I started this series almost on a whim. Experiences as children sharply determine who we will be as adults. As we mature, we become better at masking those childhood emotions, we build a stronger exterior to smooth the bumpy ride, but underneath, within us all, is still the little boy or girl, never quite believing where we are and what we’re doing. Continue reading Dry your tears: the child within us #art #collage
The Blake Prize is kooky. It’s essentially an art prize for works with a religious bent but its parameters are very, very broad. This year’s shortlist includes two men masturbating framed by poo and a convoy of military vehicles with Jesus as the driver/cargo. I love how the judges have the balls to show some gruesome imagery and there’s a glorious mix of emerging … Continue reading Pictures framed with poo and other spiritual experiences: Blake Prize
I’ve decided to go back to school and learn to draw all over again. After spending 20 years in the mad world of advertising, my drawing skills became institutionalised. They became kind of pictionary-esque quick-draws to get an idea across as quickly and simply as possible. It’s a joy to step back into school, at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra and pick … Continue reading Back to basics, re-learning to draw
It’s nothing much to look at. A few words in a column relegated to things to do to fill in lazy Friday afternoon. But for me it was a big deal, huge. Being invited to showcase my work in Goulburn Regional Art Gallery (GRAG) as part of ‘A Snapshot’ series meant so much to me. Not only did I get to share gallery space with the … Continue reading What is smaller than matchbox but can move mountains?
If anyone knows anything about Sidney Nolan, they know his Ned Kelly series: an Australian bushranger immortalised in enamel on hardboard, many painted on the kitchen table of Heidi on the outskirts of Melbourne while Sunday Reed made steaming cups of tea and writhed in the bedsheets. I thought I knew the works of Nolan. I was wrong. One wing in MONA is dedicated to … Continue reading A mammoth work of staggering brilliance: Nolan’s Snake
Jack Featherstone is an amazing man. He spent a great deal of his life travelling the Australian outback, giving dental care to remote communities and investigating the bacteria of the mouths of Indigenous Australians. His paintings are wonderfully naive, but what I love the most are the stories that go with them. It made me realise while it’s fine to make pretty pictures, the works … Continue reading Art with a story is better than art for art’s sake
I was lucky enough to stop by Ben Quilty‘s exhibition at the National Art School. Ben was the offical war artist in Afghanistan, commissioned by the Australian War Memorial. His works are staggering in scale and paintwork. It looks like he’s taken great slabs of paint and smeared them across the canvas. It makes the paint very meaty, very chunky and made me want to … Continue reading Why you want to bite into Ben Quilty’s work, just mind the nipples
Francis Bacon Five Decades is in it’s last few weeks at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It closes on 24 Feb and I absolutely jubilant for having been able to see it. I had always thought his works as cloyingly macabre, deliberately masticating figures for the joy of it. But seeing them in person, completely changed my view of his work. For a … Continue reading The colours of Bacon haunt me even now
Years ago I lived in Bloomsbury in London and shared a mad 3 storey house with all kinds of inspiring folk. There was a guy who made light installations for raves, another bloke made a massive 6 storey high treehouse just to film it being burnt to the ground and then there was Anna Hymas who was studying at St Martin’s College. Her work has … Continue reading Anna Hymas’ style is lyrical and beautiful
A surprise trip to Adelaide took me to the Art Gallery of South Australia. For a relatively small gallery, it really punches above its weight with stunning, carefully curated exhibitions like Fred Williams and Lidia Groblicka. The real eye-popper for me was Anna Platten. Her work is stunning, precise and opens up a cornucopia of wonder. What especially struck me is that she creates full … Continue reading Anna Platten is devilishly crazy
Ray Monde 