Bernise Daher
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
I have been painting my entire life, undergoing study at the Julian Ashton Art School and working with various community based artists over the years to develop my skills. While I have occasionally sold works through local art galleries and exhibitions, the vast majority of my work has been private commissions or sold privately through my website, www.bernicedaher.com or through my facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bernice-Daher/125579027547455.
My work has also been auctioned to raise funds for local and national charities such as Spinal Cord Injuries Australia and the MS Society. Overall, my art has taken second place to full time work and raising a family, but I am now retired and seeking to gain more success as an artist.
Concentrating mainly on portraiture, I also print landscapes, seascapes, wildlife and still lifes. I started painting in oils but have focused mainly on pastels, drawing and a few acrylic works over the past 10 years. I have been working with local artists Brian Agnew, Bernard and Ros Devaux to develop a unique style with pastels and to fine tune life drawing and figure work over the past 5 years.
My passion though has always been portraiture and this has been central to the private commission work I have undertaken in the past.
I have exhibited locally at art shows at Forestville and the Royal Easter Show where my work has been displayed for the past 10 years. I have won first prize at the Forestville exhibition on two occasions, also gaining a people’s choice award and a scholarship to a weeklong course at Julian Ashton Art School.
ARTIST'S REASON FOR PARTICIPATING
"I truly enjoy contributing artwork to causes that are greater than just the artwork itself. The world around us provides every artist with a wealth of material to draw upon and it is inherent upon us as artists to draw attention to the beauty and need for everything in our environment to be protected, preserved and respected."
I will enter the "Down to Earth" work and I'll probably bring it down to the nursery next weekend. Thanks for allowing me to participate and I hope the whole event works out brilliantly for you and the cause.
Joko
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On Thursday October 23rd IAR’s orangutan centre in Ketapang received another orangutan, a three year old male named Joko. Bringing the total number of orangutans at the centre to 73
Joko was being kept in the district Manis Mata. The local police responded quickly to the rescue after Joko’s situation was reported in the media and was also receiving attention on social media sites, which showed the condition that he was being kept in. Joko was willingly surrendered, though the owner was upset at having to give him up.
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Joko had been kept by Mr Amirudin for about a year. He claimed to have bought him for 1.5 million rupiah (£75) from his relative after feeling a lot of affection for the little orangutan and wanting to take care of him. Mr Amirudin is a farmer who once worked for the conservation of orangutans in central Kalimantan. Joko had been fed on rice and cooked vegetables and was bathed every day. Mr Amirudin would chain Joko to the porch at the front of his house each day and at night he would be brought into the house to sleep in the same bed as him.
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Neighbours of Mr Amirudin would regularly give Joko cigarettes to smoke and he was also given rice whiskey to drink. Mr Amirudin reported that Joko had had diarrhoea several times which he had treated with drugs he got from the paramedics who treat animals.
Joko was brought to IAR’s rescue centre, still with his chain around his neck, in a wooden box by Pak Dedi Agus and other police from Manis Mata . He is now in quarantine while he awaits the results of his health test.
