Painter and teacher, was born in Cootamundra, NSW, and educated at Canberra Grammar School, leaving in 1941 with high marks in art and history. Interested in Max Meldrum’s tonal painting theories, he moved to Melbourne and joined his school in 1942. He became an assistant teacher, running the classes when Meldrum was away. For 10 years he lived in the Meldrum home, where he was treated like a son. When Meldrum died, Inson moved to Sydney and opened a studio in Rowe Street in 1954. He held his first solo exhibition that year. One of his first students was Ivy Shore, winner of the Portia Geach art award and his life partner.
For 25 years Inson divided his time between teaching and travelling around Australia, painting and photographing city and rural scenes, portraits and still life and writing Australian history: The Restless Years and The Glorious Years (both Jacaranda Press). In 1980 he began painting foreign landscapes, interspersing his Australian trips with visits to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He had 60 solo exhibitions in his lifetime, mainly in Brisbane and Sydney but also in Canberra and Adelaide. He was a frequent contributor to the Archibald, a finalist on several occasions in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize and winner of the Troy Roche Prize. Ivy died in 1999 and Inson died of a massive heart attack early in 2000, aged 77, having taken a class the day before his death.
- Writers:
- Staff Writer
- Date written:
- 1999
- Last updated:
- 2011
