Derek and Derek
Hanbing Lu
Derek and Derek [detail] 2024
Portrait of Derek Lamb
Watercolour on paper
56 x 76 cm
About the Artwork
The sitter, Derek Lamb, is an internationally recognised printer who has led The Officina Athelstane in Rockhampton since 2011. Renowned for his devotion to pre-digital letterpress methods, his work reflects a deep engagement with history and literature, and his books are held in the collections of Oxford, Cambridge, and the National Library of Ireland, among many others.
This double portrait presents Lamb in two personas—artist and miner—set within a mining landscape. Through precise watercolour and dry-brush techniques, I sought to capture the contrast between his creative idealism and the grounded realism of labour. This duality reflects both the balance in his life and his zodiac sign, Gemini, symbolising adaptability and the coexistence of art and toil.
About the Artist
Hanbing Lu is an emerging artist living in Rockhampton and teaching at Central Queensland University. Born and raised in Shanghai, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Art Education and a master’s degree in Engineering. Educated in Western art while deeply influenced by Chinese philosophy and cultural history, her work bridges Eastern and Western traditions with insight and curiosity.
Hanbing’s creative voice explores the relationship between tradition and modernity, the dialogue between past and present, and the fusion of Eastern and Western techniques. The landscapes and cultural contrasts of Central Queensland have inspired her to develop a distinctive artistic language grounded in cross-cultural experience. Her practice spans oil painting, watercolour, digital art, and traditional Chinese art. Awards include the Bayton Award Runner-Up (2023), and she has had exhibitions at and has works held in the permanent collections of Rockhampton Museum of Art and Benevolent Living.