B. 1894 – 1974

Born in Victoria in 1894, Amalie Sara Colquhoun was a talented Australian painter and educator. She studied design at the Ballarat Technical Art School, where she later became the Art Mistress in the mid-1920s. Her exceptional abilities earned her praise from artist Harold Herbert, who regarded her as one of the school’s most brilliant students.

With the support of the Victorian Education Department, Colquhoun furthered her studies in pottery and stained glass at Sydney Technical College. Upon returning to Ballarat, she introduced pottery classes at the art school and designed stained glass windows for St Andrew’s Presbyterian and Lydiard Street Methodist churches.

In the late 1920s, she married Archibald Douglas Colquhoun, and together they operated an art school in Melbourne. During this time, she produced a set of 'Fairy Lore' illustrations and gained recognition for her innovative designs of nursery rhymes suitable for kindergarten use, which were printed locally.

Colquhoun was especially known for her seascapes, painted from the family’s holiday home at Lorne, Victoria, represented in major collections, including the National Gallery of Australia and state galleries in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. Colquhoun passed away in 1974, remembered for her artistic innovation and dedication to teaching. 

To read a more in-depth biography of the artist, click here.