A teacher of drawing, painting and applied arts, Mengler was born in South Australia and was the sister of Gustav Herman at Tenterden. She probably arrived in 1927 as in that year she advertised the following in the West Australian Society of Arts catalogue: “Miss B. Mengler. Teacher of: Drawing and Painting in oils, Water colour, French Pastel, Charcoal, China Painting, Batik Work, Poker Work, etc. No 26 Trinity Buildings” which were in Hay Street.
Mengler exhibited a variety of handcrafts with the West Australian Society of Arts. In 1927 it was china painting and painting on silk, pokerwork and a batik cushion decorated with fruits and flowers. She also exhibited two very expensive oil paintings of South Australian landscapes. These were priced at _150 each when Walter Meston and John Barker were selling watercolours of Kings Park, Perth (viewed from Dalkeith), and Kandy in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) for _20 and _15. “Although rather crowded, the display of china was good and particularly all the artists chose flowers or birds as their motifs.” In 1928 she exhibited a watercolour titled Kangaroo Paws, King’s Park, an oil painting titled Dahlias and another called The Bathing Pool, Yallingup, batik, poker work and charcoal pictures of King’s Park. In 1929 she exhibited etchings of King’s Park, pokerwork, batik work, china painting and also watercolours and carved wood. She held an exhibition of “Paintings and Artistic Gifts” in the Club Room of Trinity Buildings in November 1930. This exhibition included Pewter, Poker, Leather and Barbola Work as well as Hand-Painted China.
- Writers:
- Dr Dorothy Erickson
- Date written:
- 2010
- Last updated:
- 2011
