Meg Benwell Bio
Meg Benwell (1925-2011) made paintings for all of her life. Beginning with studies at the National Gallery School during the 1940’s, she held her first exhibition in 1950. Meg went on to have twelve more solo exhibitions, the last one being in 2008.
A keen participant in artist groups such as the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors, the Women’s Art Register and 2PiR, Meg loved the many friends that painting and having exhibitions brought to her life.
Meg’s paintings are mostly based on the landscape. A small country property where we spent our weekends and holidays from the 1963 until 1985, gave Meg the opportunity to draw and sketch.
Later on, traveling and drawing in Greece and Italy, and through eastern Australia, Meg found new subjects for paintings. She liked to sketch on the spot and then afterwards, in her studio at home, Meg would work on turning the sketches into paintings, using oil paint on canvas.
Selected Publications
1985 Victorian Women Artists by Women, Visual Arts Board Australia Council
1994 Alan and Susan McCulloch Encyclopaedia of Australian Artists
1994 Juliet Peers More Than Just Gum Trees A History of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters & Sculptors
2000 Sue Walker Artists’ Tapestries from Australia 1976 - 2005 Beagle Press
Important exhibitions
1991 Meg Benwell Retrospective Shepparton Art Museum, Benalla Art Gallery, Glen Eira Arts Centre Exhibition Catalogue: Dr Janine Burke, An Appreciation
A selection of Meg’s paintings can be seen on Instagram @megbenwellartist