The Artists’ Principality

WY ART provenance

The Ashton, Delprat and Gaston Families have produced generations of Realist figurative artists working in a variety of media. Thomas Briggs Ashton, an American artist, was the father of artist George Rossi Ashton and Julian Rossi Ashton CBE. Julian Ashton was the first of the Australian Ashtons and the founder of the famous Julian Ashton Art School. Paul Ashton Delprat ARAS is the current Principal of the school, having performed that role since 1988.

Among the many artists in this distinguished family were the landscape painter and journalist J Howard Ashton, who was President of the Royal Art Society and his wife artist and illustrator Ethel Roberts and the seascape painter and art teacher J Richard Ashton and his wife artist Wenda Ashton. Ruth Ashton and Rosemary Ashton Clark are artists. J Phillip Ashton is a fine artist and teacher. Helen Ashton Fisher is a noted artist and academic in the art world.

Guillaume Daniel Delprat CBE, General Manager of the Broken Hill Propriety Company and founder of the industrial City of Newcastle, was a noted portrait sculptor who won a Silver Medal in Paris for his bust of Braille. Guillaume Delprat paid tribute to Braille, whose work for the blind was later to help Julian Ashton, who had lost his eyesight prematurely which is a sad but poetic thought. In permitting the vision impaired to feel the face of their benefactor he was an inspiration for tactile tours worldwide. Adrean (Rean) Delprat was a sculptor and Carmen Delprat is an artist, teacher and illustrator.

Brian Gaston AWI, father of artist Susan Gaston Delprat, was an eminent architect and artist. He was a noted watercolourist and was elected as President of The Australian Watercolour Institute. There continues to be a rich vein of artistic talent to be found in this creative family as many younger members take up the pencil and the brush.

This is truly “The Artists’ Principality”. – The Art of Wy

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