Annemieke Mein
Encyclopedia
Annemieke Mein is a Dutch-born Australian textile artist who specialises in depicting wildlife. She was the first textile artist to be member of Wildlife Art Society of Australasia and the Australian Guild of Realist Artists. The subjects of her sculpted textiles are birds, frogs, gum and wattle blossoms, and invertebrates such as moths, dragonflies, wasps and grasshoppers. Her fondness for insects and her sympathetic images, often greatly enlarged and showing normally invisible colours and textures, have revealed new aspects of the everyday world.
Annemieke was the only child of a father who was a dental technician and a mother who was a skilled dressmaker, and emigrated to Melbourne
with her parents in 1956. Initially unable to speak English, she attended Brighton State School, Mitcham State School and Nunawading High School. She spent long days of her childhood roaming the outdoors and becoming fascinated by the extraordinary diversity of Australian wildlife. She sketched and collected insects, and learnt to breed and raise butterflies.
After finishing school she enrolled for a short-lived art course at Melbourne State College and then pursued a career in nursing at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
, graduating in 1967. The following year she married Phillip Mein, a general practitioner she had met at the Hospital, and in 1971 they moved to Sale
in Gippsland
, Victoria. Her work became well-known and she was acclaimed as one of the world's foremost textile artists. In 1988 she received the Order of Australia Medal for services to the arts.
Annemieke holds regular workshops and freely imparts her techniques and experience to those who attend. She met Charles McCubbin (d. 2010), grandson of Frederick McCubbin
, in 1979. He was one of Australia’s leading naturalists and wildlife artists, and was chief consultant in the construction of the butterfly house at the Melbourne Zoo
. He wrote and illustrated "Butterflies of Australia" and throughout their acquaintance shared his knowledge with Annemieke and gave his support.
In 1984 she was commissioned to design and produce six bas-relief bronzes for permanent display on a wall of fame in Sale. The bronzes featured Alfred William Howitt
, Mary Grant Bruce
, Ada Crossley
, Allan McLean, Angus McMillan
and Nehemiah Guthridge
. In 1987 the town fathers of Bendigo commissioned a bas-relief of Henry Backhaus, the first priest to visit the Victorian goldfields
. In 2007 Mein was the subject of a major survey exhibition at the Gippsland Art Gallery
, which also holds a large number of her works in its permanent collection.
Her 1994 book The Art of Annemieke Mein, gives a rare insight into the creative process that is necessary for producing works of art that delight both the artist and the viewer. The illustrations offer a comprehensive cross-section of her textile pieces.
Annemieke was the only child of a father who was a dental technician and a mother who was a skilled dressmaker, and emigrated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
with her parents in 1956. Initially unable to speak English, she attended Brighton State School, Mitcham State School and Nunawading High School. She spent long days of her childhood roaming the outdoors and becoming fascinated by the extraordinary diversity of Australian wildlife. She sketched and collected insects, and learnt to breed and raise butterflies.
After finishing school she enrolled for a short-lived art course at Melbourne State College and then pursued a career in nursing at the Royal Melbourne Hospital
Royal Melbourne Hospital
The Royal Melbourne Hospital , located in Parkville, Victoria an inner suburb of Melbourne is one of Australia’s leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research...
, graduating in 1967. The following year she married Phillip Mein, a general practitioner she had met at the Hospital, and in 1971 they moved to Sale
Sale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
in Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
, Victoria. Her work became well-known and she was acclaimed as one of the world's foremost textile artists. In 1988 she received the Order of Australia Medal for services to the arts.
Annemieke holds regular workshops and freely imparts her techniques and experience to those who attend. She met Charles McCubbin (d. 2010), grandson of Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin
Frederick McCubbin was an Australian painter who was prominent in the Heidelberg School, one of the more important periods in Australia's visual arts history....
, in 1979. He was one of Australia’s leading naturalists and wildlife artists, and was chief consultant in the construction of the butterfly house at the Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne Zoo
The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Melbourne Zoo, contains more than 320 animal species from Australia and around the world. The zoo is north of the centre of Melbourne. It is accessible via Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line, and is also accessible via tram...
. He wrote and illustrated "Butterflies of Australia" and throughout their acquaintance shared his knowledge with Annemieke and gave his support.
In 1984 she was commissioned to design and produce six bas-relief bronzes for permanent display on a wall of fame in Sale. The bronzes featured Alfred William Howitt
Alfred William Howitt
Alfred William Howitt was an Australian anthropologist and naturalist.-Background:Howitt was born in Nottingham, England, the son of authors William Howitt and Mary Botham. He came to the Victorian gold fields in 1852 with his father and brother to visit his uncle, Godfrey Howitt...
, Mary Grant Bruce
Mary Grant Bruce
Mary Grant Bruce , also known as Minnie Bruce, was an Australian children's author and journalist. While all her thirty-seven books enjoyed popular success in Australia and overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, she was most famous for the Billabong series, focussing on the adventures of the...
, Ada Crossley
Ada Crossley
Ada Jemima Crossley was an Australian singer.Crossley was a daughter of E. Wallis Crossley, a farmer. She was born at Tarraville, Gippsland, Victoria...
, Allan McLean, Angus McMillan
Angus McMillan
Angus McMillan , was an explorer and pioneer pastoralist in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. He is also known for being an instigator of many of the massacres against the Aboriginal peoples in the Gippsland region.-Early life:...
and Nehemiah Guthridge
Nehemiah Guthridge
Nehemiah Guthridge , was an Irish-born Melbourne ironmonger, a city councillor in Melbourne, a parliamentarian representing the Central Province in the Legislative Council, a prominent Wesleyan and the first mayor of Sale in 1863. He and W...
. In 1987 the town fathers of Bendigo commissioned a bas-relief of Henry Backhaus, the first priest to visit the Victorian goldfields
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
. In 2007 Mein was the subject of a major survey exhibition at the Gippsland Art Gallery
Gippsland Art Gallery
The Gippsland Art Gallery is a Victorian Regional Public Gallery based in Sale, Victoria, 220 kilometres east of Melbourne.The Gallery is operated by the Shire of Wellington, and is situated within the Wellington Shire Offices at the Port of Sale Civic Centre, 70 Foster Street, Sale...
, which also holds a large number of her works in its permanent collection.
Her 1994 book The Art of Annemieke Mein, gives a rare insight into the creative process that is necessary for producing works of art that delight both the artist and the viewer. The illustrations offer a comprehensive cross-section of her textile pieces.