ROBERT JUNIPER

Robert Juniper was one of Western Australia’s most loved and acclaimed artists who, after a lifetime of creativity, passed away in December 2012 at the age of 83. Robert is represented in state, national and international gallery collections.

Throughout Robert’s long and illustrious career, he was known for his evocative and poetic vision of the Australian landscape, often painted from an aerial perspective. 

The warmth of his humour was also evident in many of the beautiful and lyrical works he created over his sixty year career. As well as the paintings he made, Robert was recognised for his sculptures, drawings (he was a master of one-line drawings), etchings, print-making, stained-glass work and tapestries. 

He was rewarded with many accolades, including an honorary doctorate from the University of WA and in 1979 the WA Citizen of the Year award. He was named an inaugural State Living Treasure in 1998 and in 2003 the Painters and Sculptors Association awarded him the medal for services to art. The culmination of this series of awards came in 2011 when he was very proud to receive the Order of Australia.  

The majority of Robert’s working life was spent at his home in Darlington where he had his studio built in 1981. He loved his home and studio and declared that he never wanted to live anywhere else. 

This artist and teacher was a true gentleman, whose life-embracing personality was always ready with a joke or anecdote to share.

Robert may have left us, but his work lives on in the peace of his Darlington studio, as does his presence.