Age has proven no barrier for one Wagga man, who has printed a fresh life at 80.
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Former RAAF pilot Craig Couzens turned to art in 2009 when he stumbled into print making “by accident”.
The budding artist, this year, launched his first exhibition, A Body of Art, at TAFE’s Gallery 43 and has become an advocate for the age-old craft.
Following the successful showcase of more than 50 linocuts, woodcuts, paintings and collagraphs, Mr Couzens encouraged others with a dream to follow it.
He said it was worth the risk to take and make a change because if you stood at one place and expected to stay put, “you’d be caught with a surprised look on your face”.
“I didn’t think I was capable before I started,” Mr Couzens said. “I’ve always been interested in art … now I’ve done all sorts of funny things I didn’t think I had the ability to do.”
He said his journey began when he was recovering from cancer.
Mr Couzens said he attended a live-in print making course to give his wife – and carer – “a bit of a break” eight years ago.
There is a historic context to art and we learn from the changes.
- Craig Couzens
“It’s been a big adventure since then,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘I could do this’.”
From there, Mr Couzens decided to develop his skills, which led him to TAFE.
The cancer survivor completed an advanced diploma of visual arts across five years.
The former Chamber of Commerce executive is now a resident artist at the school and believes the industry of art should be preserved for the future of the Wagga community.
His feelings follow the council’s decision to slash public arts funding this year.
The move was met with controversy and sparked outrage across the city.
Under the former funding model, one per cent of council’s capital works was set aside each year in a public art reserve; however, the changes mean only the first $50,000 of that money is held for art.
“Arts are important,” Mr Couzens said. “It’s a sign of the times … it reflects our past.”
He said even if a piece was controversial, it ironically generated talk, which kept art alive.
“Deniers forget, like it or not, that (art) is a reflection of the present times,” Mr Couzens said. “There is a historic context to art and we learn from the changes.”
He said without art, the ability to think outside the square was lost.
TAFE’s faculty of art and design head teacher, Andy Totman, said Mr Couzens was an inspiration and a joy to have in the studio.
