Robert Hannaford was born and bred in rural South Australia 1944.

​

After 3 years as the political cartoonist on the 'Adelaide Advertiser' in the mid 60's he has made his living from painting and sculpture. He lived in Ballarat 1967 - 68 where he attended the School of Mines. He lived in Melbourne from 1969 - 73 where he was the inaugural winner of the AME Bale residential art scholarship. He has lived in country South Australia, Adelaide and Sydney 2001 where he was artist-in-residence at Sydney Grammar School.

​

Drawing is the foundation of my art practice.

One could say it is my primary mode of expression and it has been since early childhood.

Drawing can be defined as using some object - pencil, pen, brush, charcoal, stone, to make marks on another surface - paper, canvas, clay, stone.

There is no limit to what drawing can be - from detailed observational studies, simple outline, tonal atmospheric rendering or purely imaginative. Even writing can be understood as a form of drawing (expressing ideas).

Perhaps what all drawings have in common is the expression of what I call 'seeing'. That is, what the mind has observed and represents.

The quality of a drawing can be judged on how much and how well this 'seeing' is conveyed to the viewer.

Robert has travelled and worked in India, Europe and Africa. 

His other interests include Indigenous culture (Ngadjuri), propagating endemic plants and gardening. He is a founding member of the Bushland Conservation Company and Hester's Conservation Company.

​

​

​