Digby Webster

Background

Digby Webster was born in Sydney, Australia.

Career

Digby works across a range of disciplines. He has exhibited in solo shows and group shows including Tin Sheds Gallery, Riverside Theatre Parramatta, DNA projects Chippendale 'Two Sydney Painters' with Marc Etheridge and at the Opera House as part of Accessible Arts’ AART.BOXX 2007. He has been invited to exhibit his work at the Leichhardt Council library three years running and is a contributor to the Leichhardt Open Studio Trail.

Notably, Digby was commissioned by Taste Media to supply a series of 6 paintings reflecting the South Australian landscape. These images were incorporated into the winning logo for the Special Olympics to be held in Adelaide in 2018.

He is currently a member of Front Up, a disability led Arts and Cultural program initiated by Ability Options, resulting in several of his works being exhibited at Barangaroo as part of the 'I Am Still Here' emerging artists exhibition.

Artbank and Australia Council for the Arts have included his works in their collection. Arterie, an international award-winning art program based at RPAHospital have invited Digby to be Artist in Residence in 2018. His 10 works exhibited as part of the Vivid Ideas Exchange 'We're Very Serious-taking artists with disability seriously' an MCA event.

Achievements

• Digby is a founding member of the Ruckus Ensemble, a contemporary performance group which creates large scale productions and has also been a production designer and performer on award-winning short films '‘The Interviewer’ and ‘Heartbreak and Beauty’ with Bus Stop Films.
  
  In 2014, Digby was the recipient for the artist in residence at Bundanon and his work was awarded a 'Winning Work' and selected by BiG-i Art Project 2016 in Osaka, to be included with the travelling exhibition throughout Japan and Hong Kong.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • Rectangles 08

    2007

  • Rectangles 07

    2007

  • Rectangles 06

    2007

  • Rectangles 05

    2007

  • Rectangles 04

    2007

  • Rectangles 03

    2007

  • Rectangles 02

    2007

  • Rectangles 01

    2007

  • Figures 02

  • Figures 01

    2007

  • Super pets

  • Serious look

  • Overexcited

  • Overwhelmed

  • Boris K

  • Rabbit suit

  • Wormhole

  • Three orange planets

  • Monkey mayhem

  • Silver linings

  • Sunfish

  • Upside down

  • I wanna hug

  • Call me maybe

  • Barretina guy

Views

Digby approaches art making it as a part of his everyday life. He works in the mediums of oil pastels and acrylics. His work reflects strong evocative colors together with an expressive visual language of his own.

Personality

Digby is a very unusual person. He is one of those who are called sunny people. Digby is a very open, kind and cheerful person.

Physical Characteristics: Digby was born with Down syndrome.

Connections

curator:

Imogen Yang

Imogen curated Digby’s second exhibition at Leichhardt Library in November 2012. She has curated many shows in recent years and is involved in audio description for the visually impaired. Imogen is also a skilled bookbinder.

curator:

Liz Nowell

Liz Nowell curated the exhibition ‘Two Sydney Painters’ in June 2013 at dna projects in Chippendale. Digby exhibited with Marc Etherington. The show, which was opened by Peter Fay included acrylics on hardboard and several framed oil pastels.

mentor:

Eve Pitt

Eve Pitt is a practising artist and has been mentoring Digby in painting in 2014. She is also an accomplished cards player.

mentor:

Sandra ‘swinkie’ Winkworth

Sandra Winkworth as a practising artist has been in a few group shows with Digby since 2013. ‘swinkie’ has been mentoring Digby since mid 2017. They have a lot in common but especially share a love for dazzling colour and good food.

curator:

Alison Richardson

Alison has been instrumental in Digby’s artistic career. Digs has been participating at Beyond the Square for the last few years as part of the ruckus ensemble, a writing & performance group that meets weekly and has put on multiple performances. She also organised his first solo exhibition at Riverside Theatre in Parramatta.