Biographical details:
DIANA CROOKE
Diana Crooke, daughter of Ray and June, was born in 1954 on Thursday Island and spent most of her childhood at Yorkey's Knob in North Queensland. In the late 1970's Diana began her career as a serious painter. Her paintings reflect the peaceful simplicity of life and nature in Tropical North Queensland, also drawing from her childhood memories of the Tores and Fijian Islands. Though Diana's paintings are reminiscent of her father's work; the internationally renowned painter Ray Crooke, she has developed a unique quality in her work with a strong use of colour alongside intricate detail complimenting softer areas of shadow.
RAY CROOKE
Born in Melbourne in 1922, Ray Crooke has spent most of his adult life living in Northern Queensland and has worked and travelled extensively throughout the tropics. Ray has been painting since the 1950s and his beguiling images of the tropical north of Australia and the Pacific Islands have enticed and enchanted viewers making him one of Australia's most famous and iconic painters. He won the Archibald prize in 1969, and was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1993 for his contributions to Australian art. He was honoured by a national touring retrospective in 1997-98 and is represented in all state galleries, many regional galleries and the Vatican in Rome.
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