Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Dellaram Vreeland

‘This is not rubbish’: retired Australian teacher painted thousands of works in secret

With the Breath of Morn and the soft sea air, a painting in Robert Martiensen: The Secret exhibition at the Hamilton Gallery in Victoria, Australia
With the Breath of Morn and the Soft Sea Air, a painting in the Robert Martiensen: The Secret exhibition at Hamilton Gallery in Victoria. Photograph: Hamilton Gallery

As a child, Viola Morton used to spend her school holidays at the South Australian farmhouse where her eccentric cousin, Robert Martiensen, lived.

“Bob’s mum would pick me up from the train station and we would have lots of fun,” Morton says. “But we tended to get him annoyed so he’d disappear and didn’t want to play with us.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.