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Jo Bain hails from a long line of taxidermists and from a very early age he knew he wanted a career in taxidermy too. At fifteen he joined the South Australian Museum where he's still employed to this day. He's worked on everything from blue whales to tiny spiders and 500 million year old fossils. In this feature we meet Jo in his basement workshop and he explains his passion for preserving dead creatures in a way that shows their natural power and beauty. For
him, taxidermy isn't just the craft of stuffing things; it's an art-form
which he calls 'sculpture with skin'. Jo shows us what he has in his
acid bath and takes us into his walk-in freezer to see what's on the
shelves. He also tells us some stories about the first taxidermist at
the museum, George Beazley, a troubled man who left secret messages
inside some of the animals he preserved.
To read more about the Taxidermist & Preparator go here! Life on the Job: Jane Tosh: Taxidermist |
A painter (fine/visual arts) conceives and develops ideas for paintings,
drawings, designs or installations. Painters select a medium such as oil,
watercolour, pencil, pastel, acrylic or ink and prepare surfaces such as
canvas, paper or board to produce designs or illustrations for publications.
Painters mix or apply colours using appropriate techniques while taking into
account the relationships of line, colour, design and form. Painters may run
workshops and oversee community arts projects.
Artists become renowned for their individual techniques and in some cases have created dynamic artistic movements based on their original style. Pablo Picasso is remembered for his cubism, and Salvador Dali began the surrealist movement.
OSCA ID:
231731
Alternative names:
Art Practitioner, Visual Artist,
Knowledge, skills and attributes


Duties and Tasks
Education and training/entrance requirements
You need a high level of artistic skill to work as a Painter (Visual Arts). Formal qualifications might be useful but aren't essential. VET (Vocational Education and Training) and university are both common study pathways for Painters (Visual Arts).
A Sculptor conceives and
develops a concept or design for a sculpture or installation project.

A sculptor's media may include: marble,
sandstone, chisels, clay, wax & bronze for casting a sculpture, wood, steel
and many other found materials.
Sculpting (or modelling) is an ancient artform that dates back to stone-age
times. Modern sculpting can involve complicated procedures that involve a
complex knowledge of materials.
OSCA ID:
231733
Alternative names & Specialisations:
Installation Artist, clay sculptress, stone
sculptress, wood sculptress, sculpting artist, clay sculptor, metal
sculptress, ice sculptor, sculptress, welded steel sculptor, ice sculptress,
marble sculptress, marble sculptor, wood sculptor, metal sculptor, stone
sculptor, welded steel sculptress
Knowledge, skills and attributes

To become sculptor, you would need:
Duties and Tasks
Tools and Technologies
Sculptor or installation artists may sketch designs and then decide on the material, techniques and the space where the sculpture or installation is to be exhibited. They often make models using wax or plaster and then carve, model or assemble materials to the desired form using hand or power tools. They may also fire clay objects in kilns and prepare moulds for casting sculptures in metal.
Education and training/entrance requirements
You need a high level of artistic skill to work as a
Painter (Visual Arts). Formal qualifications might be useful but aren't
essential. VET (Vocational Education and Training) and university are both
common study pathways for Painters (Visual Arts).

Potters or Ceramic Artists conceive and create
functional or artistic articles by moulding clay, glass and other fusible
materials using hand-building and wheel techniques.

OSCA ID:
231732
Alternative names: Ceramic Artist, Ceramicist,
Knowledge, skills and attributes

(Source:
Visit Victoria)
Duties and Tasks
Working conditions
A Potter or Ceramic Artist usually arrange their own
working hours, which may involve fitting your art work around another
full-time or part-time job.
You may work in a studio, at home, in rented space within a shared studio,
or in specialist facilities such as a potter's workshop.
Tools and technologies

(Source:
Spruce Crafts)
In addition, are the potter's
wheel for throwing pieces and the kiln for drying.
Education and training/entrance requirements
You need a high level of skill in your artistic medium to work as a Potter or Ceramic Artist. Formal qualifications might be useful but aren't essential. VET (Vocational Education and Training) and university are both common study pathways for Potters and Ceramic Artists.
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Did You Know? When young and poor, Pablo Picasso one of the world's most famous artists, kept warm by burning his own paintings!
It was lucky, then, that he produced 13,500 paintings, 100,000 prints and engravings, 34,000 book illustrations and 300 works of sculpture and ceramics
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Arts Administrators or Managers plan, organise, direct, control, coordinate and promote artistic and cultural policies, programs, projects and services and make sure they are successful. In a senior arts administration role, you may also manage artistic and cultural venues such as theatres and art galleries.
OSCA ID:
149131
Specialisations: Art Gallery Director, Community Arts
Centre Manager, Cultural Centre Manager.
As an arts administrator you could work for many different types of organisations, including:
theatres or art galleries
museums
music festivals or concert venues
opera houses or dance companies
community and disability arts
regional arts board or local authorities.
Knowledge, skills and attributes
To become an arts administrator, you would need:

