Ross Tamlin

Ross Tamlin was born in Aukland, New Zealand in 1958. He began a Fine Arts Certificate course at TAFE NSW Meadowbank in Meadowbank, Australia, and in Brisbane he completed a graphic arts course before returning to Sydney. 

His signature corrugated iron paintings combine traditional art genres including still-life and landscape along with graphic art. Influenced by the De Stijl movement, these paintings represent a synthesis of art and function. Incorporating the aesthetics of modern industrial technique, the corrugation in his photorealistic compositions is a visual illusion created by layers of paint and varnish. 

Color, along with industrial imagery and objects, are central in Tamlin's work. He is particularly interested in the traditional appropriation of found objects in modern art. His compositions are a contemporary examination of industrial materials in which he reconstructs their purpose and function to reveal new relationships between the object and viewer. He works primarily in bright colors combined with primary hues overlaid with text and glazing to produce his version of a landscape. He reworks the traditional idea of landscape painting by incorporating text and familiar places names in a modern interpretation. 

“My idea was to transmute traditional Australian corrugated iron into works of modern art. The corrugation in the painting is a visual illusion created by layers of paint. Most people can connect with these panels because corrugated iron is a familiar sight both in suburbia and the bush. However, the sense of seeing the traditional is contradicted by the contemporary signage."

Ross Tamlin's works are held in private collections worldwide, including Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, Switzerland, and France. Corporate collections include: ING Bank, Babcock & Brown, Barclays Bank, Saville Hotel Group, Savills Property Group, Minter Ellison, Hai Win Shipping, Allkotes Pty Ltd, Blue Scope Steel Pty Ltd, Sieper & Co., A. P. Moller Maersk Group, Grant Thomas Management, Maridan Pty Ltd, Esprit Changeware Pty Ltd, Maritime Transport Ltd, London.

Ross Tamlin lives in Kyogle, New South Wales, Australia.