September 21, 2023
Interview with Warren Crossett
In this video, Emilio Longo interviews Australian realist painter, Warren Crossett. Warren is a self-taught painter, commercial artist and teacher of illustration based in Melbourne who has a commitment to working from life. With over 30 years of drawing and painting experience, Warren’s work is often an ode to the past and includes symbols and metaphors derived from old master paintings and surrealism. Working across the genres of still life, portraiture and landscape, his paintings evidence a slow contemplation of the beauty of that which is commonplace, while still being interested in conceptual themes that incorporate symbology and allegory. Obtaining a certificate of Applied Art from Box Hill College of TAFE in 1986, Warren’s life as a commercial artist started with illustrating children’s books and working for a range of national and international clients, some of which include Melbourne Airport, Fosters, Fisher Price and Cadbury-Schweppes, as well as many more. In 1990 Warren began teaching illustration while continuing to work in the field of commercial art up until 2015, when he left the illustration field and started painting in a fine art context.
Today, Warren continues to teach fine art and illustration at Melbourne Polytechnic part-time while painting from his home studio. Warren’s work has been included in prestigious journals such as the British Design and Art Direction Annual, and in 2000 he was invited to become a member of British Design and Art Direction where he received the Annual Silver Award. He was runner up for the Children's Book Council Australia's Picture book of the year in 2007 with his book titled, 'The Sound of the Sea' and his picture book titled, 'This is Mud,' featured on ABC TV's Playschool television show between 2010 to 2013. Warren is active in the Melbourne art world and frequently enters art prizes. In 2013 he received the people’s choice award for the Illustrator’s Australia Annual 9 × 5 exhibition ‘Flourish.’ Subsequently, in 2015, he won the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize which he was a finalist for again in following years. In 2018 he was a finalist in the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award. Additionally, he was a finalist in the National Portrait Gallery Award ‘The Darling Prize’ in 2020, exhibited in the Salon Des Refuses for the Wynne Prize in 2021. In 2022 he was a finalist in the prestigious 16th International Art Renewal Center Salon in the portrait category. And in 2023 he won the Lethbridge Landscape Prize. Also, in 2026 he was a finalist once again in the 18th International Art Renewal Center Salon in the landscape category where he received an honourable mention. Topics discussed include, Warren’s childhood and upbringing, his experiences of studying art in high school and TAFE and his time working as a young illustrator in the commercial arts field during the 1990s and 2000s. Warren elaborates on the challenges of illustrating children’s books and shares his insights on the realities and struggles of being a full-time illustrator, as well as what his experience was like transitioning from the world of illustration into fine art. Discussion focuses on his use of allegory and symbology in key paintings that he has created and how photographs can be used as a helpful tool in portrait painting. Warren reminisces his experience of winning the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2015 and how it impacted the course of his life. Additionally, throughout the interview, Warren provides detailed information on his creative practice which includes thorough explanations on his use of materials, techniques and processes that he has cultivated over the many years of being an illustrator.
Warren’s Website: www.warrencrossett.com
Warren's Email: warrencrossett@gmail.com