(Source:
Your Career)
Duties and Tasks
In small galleries and arts centres you could be involved in the day-to-day running of the centre. In larger organisations, such as arts boards, you may specialise in one area, for example marketing, public relations or education.
Support Know My Name: a
message from Nick Mitzevich,
Director of the National Gallery of Australia
https://youtu.be/OcBCkTjnLJ4
Education and training/entrance requirements
Either extensive experience or a bachelor degree in arts is needed to work as an Arts Administrator or Manager. Many Arts Administrators and Managers complete postgraduate studies.
Employment Opportunities
Arts administrators may work for national performing
arts companies, local councils, regional community arts centres, museums,
galleries, orchestras and entrepreneurial organisations such as concert and
theatrical promoters. They also work for government departments and funding
organisations such as the Australia Council for the Arts. Some are
self-employed, while others work in partnerships.
Opportunities will vary depending on the level of activity in the arts and
media industries in regional and metropolitan centres. The long-term job
prospects for arts administrators are affected by the level of government
funding and corporate sponsorship.
Courtroom artists create visual records of courtroom proceedings, particularly when cameras are not allowed [which is the case in Australia]. Their primary duty is to document the events and key figures of trials, such as judges, defendants, witnesses, and lawyers, for media consumption and public viewing. This involves quickly capturing moments on paper, often working under pressure with limited time to complete each sketch.
A courtroom sketch artist is someone who draws pictures of what happens in a courtroom during trials and legal events. They do this because cameras are not allowed in courtrooms. The sketches help people see what’s going on, and they’re often used by the media.
Courtroom artists need a blend of artistic skills, quick thinking, and a keen eye for detail to capture the essence of court proceedings. They must be able to draw quickly and accurately while also maintaining a sense of artistic flair.

OSCA ID:
391
Alternative names: Court Artist,
Courtroom Illustrator, Courtroom Sketch Artist, Sketch Artist,
Knowledge, skills and attributes
Becoming a courtroom sketch artist requires a unique knowledge of the
legal system combined with artistic talent. This can be a rewarding career
for creative people who can create detailed drawings to share with the media
and courts for important record keeping.
Late Night Live 12 May 2025
(16
mins)

