Jan Ferrall
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Sydney and drawing as long as I remember, my dreams of pursuing an artistic career never eventuated until my children left the nest. An “autumn bloomer”, I became a successful full-time artist/potter for fifteen years until I returned to my earlier love of painting and drawing. Watercolour had tantalized me for years, it’s magical effects seemingly effortless and pure seduced me and I pursued this medium for the next five years learning through teaching. Mixed media seems a natural progression and I enjoy experimenting with watercolour and collage, pastel and acrylics. I am mainly self-taught, although I attend workshops and courses whenever possible to enhance this “creative joyride”. I love the freedom of playful experimentation, and try to follow my own muse. I belong to Hastings Valley Fine Art Association, and am curator and co-ordinator at our beautiful Port Macquarie gallery, NSW.
Achievements/Prizes
“People’s Choice” Bendemeer Art & Craft Ex. 2005
“People’s Choice” Beechwood Art & Craft Show 2006
“Highly Commended” Watercolour Comboyne Show 2008
“First Prize” Drawing HVFAA 25th Anniversary Summer Showcase 2008-9
“Commended” Contemporary “ “ “ “
“Commended” Watercolour Wauchope Country Music Fest. 2009
“Second Prize” Class “A” Camden Haven PAH & I Society 2009
“Commended” Annual Summer Showcase HVFAA 2012
Note: I have pottery and paintings hanging internationally including England, Canada, Japan, Holland, New Zealand and Indonesia.
Extra Information
1985 -1999 Artist/Potter.
2000 Began painting.
Mostly self-taught but attended courses with professional tutors.
Taught watercolour for five years.
Committee Member and Gallery Co-ordinator and for HVFAA for seven years
ARTIST'S REASON FOR PARTICIPATING
My reason for entering this wonderful project is to contribute in some small way to help save the exploitation and habitat of these beautiful animals.
MANIS
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From Baby Cries to Wild Motherhood
In July 2014, International Animal Rescue welcomed a three-year-old female orangutan named Manis to their rehabilitation centre in Ketapang, West Kalimantan. Rescued from Simpang Hulu near Pontianak, she had been kept as a pet since infancy. Her captor claimed to have found her alone in the forest at just a few months old—an unlikely story, as orangutan mothers never abandon their babies. Too young to survive alone, Manis had been fed sweetened condensed milk, rice, and fried snacks—hardly the diet of a future forest dweller.
Upon arrival, she was dependent on humans, crying out for attention and comfort. But with expert care, a proper diet, and time, her confidence began to grow. She showed great promise in early climbing exercises and even began building nests from leafy browse, patting them down with her hands and feet. Though nervous when her caregivers drifted too far, she was on her way to becoming a true forest orangutan.
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Manis graduated through the rehabilitation stages at IAR’s Ketapang Centre and, in 2019, was released into the wild—a major success story. But her journey didn’t stop there. In the forest, Manis gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Manja, becoming a wild orangutan mother. This wild birth is the ultimate goal of conservation: not just survival, but thriving across generations.
Manis’s legacy is shared with her companion Kepo, another rescued female who was released in 2018 and later gave birth to baby Tegar. Their stories symbolise everything IAR and Yayasan IAR Indonesia strive for: freedom, survival, and renewal.
