Ian Armstrong studied RMIT, the National Gallery School, The George Bell School, and later studied etching at the Slade School, London. At the George Bell School he was an outstanding student, winning numerous awards, including the Commonwealth Jubilee travelling Scholarship, to study in London in 1951. It was during his time at the Bell School that he began a lifetime’s painting friendship with his contemporary, Fred Williams.
Armstrong was also a very well respected teacher of art, becoming drawing master and painting instructor at the National Gallery School.
Ian Armstrong has held many solo shows at mainstream galleries in Australia, including a retrospective at the Swan Hill Gallery in 1998. The exhibition was on tour throughout 1999 and into the year 2000.
Awards and prizes were numerous, including the Crouch Prize, the Richardson Watercolour Prize, the Aubrey Gibson Prize, the Roland Prize, and the Rockhampton Prize. In 1988 he took up a VACB occupancy at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris.
Works are represented in the National Gallery, Canberra, all State galleries, and regional collections such as Ballarat, La Trobe Valley, Warrnambool, Castlemaine and Geelong.
References:
A highly respected and well listed Australian artist. Numerous media articles plus professional references: McCulloch, Alan and Susan. Encyclopedia of Australian Art. 3rd Edition, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1994. Page 48. Germaine, Max. Artists and Galleries of Australia, Third Edition. Craftsman Press, Sydney, 1990. Page 17. Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 280