Duties and Tasks
Courtroom sketch artists are valuable experts for courts and the media to communicate with throughout a court proceeding. While any member of the public can sit in the gallery during a trial, courts in Australia typically rules against allowing photographs or recordings, with very few exceptions.
Courtroom sketch artists can gain access to the courtroom when cameras can't and use their skill set to create engaging illustrations that demonstrate the emotions and events throughout the trial. They can then share their work with news media outlets to support their written reports of the proceedings. They also share them with lawyers or the courts to accompany official documentation and records.
These sketch artists typically create very simple outlines so they can
work quickly, and fill the images in later with colour and more detail. As
sketch artists may attend trials for serious crimes, the ability to maintain
composure, work objectively, and maintain confidentiality is beneficial. For
example, jury members' identities are to remain anonymous before, during,
and after proceedings.
Working conditions
Courtroom sketch artists work in a fast-paced, and sometimes tense environment. You may spend several hours per day watching court proceedings and may attend complex or high-profile trials that last several weeks. This means the work hours can vary significantly in this role, and the volume of work may change.
With no photography allowed in the Australian courtroom, the only image the public has seen of, for example Patterson [Mushroom poisoning 2025 - Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trial in regional Victoria is being followed by millions around the world] on trial, is a hand-drawn illustration produced by a courtroom sketch artist.
The role may also involve travel, whether to other States and Territories or internationally, to cover important trials that gain media attention.
As a freelancer, you can determine whether you want to work locally or pursue sketching opportunities in other regions. While you may spend several hours in the courtroom drawing, you may also work in a studio or another location to add more detail to the basic sketches you created on-site.
You may also visit law offices and media organizations to share your work and discuss upcoming trials. This career provides a dynamic work environment with opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and personal fulfillment and is suitable for people who enjoy being artistic and working under pressure.
Tools and technologies
These days, Courtroom Artists use iPads with a styles to create their drawings. In the past, they used pencils including colour pencils to capture their images.
Education and training/entrance requirements
While formal education in art or a related field can provide valuable skills and knowledge, it is not a strict requirement for becoming a courtroom sketch artist. Instead, practical experience and a strong portfolio of work are often more influential in securing assignments and developing a career in this niche field.
To become a courtroom sketch artist, you’ll need the ability to draw quickly and accurately, a keen eye for detail, and a knack for capturing important moments during trials through your artwork. It’s like being a live reporter using your drawings!
While not required, a TAFE diploma or university degree can make you a
more competitive job candidate. A Bachelor of Fine Arts or college diploma
related to illustration, graphic design or visual arts can be valuable as
these programs help you develop technical skills related to drawing and
composition that you can apply to courtroom sketches.
Employment Opportunities
At the moment, Australian courts only allow Courtroom Artists to capture the court scene. All cameras are banned in Australia within the courts.
This occurrence might change.
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Did You Know? Courtroom Artist - Veronica O'Leary - CAMEO MA Visual Arts, BA Fine Arts, BA Hons, Dip Ed Taken directly from Arts Hub 24 April 2023 ![]() (Source: Bega District News) Artist Veronica O’Leary is perhaps best known – outside her exhibition work – for producing 182 courtroom sketches of the high-profile criminal trial of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain over the death of their daughter Azaria. The disappearance of baby Azaria from Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock) on 17 August 1980 is one of the most infamous events in contemporary Australian history. Capturing it O’Leary says it was exciting but often stressful. There has been a renewed interest in courtroom drawings in the recent month, as images by US artist Jane Rosenberg, illustrating Donald Trump’s arraignment in a Manhattan courthouse, have circulated social media, with her images making the front cover of the 17 April edition of The New Yorker – the first time a courtroom sketch has been used in such a way by the weekly magazine. So what does it take to be a court illustrator? O’Leary had been living in Darwin at the time, when she was appointed Court Artist for the ABC during the Chamberlain trial. They used her drawings in their television coverage of the case each night. Sometimes up to 15 of these would be flashed into the script. Later on, her suite of drawings from the trial were purchased by the National Museum of Australia, in 2011. In 2012, O’Leary returned to her role as courtroom artist, travelling to Darwin for the fourth Coronial Inquest into the death of Azaria Chamberlain. ![]() Court Artist Veronica O’Leary captures Lindy Chamberlain being cross-examined. Image: Supplied courtesy the artist.[to Arts Hub] While this was a defining moment for O’Leary, she is also known as an arts educator, and her studio practice of landscape and still life paintings, for which is a regular prize finalist. She speaks with ArtsHub about that amazing career opportunity. How would you describe what you do to your ‘non arts’ friends? What I do is paint and draw as a practising visual artist, working across different mediums from watercolour, to ink, acrylic, oil paint and lino prints. Currently, I am painting small- and large-format paintings based on the table scape and food as art – a series inspired by COVID lockdown and inspired by the Dutch still life painters of the 16th and 17th centuries, like Clara Peeters, a very successful woman painter of vanitas table settings and natura morte. What qualifications do you need for this job? You do not necessarily need qualifications to be a practising visual artist, but dedication, commitment, perseverance and a lot of time doing the work is essential. Initially, I trained at the Victorian College of the Arts Melbourne, where I majored in painting and printmaking. I completed my BA in Visual Arts at Darwin Community College in painting. I then completed a Master’s Degree in Visual and Performing Arts at Charles Sturt University, majoring in painting. How did you get your start in this career [as a Court Artist]? I got my start in the job as a court artist in Darwin after I had graduated and was