AMIE KINGSTON (1912-1996)
Amie Kingston was born in Hobart in 1912 and is remembered for her talents across many mediums and industries including art, printmaking and design. Kingston studied at the Hobart Technical College. In 1937 she travelled to London on the HMS Ormonde (where Kingston painted Engine Room II) and enrolled at the exclusive Slade School where she studied under Vladimir Polunin. Enjoying her experience as a student. Kingston also went on to study life drawing at the Westminster School whilst at the same time studying fabric design and printing at the Central School of Art.
In the midst of throwing herself into various courses, Kingston also created murals and worked on the set design for productions at Sadler's. Kingston then completed a course in set design at the London Theatre Studio before returning to Australia in 1940 where she exhibited with the Contemporary Art Society and Society of Artists in Sydney.
In the late 1940s, Kingston taught drawing and design for the Society of Arts and Crafts. Various teaching roles followed this one including positions at the Design School at Merioola, Cranbrook School, Ascham School and the Blackfriars Correspondence School.
Kingston continued to work in theatre design for the rest of her life, often painting scenery whilst teaching part-time at the East Sydney Technical College.