The Committee Members 2011
- Janis Lander – President/Communications – 0425 353 790
- Kathrin Longhurst – Vice President/Web Master – 0411 144 893
- Judith Stevens – Honorary Secretary
- Nafisa Naomi – PR & Marketing – 0404 036 303
- Jules Sevelson – Graphics and Promotional Material
- Jeanette Korduba – Printing & photography 0404 484 603
- Rosa Fedele
- Peter Smeeth
- Vivien Falk
- Sally Robinson
- Cristina Aura
- Stephanie Brown
Portrait Artists Australia is an incorporated, non-profit, national association of professional artists, dedicated to representing and promoting the art of portraiture in Australia and overseas. Our members include established artists as well as emerging artists, and if you browse our website you will find realist, naturalist, surrealist and expressionist approaches in all media, including oils, watercolour, drawing and sculpture.
PAA members are strongly represented in selections for the annual portrait competitions: The Archibald; The Portia Geach; The Doug Moran; The Shirley Hannan; Perth City Black Swan prize – as well as regional prize exhibitions and other genre shows: landscape, figurative and abstract. Several members are listed on the Historical Memorials Committee Register, eligible for commissions of parliamentary portraits. Several are represented in the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Several have received awards in International shows in the US and Europe.
Since its Launch in October 2002 by patron Andrew Sayers, (then Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra), PAA has held over twenty exhibitions - in the award-winning venue the ArtHouse Hotel, 275 Pitt St, Sydney, and in other public venues including the Supreme Court Building, Sydney (2006) NSW Parliament House, Sydney (2007,2009,2011) Federal Parliament House, Canberra (2009); The Victorian Art Society Galleries, Melbourne (2011).
In May 2005 PAA held our first international exhibition: The Macquarie International Portrait Artists Australia Exhibition was officially opened in Washington D.C. by Mark Pachter, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington.
Our Opening Nights are hugely popular and have attracted some fascinating guest speakers – including Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, Governor of New South Wales; art historian Professor Sasha Grishin; Mark Pachter (Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC); Ron Ramsey (the US Australian Cultural Ambassador); US Consul General, Mr. Stephen Smith; Andrew Sayers; Hon. Peter Collins; Hon. Peter Debnam; art collectors John Schaeffer, Roddy Meagher and Pat Corrigan; Paul Delprat (artist and Director of the Julian Ashton Art School).TV personalities John Mangos and Maria Venuti; and writer and performer Jean Kittson.
Portrait Artists Australia was the brainchild of artist Nafisa Naomi, who combines her artistic talents with a strong business vision. The executive committee is supported by a hardworking Committee of PAA Members, elected at the Annual General Meeting, and together they have organised the exhibitions and events. The PAA LOGO was originally designed by Jules Sevelson in 2003, and upgraded by him in 2010. The current website was designed by Kathrin Longhurst in 2008. Judith Stevens, who owns the famous Beat Street Dancewear in Sydney, has generously acted as PAA’s Honorary Secretary since 2004. Nafisa Naomi and Robin Ross jointly organised the 2003 Gala Black-Tie Dinner, at the ArtHouse Hotel, which raised $50,000 in support of Legacy: Jan Williamson and Paul Newton both executed portraits of decorated war heroes which they donated for the event’s Auction. Sally Robinson designed the catalogue for the 2005 Washington exhibition, and worked on the 2012 Artists’ Book, celebrating ten years of PAA, to be released April this year.
The executive team is elected each year by the committee. Nafisa Naomi was President from 2002 until 2005, with Paul Newton as Vice President from 2002-2004 and Robyn Ross as Vice President from 2004-2005. From 2005-2007 Robyn Ross acted as President with Nafisa Naomi as VP. In 2008 Nafisa Naomi was again President with Janis Lander as Vice President. In 2009 Janis Lander was elected President with Kathrin Longhurst as VP.
Many of our artists actively support charity events and auctions such as: The Humane Society; Genes for Jeans; Chairs For Charity; The Humpty Dumpty Foundation; The Northcott Society’s Beaux Arts Ball Charity Auction; The Fischer Road Special School; The Children’s Hospital Randwick; The Westmead Children’s Hospital; Animal Works; The Bezalel Foundation, and many other fundraising events.
Andrew Sayers remained in the role of PAA Patron until he left the National Portrait Gallery in 2009, and Edmund Capon, Director of the Art Gallery of NSW was a Patron until he resigned from the AGNSW in 2010. Paul Delprat (Artist, and Director of the Julian Ashton Art School), remains our Patron, and we hold our Annual General Meeting at the beautiful JAAS building at Headland Park, Mosman.
PAA acknowledges the generous support and sponsorship for different exhibitions and events from Macquarie; Shirley Hannan; The Nelson Meers Foundation and private individuals; photographer Craig Peihopa, whose photos are available to view and to purchase on the website; Paul Cartwright of Woollahra Art for interstate freight sponsorship; The Artscene for their ongoing support; Bruce Thompson for donating printing of newsletters and catalogues; and Chris Muir who designed the 2010 invitations.
As well as some donors who prefer to remain anonymous, we acknowledge numerous individuals and small businesses who have donated items and support for our auctions and fundraisers. The spouses and partners of the artists on the committee have always been actively supportive, and we thank them with all our hearts.