after I was an evening student of Don's at the studio of Alan Martin in Eltham.

Velveteen Chair

Oil on linen

Alan had died in 1989, and his wife Lesley had kept the studio going. Immediately I was hooked on Don’s disciplined teaching method which was based on the teachings of Max Meldrum. I was also enthralled by the unique charm of the Martin studio. Every Wednesday evening after a quick bite to eat after work, I would drive from Hawthorn, where I lived at the time, to the Martin Studio at Park Road West in Eltham. The studio was separate to the mud brick house and quite elevated with a mezzanine level and high south facing windows. Alan’s paintings adorned three of the hessian covered walls. Alan had produced moulds and plaster casts including traditional life and death masks. During this time, I assisted Lesley in making plaster casts for sale and have continued the tradition albeit on a lesser scale. Don began teaching at Montsalvat and I would attend whenever my work would allow and I continued to paint at the Martin Studio on Wednesday evenings for several years. The methods I used when painting are a consequence of the teachings and experience learnt when at the Martin Studio and Montsalvat.

Quiet Corner, Canterbury

Oil on linen

A previously unforeseen joy of painting is the excuse to get out of town and paint on site. I usually aim for a quiet spot which might occasionally mean a pochade box from the tailgate of my car! 

Together with my home studio I've had the fortunate opportunity to paint and teach tonal realism at Montsalvat in Eltham since 2019.

I’ve been a member at VAS for almost 30 years and remember the excitement when my first painting was selected to hang in a seasonal exhibition.

To end, I’d like to mention Don James FVAS who passed away in March this year. Don was my only teacher and were it not for him I’m sure my painting journey would not have come as far as it has.

Suspended Pomegranates
Oil on board