Amy Lakides was a china painter, painter on silk and interior designer. She was born in Perth in 1919 and educated at Perth Girls School and Perth Technical College. Her first lessons in porcelain painting were under Flora Landells whom she admired. Later in life she studied at Sun Yee Art School in Singapore and with painters David Gregson and Owen Garde in Perth and Karafalakie in Greece. She has said of her training: “During my early years of study, I was taught many rules to go by, but now I combine both western and eastern concepts of composition until the effect pleased me. I use painting in and wiping out as a combined method as this helps the naturalistic result that I want.”
Lakides taught china painting to Jean Agnew and others, advising her students to “[k]now your subject and practice drawing constantly. See the mechanical shape of the flowers, look for the directions of the petals, this is not difficult but necessary to develop observation. The ability to excel in art lies mostly in this area: perseverance and love of nature are essential ingredients.” She introduced other china painters to her 'wipe-out’ technique, which she taught on television in Western Australia and at seminars, workshops and lectures in England, New Zealand, Venezuela, Singapore, Canada and the United States. Amy was the Founding President of the Western Australian Guild of China Painters in 1965. She moved to Atlanta in America in 1970 where she carried on working, in addition to publishing books and articles. Her son remained in Australia and thus she continued to visit the country frequently.
Lakides died in 2009.
- Writers:
- Dr Dorothy Erickson
- Date written:
- 2010
- Last updated:
- 2011
