Edwin Tanner was born in Wales in 1920, the son of a miner, his family migrated to Australia in 1923. As a student he excelled at higher mathematics, going on to study structural and civil engineering, as well as training in carpentry and as a civil pilot.

In the 1950s he moved to Hobart, working for the Hydro-Electric Commission, later moving to Melbourne where, in 1960, he set up in private practice as a consulting engineer. After this point he maintained the two professions, while also studying philosophy.

His paintings show the influence of his earlier career - Tanner has been described as a 'mathematical expressionist' due to his use of geometric lines and depiction of technical forms, sometimes compar...