Status Updates From Heysen of Hahndorf

After this he went to Larens in Holland with German/American Edward Hoehn to do some plein air work when the weather allowed. They lodged in a semi converted barn.

in the summer he went to London to look at the galleries where Turner, Girton and De Wint from Lincoln was his favourites.

Hans tells of his experiences in the life drawing room in Paris. He wore himself out drawing for 8 hrs from the nude model before doing 2hrs from a clothed model in the evening.

Hans lands in Paris and gets 5th floor accommodation in the middle of the arts district with no utilities and a landlady Mdm Leger. He enrols at the Julienne Ecole under Jean - Paul Laurens. He has a tight budget to work to.

He agrees without hesitation and heads for Marseille and then Paris. There was some jealousy left behind and a rumpus because the paper reported he was self trained when Mr Ashton argued he had been to his academy for years.

Davidson and 3 other businessmen offer to send Hans abroad to study. They are to give him £400 and want a breakdown of what he has spent on and return any paintings done for sale in Australia.

He has a painting exhibited and sold in London. He exhibits his work in a barbers of his sisters boyfriend. He is asked to paint full time for pawnbroker Pascoe before being summoned to North Adelaide by businessman Donaldson who has a proposition.

Hans continues on the cart but still paints every week. He is sponsored to join the academy of art & design under H P Gill.

Hans spent his one day off of the week on Sunday painting and sketching the landscape from dusk until dawn. Hans handed his notice in to Cowell s after they refused to give him a rise. He went to work for his father.

He goes for formal training with James Ashton at the Norwood school of Art and joins up with friends at the easel club where he makes friends with Gus Barnes and Reg Comly.

Hans at 15 joins Cowell ' s saw mill and ironmongers as an apprentice. He starts to draw and paint the horses his dad now trades and the gum trees around him.

Hans goes to various schools and shows some promise - especially drawing, which he does to amuse his friends. He enjoys walking in the hills with his older brothers. He is very close to his mum.

Elize never learnt a English all her life. Otto helped his dad and ran the operation in Sydney before starting up on his own. Martha worked in a hotel in Rundle Street and George went to South Africa.

The family struggle "camping" in Port Adelaide. There life's improve as Louis becomes a merchant of eggs and butter first using a cart and eventually exporting to Sydney.

Husband Louis (38) had been out there a year already but things hadn't worked out too well and all he can offer is an empty rented house. Elize was reluctant to come in the first place and her worst fears seemed to be coming true.

The Heysens arrive in Port Adelaide Australia in 1884. Mother Elize (36) travelled with her children Martha who had a deformed hip (14), Otto (13) George (10) Hans (7) and Valeska (4).