Gus McLaren (1923 – 29 August 2008) was an Australian artist,

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

and potter. Active duty in the Australian army during World War 2 saw Gus serving in the pacific. Here he painted panels for a recreation tent for wounded Australian and allied soldiers- the work now resides at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. As part of the Occupation forces in 1946, Gus travelled to Japan to teach art to the Japanese and there he met and was interviewed by a young cartoonist, named

Les Tanner Les Tanner (15 June 1927 – 23 July 2001) was an Australian cartoonist and journalist. Life Les Tanner was born in Redfern, Sydney. He began drawing at the age of five, at went to school at Glebe Primary School and North Newtown Intermedi ...

who worked for BECON ( British and Allied Forces Newspaper). The friendship endured for the next fifty years, until Les Tanner's death in 2001. After the war, Gus returned to Sydney where he worked as a cartoonist and illustrator for the Daily Telegraph and Women's Weekly before moving home to Melbourne where he worked on The Argus newspaper, as the cartoonist "Just Gus". He began potting with Reg Preston in 1955 and was one of the founding members in 1958 of the Potters Cottage in

Warrandyte, Victoria Warrandyte is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area. Warrandyte recorded a population of 5,541 at the . Warrandy ...

. He and his wife Betty McLaren, set up Yarraridge pottery and together and separately, the two produced an extensive body of work. This included wheel-thrown and hand-built pieces, as well as a range of slip-cast figures designed by Gus and decorated by Betty. These designs are still being used by Betty to make figures for sale from he
McLaren Pottery
on the New South Wales south coast. Gus McLaren has ceramic works in both public and private collections. When the Potters Cottage held its 45th anniversary in 2003, he participated in the exhibition. He also has a considerable body of work in animated films. In 1962 he directed the first animation series made for Australian television, ''Freddo the Frog'' and he was one of the animators who worked on ''

Grendel, Grendel, Grendel ''Grendel Grendel Grendel'' is a 1981 Australian animated film written, directed and designed by Alexander Stitt and starring Peter Ustinov. It was based on John Gardner's novel '' Grendel''. The music was composed and conducted by Bruce Smea ...

'', a full-length animated film retelling the Beowulf epic released in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. Gus McLaren died in

Merimbula Merimbula is a town on the Merimbula Lake, located on the Far South Coast or Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, Australia. At the , the population was 3,544. The population within 10 km of the Merimbula Post office is over 18,000 people. ...

on 29 August 2008.

References

* ''Freddo the Frog'', Fanfare films, Pty, Ltd, 1962 (National Film and Sound Archive, Title No. 138534). * Geoff Ford, ''Encyclopedia of Australian Potter's Marks'', 2nd edition, Wodonga (Victoria): Salt Glaze Press, 2002, p. 159. * Karen Hodge, "Potters' pioneers fire up again," ''Diamond valley News'', 8 October 2003, 10. * Kenneth Hood (November 1964), "Canberra Exhibition", ''Pottery in Australia'', vol. 1, no. 2, Nov 1964, p. 4. and cover illustration. * Gus McLaren
"Bowl (1974) Ceramic, stoneware"
National Gallery of Australia Collection Search (viewed 22 June 2007). * Gus McLaren
"87/357 Bull, modelled stoneware, Gus McLaren, Australia, 1970-1972"
Powerhouse Museum Collection Search 2.2 (viewed 22 June 2007). * Michael Winkler

''The Age (theage.com.au)'', 13 June 2002. * Official McLaren Pottery Website
mclaren-pottery.com
(viewed 30 July 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:McLaren, Gus Australian potters Australian animators Australian animated film directors Australian caricaturists Australian columnists 2008 deaths 1923 births 20th-century ceramists Australian Army personnel of World War II