RENOWNED Hamilton artists, Jenni Mitchell and husband, Mervyn Hannan are pleased to be launching their first collaboratively authored book on Easter Saturday, March 30, between 3.30-5pm at Sterling Place, Dunkeld.

‘Gariwerd Grampians: From the Mountains to the Plains’ boasts an eclectic fusion of essays, art and science featuring the wonderland that is Gariwerd (the Grampians).

Influenced early through the Montsalvat artists’ colony, Ms Mitchell and Mr Hannan are Eltham-born artists with a lifetime of art in their blood.

Ms Mitchell works in a range of mediums including oil, watercolour, acrylic, gouache, printmaking, photography and silversmithing; this is actually her second book.

Among her many achievements, she has worked as an artist-in-residence aboard ice-breaker vessels in the Antarctic and High Arctic Norway painting the polar landscapes and seas. 

Her works are represented in public and private collections in Australia, and overseas, including USA, UK, and Japan.

Likewise, Mr Hannan’s achievements extend around the globe and between 1977 and 1982 he expounded on his creativity and travelled across Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States.

During this time, he worked at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on stage with some of the world’s leading jazz musicians.

Mervyn uses recycled materials, stone, timber and clay to create his sculptural work and pastel for his drawing.

His work is held in private collections internationally and throughout Australia, with remnants of his ephemeral pieces to be found in obscure locations around the world.

Compiling the book, Ms Mitchell said it had been an exciting time for them exploring the Grampians.

“It’s as if the more you see, the more there is to see,” she said.

“It’s a real discovery and seeing it over the various seasons … it’s at least seven years of exploring and being able to get to understand it.

“Painting plein air - even in the winter we packed up our car and take all our paints and everything and set up and have our lunch and come back - it’s been fun.”

 Mr Hannan also said he had enjoyed the experience compiling the works of art and said he loved discovering the Grampians and learning about it.

“I enjoyed going up tracks, and reading up about the Grampians and reading all the history of it - we went out to Mafeking - what I like doing - you find interesting little corners, like a little stream and you’d think you’re in another world.

“You find these little ferny gullies and maybe a small waterfall - you think you’re in the alps or somewhere.

“My favourite thing is doing reflections so finding those ponds and doing some water reflections.

“I really would like to find one where I’ve got some mountains reflecting in the water - that’s another project.”

National Gallery of Victoria council of trustees’ president and Dunkeld local, Allan Myers AC KC, wrote the foreword to the book and said it was “a great achievement of all who have contributed to its realisation”.

“Every artwork has an accompanying text, by painter or photographer, providing a written context for the work,” he said.

“Most of us who love the Grampians do not have an expert knowledge of the geology of the mountains or of the broader geological context in which the Grampians were created and subsist. 

“The book remedies this by including a chapter entitled ‘The Geology of the Grampians’ written by geologists from the University of Melbourne, Dr Roland Maas and Andrew Prior.  They have written an account of the geology of the Grampians which is both accessible to the lay reader and a manifestation of deep learning about the Grampians.”

Hamilton Field and Naturalists’ Club members, Rod Bird PhD and Diane Luhrs PhD both contributed to essays that complement Ms Mitchell’s and Mr Hannan’s publication.

The book is proudly published by Streamline Publishing, an emerging Melbourne book publisher with a particular interest in books featuring art, including traditional fine art but also high-quality children’s picture books.