My Australian parents went to England in 1938, and I was born in London on the day WWII was declared. My mother and I returned to Australia in 1940 and I have lived in Perth ever since.
I studied Architecture in Perth. Among our great lecturers we were fortunate to have Howard Taylor for art, and Ludwig Hershfeld Mack who studied at the Bauhaus under Itten, Kandinsky and Klee. In addition, Margaret Pitt Morrison lectured us on the history of architecture. She was the daughter of George Pitt Morrison, the first curator of AGWA.
In 1964 I worked in London for three years, and travelled extensively in Europe. I returned to Australia via the Middle East and India. I have two sons from my first marriage. One is a Project Director at the European Southern Observatory in Munich, and the other is a musician and composer in Madrid.
My working life as an architect was in my own practice, principally engaged in residential, heritage and school projects. In 2001 I lived in Hong Kong for two years. My wife was an academic at one of the universities there, while I taught life drawing and urban sketching to adult classes. My architecture training allowed me to share knowledge on perspective and proportion.
I have sketched and painted most of my adult life. The pleasure I get from this has been enriched by opportunities to travel extensively, to Nepal many times, India, Syria, much of Europe, New Zealand and within Australia.
My first entry in an exhibition was three works for a charity fundraiser for Princess Margaret Hospital. The encouraging title of the event was “Don’t give up the day job”. Despite that, and my great trepidation, all my works sold. Since then, I have had both solo and joint exhibitions.
Artist’s Statement
Architects are trained and spend their life recording objects accurately, which for an artist may be an advantage or disadvantage. The benefits are obvious but the disadvantages include the innate resistance to free reinterpretation. So, I accept that I am a realist painter. One of my teachers at the Claremont School of Art said that all art is regional and Perth supports the Realist School. I am comfortable with that approach. But and there is always a but, I do shift colours and tones to get stronger cohesion, or collision, whichever is appropriate. Once a week I paint with a small group of artists, and I join the Perth Plein Air Painters from time to time. Otherwise, I work in the studio that I built at the end of our garden.
Contact Details:
Email: rkornweibel@hotmail.com
“On Skopelos” $650.00 Oil on Canvas 500mm x 400mm 
“Vincent Way Rottnest” $450.00 Oil on Hardboard 400mm x 300mm 
“Swan River in Winter” Oil on Canvas 850mm x 850mm $1150.00