Tony Marchment
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
I firstly have to throw credit to my mother for nurturing my artistic ability. I would admire my mother sketching out my favourite cartoon characters and observe her eye for detail. It inspired me to be as good as her one day. I grew up in a small town called Wauchope not far from Port Macquarie. From my early years of primary school I would draw for hours on end. Drawing cartoons characters and anything in nature. Whenever we would do anything creative in class I was the most attentive. Merging into high school I was apart of a clique of students that excelled in Visual Arts. We developed relationships with the educators and formed an after school art class where we entered competitions and where recognised for our efforts. It was a catholic school and the priest that oversaw the school became very interested in what we where doing and raised the budget for the Art department ten fold. Brand new state of the art facilities and equipment where put into every campus under the St Joseph's banner in Port Macquarie.
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The future students reaped the rewards of our efforts and our legacy was complete. Upon leaving high school I walked straight into owning my own business. I worked it for 9 years before selling and in that time, I feel, I perfected my very own technique and a style I can call my own. I suffered many a trial and tribulation in my late teens and early 20s and was able to use my art as an expression in understanding what I had been through. I met many people who guided me, taught me to be stronger and control parts of my life I had not controlled. My journey for spirituality was prominent and through this journey I found the tools to make my life better for me. Artistically I needed to teach myself new techniques and sharpen my eye for the human form. I joined the local arts and craft centre and took up life drawing once a week for several months I would sketch many different body shapes, I learnt the importance of light and shade.
When I was happy with what I learnt I wanted to learn how to use oils and express myself on canvas. I found it a challenge getting the results I was after but enjoyed it all the same. At this time in my life I feel I found the strength to eject the poisonous people in my life and free myself from the darkness they created. Unfortunately there was a cost and these poisonous people destroyed a lot of my art and in a way I had to start from scratch. This was when I met my partner and have been together for 6 years. In this time I found a love for costumes and a new friend that, even know, pushes me to create fabulous wearable art. My little brother became a photographer and we often worked together to create looks and editorial style pieces and here was where I discovered a passion for makeup and using makeup as another medium in expressing myself as an artist. I am now a qualified makeup artist and perfecting my craft. Since moving to Sydney I have found more time and energy to do my art and aiming to produce as much as I can. Whether my canvas is Fabric, paper or a face I will paint or draw on it. And if I can use my art to help a good cause I will.
FRANKI
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One Nation’s Birthday, One Orangutan’s New Beginning
On 17 August 2014—Indonesia’s Independence Day—another important life was granted freedom. That day, the 69th orangutan rescued by International Animal Rescue in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, arrived at the center. Her name was Franki, and her rescue marked the end of an 11-year ordeal.
Franki had spent over a decade in a tiny roadside cage in the village of Sungai Ambangah. Her owner, who kept her as a pet since she was a baby, often neglected her, leaving her to beg for food from schoolchildren passing by. Her only protection from the sun and rain was a sack she curled up under at night. With no stimulation or freedom, her growth was stunted—although she appeared to be only six or seven years old, she was far older. Her muscles had atrophied, and psychologically, she was broken. Her stereotypical behaviour of hugging herself was a heartbreaking reminder of prolonged emotional trauma.
When her owner initially refused to surrender her, the forestry authorities (BKSDA) had to threaten legal action. Thankfully, she was rescued and flown to the IAR Centre where she began her slow journey of recovery.
Franki spent longer than usual in quarantine to help her adjust, build trust in her caregivers, and begin to rebuild her strength in a tall cage where she could climb. Day by day, her anxiety subsided, and she became more comfortable with the team. Though her past was marked by neglect, Franki now has a real chance to reclaim her life with the compassion and care she always deserved.
