Born in Sydney in 1953, Siemens moved to Melbourne in 1956. He holds a Diploma of Art & Design, majoring in Graphics (1974), from the Prahran College of Advanced Education and a Diploma of Education from the Melbourne State College. He taught art for ten years at St. John’s College (secondary school), Braybrook, Melbourne, and resigned as the Head of the Creative Arts Department in 1985.
Siemens established the Mt. Aitken Art Gallery in Gisborne South, Victoria, in 1985 and started painting part-time as a realist artist. Though he met many artists, like John Falzon, Richard Chamerski and Gregory R. Smith, Siemens did not cross paths with any who painted photo-realistically in oils, hence he taught himself to work in this style. During this initial period, he won two first prizes, one at the 1986 'Melton Art Exhibition’ and the other at the Melton 'Djerriwarrh Festival Art Show’ (1987). He was highly commended at the 'Bacchus Marsh Rotary Art Show’ (1989, Judge – Walter Magilton) and the 'Bright Art Show’ (1990, Judge – Alan Sartori); and won Best Local Artist at the 'Melton Art Show’ (1990, Judge – Edward Berry). Melton Council also purchased two of his paintings for their collection: By-Gone Days at Exford in 1986 Old Djerriwarrh Creek Bridge and in 1987.
Following his first solo exhibition at Mt Aitken Gallery in 1989, Siemens started painting full-time in a photo-realist style. Up until 1993, he painted a number of private commissions, one being the portrait of the founder of the Abon Engineering, Melbourne. He held art classes in his studio and won awards including: Best Oil Painting, 'Melton Art Show’ (1991, Judge – Walter Magilton); Honourable Mention, 'Box Hill Lions Art Show’ (1991, Judge – Barbera Beasley-Southgate); and Best Overall Painting 'Melton Rotary Art Show’ (1993, Judge – Hilde Mathiske). He participated in group exhibitions and in 1990 was accepted into the Australian Guild of Realist Artists.
After his second solo exhibition, at Balmoral Galleries, Geelong (1991), Siemens changed his style to Superrealism. In 1993, Siemens was accepted as a member of the Victorian Artists Society. He continued to win prizes: Highly Commended, 'Pakenham Art Show’ (1994, Judge -Ramon Horsfield); Best Painting – Up to $500, 'Pakenham Art Show’ (1994, Judge – Ron Horsfield); Best Painting – Any Medium, 'Tintern Grammar School, Ringwood Art Show’ (1995); Best Oil/Acrylic and Best Painting – Any Medium, 'Rotary Club of Torquay, Art, Craft and Leisure Expo’ (1994, Judge – Don Stuchbery).
In 1994, Siemens began experimenting with new subjects such as fruit, flowers, glassware and a wooden manikin named “Kin”. He also changed his painting technique, air-brushing the background with acrylic paint to achieve a paper-like texture, so he could more easily paint his subjects in minute detail with oil paint.
From 1994 to 1996, Siemens participated in group exhibitions: ’1994 Moomba Exhibition’, Southgate Complex, South Melbourne; ’1995 Group Exhibition’ at 292 Gallery, Richmond, Victoria; a select group exhibition with A.G.R.A. at Warrnambool Regional Gallery (1995); ’1995 Spring Carnival’ group exhibition at Delshan Gallery, Armadale, Victoria. ’1995 Summer Group Exhibition’ at 292 Gallery; 'Various Artists’ group exhibition at Delshan Gallery (1995); and 'Still Life’ group exhibition at Schubert Galleries, Surfers Paradise, Queensland (1996).
Siemens’ third solo exhibition was held at Delshan Gallery, Armadale (1996) and his fourth at Delshan Gallery, Milton, Queensland (1996).
In 1997, he was accepted into The Australian Society of Miniature Art, Victoria, and the Wildlife Art Society of Australasia. During the same year he judged the 'Melbourne High School Art Exhibition’. During 1998 and 1999, Siemens spent most of his time painting commission works for various private clients and held his fifth solo exhibition, at Delshan Gallery, Armadale (1999).
In 2000, Siemens and his wife, moved into their new home, “Isle of View”, on the edge of the South Coast of New South Wales. He won Best Acrylic at the 'Bega Valley Regional Gallery Art Awards’ (2000, Judge – John Downton), was highly commended at the 'Bega Valley Regional Gallery Art Awards’ (2001, Judge – John Mutsaers) and the People’s Choice Award at the 'Bega Valley Regional Gallery Art Awards’ (2003).
Through 2002 and 2004, Siemens held group exhibitions and displayed his work at Forest Gallery, South Durras; Bilyara Gallery, Bournda; Galeria Aniela, Kangaroo Valley; in the ’2003 Painters of the Coast’ exhibition, Dural Galleries, Dural; ’2003 Wildlife Exhibition’, Made from Australia Galleries, Deakin; and ’2004 Painters from the South Coast’, Aarwun Gallery, Nicholls. Siemens had his sixth solo exhibition, 'Close Up’ at Delshan Gallery in 1993.
Siemens labels his paintings as Ultra-Realism because of the 3-dimensional illusion created by his compositions, colours, tones and detail. In 2004, Siemens was invited to participate in the 'Eclectic Exhibition of Major Artists from Swinburne University’, Melbourne. He was a finalist in the 'Cromwell’s Art Prize and Touring Exhibition’ (touring to Jackman Gallery, Melbourne, The Art House Hotel, Sydney, and the Australian Embassy in Washington, USA, all in 2004). He won the Best Mixed Media Prize at the 'Bega Regional Gallery Art Show’ (2004) and equal first in the People’s Choice Award at Bega Valley Regional Gallery Art Awards (2005). In 2004, he was invited to talk about his painting style to the The Merimbula District Art Grou
In 2005, Siemens began publishing limited edition prints with wildlife photographer Brian Gunter, who lives in Narooma, New South Wales. These archival giclee reproductions on canvas, are of Siemans’s paintings and digital artworks based on Gunter’s photographs. In 2008, in between his painting, Siemens began photographing the New South Wales Wilderness Coast and local bird life, combining images in digital artworks.
Siemens is listed in Who’s Who of Australian Visual Arts , 2nd. Edition and his painting Kin Sees No Evil is included in the book 50 Australian Artists , edited by John Mutsaers. His work is represented in the collections of Melton Council, Victoria; Mt.Aitken Estates Winery, Gisborne, Victoria; Tintern Anglican Girls Grammar School; Selkirk Bricks Company, Victoria; Delshan Art Gallery, Victoria; and private collections, both in Australia and overseas.
- Writers:
- Richard Siemens
- Date written:
- 2010
- Last updated:
- 2011
