John Giles - painter

John Bernard (Jack) Giles 1923 - 2019

Born in Semaphore (Adelaide) South Australia, to painters John and Lily (Anderson) Giles. He matriculated at age 15 and entered Adelaide University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. His earliest painting study took place with his father, as he accompanied him on painting trips, especially around Port Adelaide. He attended art classes in Adelaide, where he met fellow students Rosemary Madigan, Jacqueline Hick and Jeffrey Smart, with the latter often joining the outdoor painting trips with his father.

He attended East Sydney Technical College together with Rosemary from 1947 - 49, becoming close friends with fellow student Robert Klippel as well as many other artists of this generation. Rosemary and Jack married in 1949 and they travelled together on her NSW Travelling Art Scholarship across Europe and to India 1950 - 1953, building the camper van they used to visit the museums and architectural sights.

Upon their return to Australia he worked for a time as labourer in Port Adelaide, with the demands of family life eventually leading him to a full time position with the CSIRO (Soil Sciences). He retired from this position in the 1960s to devote himself to painting, and walked the hills surrounding the family home in Eden Hills (S.A.) with his masonite board, usually completing a painting in a day. He left a body of around 300 of these plein air works which record a strong personal connection with the landscape and the hills surrounding Adelaide.

Following the separation with Madigan, he spent some years teaching art in tertiary institutions in Toowoomba and Sydney, before returning to Adelaide where he concentrated principally on life drawing.

He was reluctant to engage with the 'art market' and never focused any attention on selling his paintings. Later in life he spent a great deal of time on life drawing.