Gus McLaren
Encyclopedia
Gus McLaren was an Australian artist, animator
and potter born in 1923.
Active duty in the Australian army during World War 2 saw Gus serving in the pacific. Here he painted panels for a recreation tent for wounded Australian and allied soldiers- the work now resides at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. As part of the Occupation forces in 1946, Gus travelled to Japan to teach art to the Japanese and there he met and was interviewed by a young cartoonist, named Les Tanner
who worked for BECON ( British and Allied Forces Newspaper). The friendship endured for the next fifty years, until Les Tanner's death in 2001. After the war, Gus returned to Sydney where he worked as a cartoonist and illustrator for the Daily Telegraph and Women's Weekly before moving home to Melbourne where he worked on The Argus
newspaper, as the cartoonist "Just Gus".
He began potting with Reg Preston
in 1955 and was one of the founding members in 1958 of the Potters Cottage in Warrandyte, Victoria
. He and his wife Betty McLaren, set up Yarraridge pottery and together and separately, the two produced an extensive body of work. This included wheel-thrown and hand-built pieces, as well as a range of slip-cast figures designed by Gus and decorated by Betty. These designs are still being used by Betty to make figures for sale from her McLaren Pottery on the New South Wales south coast.
Gus McLaren has ceramic works in both public and private collections. When the Potters Cottage held its 45th anniversary in 2003, he participated in the exhibition.
He also has a considerable body of work in animated films. In 1962 he directed the first animation series made for Australian television, Freddo the Frog and he was one of the animators who worked on Grendel, Grendel, Grendel, a full-length animated film retelling the Beowulf epic released in 1981
.
Gus McLaren died in Merimbula on the 29th of August 2008.
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
and potter born in 1923.
Active duty in the Australian army during World War 2 saw Gus serving in the pacific. Here he painted panels for a recreation tent for wounded Australian and allied soldiers- the work now resides at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. As part of the Occupation forces in 1946, Gus travelled to Japan to teach art to the Japanese and there he met and was interviewed by a young cartoonist, named Les Tanner
Les Tanner
Les Tanner was an Australian cartoonist and journalist.Les Tanner was born in Sydney and began his career at The Daily Telegraph in 1942...
who worked for BECON ( British and Allied Forces Newspaper). The friendship endured for the next fifty years, until Les Tanner's death in 2001. After the war, Gus returned to Sydney where he worked as a cartoonist and illustrator for the Daily Telegraph and Women's Weekly before moving home to Melbourne where he worked on The Argus
The Argus (Australia)
The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
newspaper, as the cartoonist "Just Gus".
He began potting with Reg Preston
Reg Preston
Reg Preston studied sculpture at the Westminster School of Art in London, in 1938. At the beginning of WW2 he returned to Australia and spent three months in 1944 potting at the Melbourne Technical College with John A. Barnard Knight and Klytie Pate...
in 1955 and was one of the founding members in 1958 of the Potters Cottage in Warrandyte, Victoria
Warrandyte, Victoria
Warrandyte is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham...
. He and his wife Betty McLaren, set up Yarraridge pottery and together and separately, the two produced an extensive body of work. This included wheel-thrown and hand-built pieces, as well as a range of slip-cast figures designed by Gus and decorated by Betty. These designs are still being used by Betty to make figures for sale from her McLaren Pottery on the New South Wales south coast.
Gus McLaren has ceramic works in both public and private collections. When the Potters Cottage held its 45th anniversary in 2003, he participated in the exhibition.
He also has a considerable body of work in animated films. In 1962 he directed the first animation series made for Australian television, Freddo the Frog and he was one of the animators who worked on Grendel, Grendel, Grendel, a full-length animated film retelling the Beowulf epic released in 1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
.
Gus McLaren died in Merimbula on the 29th of August 2008.