cartoonist, illustrator, painter, sculptor, ceramic artist and teacher, was born in Riverton, New Zealand. He studied commercial art by correspondence while at high school in Balclutha (NZ) in 1930-35. McAuslan edited, wrote and illustrated with hand-printed linocuts The Cartoonist (published NZ, c.1933-34: copies ML). He came to Sydney in 1936 and attended evening classes at ESTC while working on the staff of Man as an illustrator and cartoonist (from 1937). He drew futuristic cartoons for Man, eg “Aw rats, Aunt… Pop said he found us in an air pocket” [robot kids to robot aunt] June 1937, 10. A biography in Man of July 1937, 2, states:
“Age 24… First job four years ago as junior artist in a printery at a weekly wage of 11/10 ½ [eleven shillings and tenpence halfpenny]. Ran a little magazine, The Cartoonist, printed it by hand from lino-cuts, then peddled the darned thing from door to door. Spent a year with an advertising agency in Wellington, then on to Sydney...”
McAuslan served overseas as a corporal draughtsman in army intelligence 1941-46. After a study tour of Europe he studied pottery at Edinburgh Art College 1947-49, returned to NZ and taught at King Edward Technical College, Dunedin 1949-51. Then he went back to Sydney where he taught part-time at ESTC and at Sydney Grammar School, 1951-76. He retired to devote himself full-time to painting and sculpture. Member NSW Contemporary Art Society. In 1982-83 he produced a series of small stone carvings.
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