working as a lecturer in Creative Arts at Darwin Community College. I had never been a court artist, and it wasn’t until the ABC called for expressions of interest to be the ABC Court Artist for the Lindy Chamberlain trial in the Darwin Supreme Court, in 1983, that I started my career in this field of visual art practice. Basically, you had to submit a portfolio of drawings of people in situ, drawn from life and on the spot. The job was to draw the participants of the court room and capture significant moments in the courtroom drama for a nightly ABC television audience. The artist was to be in the courtroom all day drawing sketches for the news. I submitted my drawing portfolio to the ABC in Sydney and was awarded the job for the duration of the trial, which lasted for three months. This began the journey of a lifetime. Daunting, and at times terrifying, knowing that the work was to be on national television each night and would have to be a good representation of the major players in the drama, significant witnesses and the jury. You had to work quickly, be inventive about picking key moments and the drawings had to be dramatic enough to capture audience attention and be true to the chronology of the case. How collaborative is this job? This job required collaboration with the TV journalists, who would have a particular pitch for each day’s events in the duration of the trial. The court drawings selected for that day would have to corroborate with the particular headline banner for that night’s news. This often meant doing 20 or so courtroom sketches for the day, from which the appropriate selection could be made. This could prove a tricky guessing game dependent on the particular dramatic turns in the theatre of the court drama. You had to cover a lot of bases and watch, and read the playout of what was being argued in court. The essence was speed, confidence in capturing the moment, and a belief in your own ability to draw people in situ. People were moving about and you had to quickly catch their mood and likeness. ![]() Court Artist Veronica O’Leary captures Lindy Chamberlain during trial. Image: Supplied courtesy the artist.[To Arts Hub] What’s an average week like? An average week was all day in court until the session finished each day, usually about 10am to 4.30pm daily. This was a complicated process from Darwin. Because I was working for ABC television news, the broadcast had to be done with the news front person with the chosen daily drawings. The time difference between the NT and NSW meant that this broadcast had to be filmed from Darwin Court at 4pm to make the cut for the national 7.30 ABC news. A problem sometimes arose if the court was still in session when the broadcast was sent to Sydney. If there happened to be a significant turn in the course of the day’s trial it may not have been captured by the artist, or the journalist. So that could mean a quick dash back into court for a particular drawing. This did often cause some panicked moments. What’s the most common misconception about being a court Illustrator? I was working for television as a court artist, so the brief was significantly different from the traditional court illustrator, doing highly articulated drawings of the courtroom with the lawyers, judge and jury represented in their respective places within the detailed architecture of the courtroom. I was employed as an artist to give a rendition of the drama of the courtroom moments, so the focus was on the faces and posture of key players – the Chamberlains, the jury, the lawyers, the judge and, importantly, key witnesses. The courtroom sketches sought to be dramatic, show movement and capture the drama for a nightly TV audience. As no photographers were allowed in court, the drawings had to be close to life and identify the key participants in this complicated trial. How competitive is this job? For me the job was based on the submission of a portfolio of drawings and, like all arts jobs, highly contested. In an interview for your job, what skills or qualities would you be looking for? This job requires a sureness of drawing skills based on the knowledge that court drawing demands that the rendered likeness be true to life and identifiable. It demands speed of drawing, a good eye for relevant and pertinent detail, and an eye for compelling composition. It means understanding the courtroom drama and choosing the salient moments to draw for news reportage. What’s changing in your professional area today? I think that today some courtrooms do allow news photographers in, so the courtroom artist is not always needed. In those cases where there are no photographers present, the court artist is a very essential recorder of the courtroom facts. There is, of course, a revived interest in the art of the court artist in major trials like that of Donald Trump. The court artist can capture personality in a way the camera cannot. What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened to you in this job? The Chamberlain trial was one of the most publicised trials in Australian legal history, and Lindy Chamberlain became something of an enigma in Australia. The nation was divided about her guilt or innocence. It was a television spectacular, and viewers followed the saga nightly via media news, then a movie and several books. The world of court drawing for television was exciting, challenging, often stressful, but artistically inspiring. I was invited some 30 years later to be the court artist in the Darwin Supreme Court for the Coronial Inquest, which finally exonerated Lindy and granted her pardon. This was an exciting opportunity to reconnect with ABC journalists and see Lindy finally be declared innocent of the death of her daughter Azaria Read: So you want my arts job: Scribe Subsequently this led to a meeting with Lindy in Sydney, where I was able to talk with her and paint her portrait. It was a marvellous meeting and talk with a truly remarkable and strong woman. What about gender balance in your industry? There have always been a number of women court artists. When I was doing the initial court drawings there were at least two other women in the court room drawing. What’s the weirdest thing that has happened to you ‘on the job’? It was on my first day on the job. I was placed in a room with hundreds of journalists and told to draw from the television screen. This was impossible. The flickering pixelated image on a screen made it an impossibility to draw from. What a panic! Thankfully, this was revoked, and we were allowed as artists into the courtroom. The other weird thing was drawing the inside of the Chamberlain car. For a morning, the journalists and court artists had to crawl inside the car and gather images for the news broadcasts. Taken directly from Arts Hub 24 April 2023 |
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Examine the following article and discuss as a class
The Conversation 18 April 2023




















































































































































































