| Summary |
Nicholson speaks of his family background and his middle class childhood in Hawthorn, Vic., the influence of Punch cartoons on his artistic style, his education at Scotch College and interest in music, literature, history but failed to matriculate in art, studied law at University of Melbourne and was much politicised in his outlook by the Vietnam War, how Bruce Petty cartoons inluenced him to take up cartooning so he dropped out of law in his final year, helpful advice received from both Petty and Tanner, went to Prahran College to learn drawing, how his cartoons were accepted by the Nation Review, the Tribune and student newspapers, involved in animation for ABC's This Day Tonight and A Big Country, eventually his cartoons were accepted by the Age, the influences that shaped his style include Petty, Tanner, Tandberg, Spooner, Leunig and Horner, his move to full-time cartooning with the Financial Review producing mostly satirical and leftish cartoons, how he came to live in Italy and travelled and drew (but no cartooning) while travelling in Europe, selling his drawings at local markets, eventually returned to the Age and also undertook work for the ABC, casting figures mostly politicians in bronze, his exhibition at Mildura Art Gallery, his first portrait commission, puppet making for ABC's Nationwide, National, Fastforward and Rubbery Figures, eventually resulted in an exhibition of Rubbery Figures and cartoons at the National Gallery of Victoria, in 1994 he moved to the Australian and his work took on a more serious tone, the importance of the idea behind the cartoon, his working routines and themes, his annual overseas trips mainly to Europe and Asia.
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