Friday 30 March 2012

Meet JOHN OLSEN tonight, Metro Gallery

JOHN OLSEN   LAKE EYRE:THE DESERT SEA   March 26 - April 28, 2012

This is a rare opportunity to meet the man himself, at 83, he is one of Australia's Greatest living Artist.  
Lake Eyre has had a profound, spiritual influence on Olsen's work for several decades.  The sheer monstrosity and power of this natural form, creates a comforting feeling of insignificance for the Artist.  Olsen visits its silent drought.  He also visits its monumental life force, when water infiltrates its blood stream, giving birth to wildlife and newness again.....The Desert Sea.

Personally I found it enriching to experience Lake Eyers life form through John Olsen's eyes.

John Olsen, Cooper Creek, mixed media on paper 


Friday 23 March 2012

RIMONA KEDEM, Qdos Gallery, 1-22nd July

Last weekend I visited the very beautiful Qdos Gallery in Lorne.  It is a haven nestled amidst the forest.  I was extremely fortunate to meet and have a sneak preview of Rimona Kedem's up and coming July exhibition.  Rimona is a highly respected Artist, from Israel, but living and breathing around the corner from me it turns out, in Melbourne.  Rimona's work is a great insight of her constant exploration with the self.  She works meticulously on one painting at a time usually for over a week.  Even when she is not physically painting she is always thinking and brewing narratives in her mind.  I found her work to be incredibly inspiring, her palette is luminous, her images poetic and her compositions complex and harmonious. Unfortunately the only images I can show you is an older artwork of poor resolution.



Spring 2010, Rimona Kidem


Friday 16 March 2012

Artist of the Week, Brigid Simpson

When we are drawing it is often difficult to 'see' where we are at.  It can take time to recognise our creative identity.  To be able to step back, acknowledge and familiarise ourselves with our true handwriting.  A great deal of being in the 'zone' relies heavily upon where we are in our headspace and how much we are prepared to connect rather than simply wander and decorate.  How much we are also prepared to challenge ourselves and persist with an idea even when it hasn't come to fruition as yet.  It is a fine line to tread, no matter what level you are at.  



Friday 9 March 2012

Artist of the Week, Nicoll Heaslip

I featured Nicoll back in August last year.  It is brilliant to see not only how she constantly evolves, but also how bold she can be.  How that critical red line really does act as a live wire in her work, igniting the unexpected and adding an entirely new dimension to her sculptural images. There lies an intense paradox of raw generous, painterly strokes being pulled together with carefully selected line work and vivid choice of colour, bringing about an unforeseen clarity.





Friday 2 March 2012

Artist of the Week, Jason Lau

Jason approaches his work with a great deal of gusto and commitment and I strongly believe this is where he found the courage to create his final 'dark' piece, shedding ruthless, unrestrained marks with vigour.  At one point he was so absorbed in his creative process that he was using a paint brush in one hand and working directly from the tube in the other, his bluntness generates delicacy.