D'Arcy Doyle
Encyclopedia
d'Arcy William Doyle was a painter of Australian landscapes and historical scenes.
, Australia
on 19 November 1932 to parents Thomas Doyle and Marguerite McGrath. The family had an Irish Catholic working class background and his father was a railway worker. The family home was at 39 Darling Street and that house and the surrounding area are featured in many of d'Arcy's paintings.
From an early age he took a keen interest in drawing. As there were few opportunities for artists in Ipswich, he studied and copied the work of local sign writers. He was completely self-taught as an artist.
Aged 18 years, Doyle joined the Royal Australian Navy
with some friends and served for seven years, seeing active service in the Korean War.
After finishing in the navy, Doyle worked as a painter and sign writer. In 1961, he found the confidence to become an artist on a full-time basis.
Doyle worked in Sydney during the 1960s. His career progressed when the Belmore Returned Services Club of Sydney commissioned him to paint a mural on the club walls. This was so popular that he received many similar commissions from other clubs.
He married his wife Jennefer Taylor in Brisbane in December 1968 and they had two daughters, Samantha (born 1970) and Alexandra (born 1972).
d'Arcy Doyle and his family returned to Queensland in 1973, purchasing a block of land in Mudgeeraba
on the Gold Coast, Queensland
where d'Arcy lived and worked until his death at home on 28 August 2001 having battled bone cancer for a decade. He is buried in the Mudgeeraba cemetery at the Gold Coast, Queensland
.
, the well-known American illustrator, d'Arcy Doyle gives us a nostalgic impression of post-war Brisbane
and Ipswich as he recalls it.
d'Arcy's work was very well known as he marketed many of his paintings as prints, which were very popular with the public and which were also licensed for use on calendars and biscuit tins. It was estimated that 1 in 10 Australian homes had one of his works in some form.
After his death, the d'Arcy Doyle Art Awards were established to perpetuate his memory and to encourage others in creation of quintessentially Australian Art.
Personal life
d'Arcy Doyle was born in Ipswich, QueenslandIpswich, Queensland
Ipswich is a city in South-East Queensland, Australia. Situated along the Bremer River Valley approximately 40 kilometres away from the state's capital Brisbane. The suburb by the same name forms the city's Central Business District and administrative centre...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on 19 November 1932 to parents Thomas Doyle and Marguerite McGrath. The family had an Irish Catholic working class background and his father was a railway worker. The family home was at 39 Darling Street and that house and the surrounding area are featured in many of d'Arcy's paintings.
From an early age he took a keen interest in drawing. As there were few opportunities for artists in Ipswich, he studied and copied the work of local sign writers. He was completely self-taught as an artist.
Aged 18 years, Doyle joined the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
with some friends and served for seven years, seeing active service in the Korean War.
After finishing in the navy, Doyle worked as a painter and sign writer. In 1961, he found the confidence to become an artist on a full-time basis.
Doyle worked in Sydney during the 1960s. His career progressed when the Belmore Returned Services Club of Sydney commissioned him to paint a mural on the club walls. This was so popular that he received many similar commissions from other clubs.
He married his wife Jennefer Taylor in Brisbane in December 1968 and they had two daughters, Samantha (born 1970) and Alexandra (born 1972).
d'Arcy Doyle and his family returned to Queensland in 1973, purchasing a block of land in Mudgeeraba
Mudgeeraba
Mudgeeraba is a suburb of the Gold Coast. Mudgeeraba is remnant of the type of township that characterises the rural hinterland of the Gold Coast. Subdivision of land was conventional and buildings were traditionally rural or rural commercial. Mudgeeraba, like other areas, was an early centre,...
on the Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
where d'Arcy lived and worked until his death at home on 28 August 2001 having battled bone cancer for a decade. He is buried in the Mudgeeraba cemetery at the Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
.
His Art
Doyle has a deep affinity with the Australian bush and his work focuses on horses, sheep, drovers, and other farm activities as well as children's games and sport. Influenced by Norman RockwellNorman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
, the well-known American illustrator, d'Arcy Doyle gives us a nostalgic impression of post-war Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Ipswich as he recalls it.
d'Arcy's work was very well known as he marketed many of his paintings as prints, which were very popular with the public and which were also licensed for use on calendars and biscuit tins. It was estimated that 1 in 10 Australian homes had one of his works in some form.
After his death, the d'Arcy Doyle Art Awards were established to perpetuate his memory and to encourage others in creation of quintessentially Australian Art.
External links
- D'arcy Doyle Memorial Gallery
- Opening of the Ipswich Mall and d'Arcy Doyle Place on 9 December 2005.http://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/riverheart/mall_dd_place.php
- Link to the artist's biography.http://www.morpethgallery.com/ArtistDetails.asp?ART=2