Pamela Griffith Studio

Pamela Griffith etching in Prime Minister's gift to APEC leaders 

On September 8th, Prime Minister John Howard gave each of the 21 leaders of economies attending the APEC conference limited edition prints selected with the assistance of the National Gallery of Australia. Three limited edition prints were included in a hand made archival presentation folder. The countries represented by the leaders were Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Republic of the Philipines, The Russian Federation, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam.

One of the works is a linocut by the Sydney artist Peter Kingston and features Sydney Harbour and the Opera House where the leaders' meeting was held. There is a rural scene of a sheep station depicted in an etching by Pamela Griffith, and an etching of a Brolga by Arnhem Land artist Tim Djandjomerr. The gift package also included a hand-crafted pin designed by Sydney's Margaret Kirkwood, based on an interpretation of the APEC logo.

Pamela was delighted to be offered this commision, and pleased to work closely with the APEC Taskforce in guiding this unique project to a succesful conclusion. For the gift etching, the APEC Taskforce, under advice from Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, nominated the rural Australian subject matter, including a gum tree.

Earlier in the year, 27 of Pamela's limited edition leather bound books 'Australia - an artists journey through the landscape' were used as gifts by the APEC Taskforce. The APEC Taskforce wrote that it "....would like to thank you for your contribution to the APEC Australia 2007 experience. It was a pleasure working with you in preparation for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Meeting Hobart. Your beautiful art books were a wonderful pictorial representation of Australia, which our delegates were very pleased to receive".

Griffith has always worked on images that are close to the land. She insists that Australia needs more visual material that relates to our way of life. Westerners have been here for a very short period and are still learning about the land. Artists can make a contribution to this knowledge by their interpretation of the environment.

A feature of the APEC gathering was the abundance of beautiful wild flowers. Pamela was commissioned to carry this theme forward in a drawing and water colour of wattle and waratahs and other native flowers. This was used to illustrate the cover of a menu for a dinner hosted by Mrs Howard. The wattle is Australia's national flower and the waratah is the floral emblem of New South Wales.

The waratah featuerd in another of Pamela's public works. She provided a number of designs currently used by the New South Wales Government on various classes of drivers' licences. New South Wales drivers all carry a Pamela Griffith 'original' in their wallet or purse.

It is fair to say that Pamela Griffith has served Australia well as an artist. Her many public projects have assisted in showcasing Australia and our way of life. The APEC project is a highlight of her career.