Icons of idocy

Ben Lewis so eloquently described exactly what I've been feeling about some of the overpriced dross that has been occupying the contemporary art world in the past decade in his wonderful Times online article a couple of days ago. It never ceases to amaze me what people will accept if someone in authority tells then to think like this, or buy that, behave in a certain way. Society is far too easily led! We have the wealth of civilisation and knowledge at our over educated fingertips, yet why is it, when it comes to many things like purchasing art, reading wonderful literature, or deciphering what the newsreader is blurbing out on the 6pm nightly news, people loose their brains, powers of reasoning go out the window...just vanish into thin air. I've been watching totally bemused for a number of years now, no-talent artists producing 1000s of multiples of the same work, selling as many as they can produce, with poor quality materials and no sense of anything at all. I hope the current state of the economy will reset people's thinking power and they'll begin to question again. Ask the questions that need to be asked, fall in love with a work of art because it means something to them and fell that they will never part with it for as long as they shall live. Much more preferable to asking how much will this artwork be worth in five years, meaning how much money are you as an artist going to make for me. Its just disgusting, it makes me sick.

I believe in creating art for the right reasons, because you want to create as a method of expression, not to make a dollar. This is why I have always worked full-time in another profession, to support my art, so as not to be in the position of painting for money, I cannot bare that scenario. Nor can I stand myself to just walk up to the easel and blindly paint just because I can. It is not a good way to conduct your art career (except when you are just out of art school and finding your feet), to exhibit just because its your turn in your galleries cycle. You must have something to say, it is for this reason, I sometimes don't paint, it is always on my mind, but I don't see the point of painting to fill an exhibition just because your dealers space needs 30 paintings to fill it. Its just not on, it is better to have 10 large, well constructed images, that are the best that you can do at the time, with a couple of studies on the walls, than more dross for the mill. I also feel that painting is a continuum throughout your life, whilst your subject matter may change over time, it is still this journey, one that I started when I was about 5 or 6 years old in earnest. I've always wanted to paint, I feel unsettled if I don't paint, all those things swimming around in my head just waiting to get out, its almost a cathartic process, that I need to go through.

I look forward to seeing the spin out to a more credible and honest art world in the future.

I've been pondering....

Its been an interesting 12 months for me, with all sorts of dramas and testing decisions which have all led me to question myself, why I paint and what I paint about. I've revisited much of Art History, poured over current contemporary art exhibitions, magazines and web-sites, found myself questioning how the young artists are using so-called modern deliveries of ideas. I regularly read the financial papers, I have been watching the rise and fall of the economies of America, China, England, Japan and India. I think its important to have a big picture of history, as well as what is going on in the current global psyche, and the evolving culmination of human endeavour. I do find it disappointing that in a time where information is so readily available, that so many are ignorant of, and even more sadly do not care about what is going on around them. I am interested to watch some of the young 20 somethings produce what I can only describe as spare of the moment art work, regardless of its delivery, i.e. electronic media, installations, or a photo of an everyday banal event. I feel empty and hollow, and it seems just so long since I've been to see a well considered exhibition, that moves me to have some emotion, whether it be anger, happiness, nostalgia, empathy but rather, I often hear myself saying, ho hum that was banal and boring. Artists like Peter Booth who painted his doorway series in the 1970's, which remind me of the monoliths in Stanley Kubrick's movie, "2001, A Space Odyssey". These paintings are larger than life size and when you walk up to them, they are like a mirror and a void at the same time, its like a meditating monk or deity , attaining all knowledge or enlightenment and yet at the same time having none at all. These works deeply moved me.


Amida Nyorai (Amitabha Buddha), c.1650, Kyoto
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide


"Voids, a Retrospective", Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris Feb-Mar 2009

On the other hand the exhibition shown at the Pompidou centre in five rooms, earlier this year, which celebrated 51 years since Yves Klein first exhibited blank walls at the Galerie Iris Clert in Paris in 1958, called "Voids", leaves me empty and in fact represents how much of contemporary art makes me feel today.

I think that as a society we are losing our way, that greed and apathy will be the worlds downfall. I sense a revolution is at hand, that people will once again stand up and be counted and will speak out. It is interesting to note that the art world has been so corrupted by greed, by the notion that the latest thing is the best thing, the bigger and more expensive it is, the better it is. Art Dealers have fostered the just out of art school clan, as their ticket to ride and in turn on the back of the attitude by the young twenty somethings, that the world owes them something, the notion of why can't I have it all, I've seen in the media how I should be living. I feel that much of the video and photo-based art today is part of the quick make a buck, make me famous ideal. The work can be like a one trick pony and I wonder if these artists will have the stamina to succeed and keep going when their dealer decides they want to promote the next hot young thing.

First Study

"Study for girl at the door", 2009
Oil on linen on board, 12.5 x 18 cm (5 x 7 inches)

Happy New Year to all my readers.

I have made my first steps towards choosing my work for my Canberra show, although the finished painting will be quite large and have less saturated colour, I wanted to work out a few things with a study. I haven't worked in this way in a very long time because with a separate full-time job, I found I didn't have the time, however I will need and want to, with this new work. So I'll post the studies on my small site and post the work in progress of the larger paintings on my This Painting Life blog.... CLICK HERE to purchase this lastest study on my small paintings blog, This Small Painting Life.

Canberra Exhibition 2009

I'm really excited to be having an exhibition of my new work in 2009 at Beaver Galleries, Canberra. It will run from the 15 October - 3 November 2009. I plan to blog about each piece as I work on it, the aim of which is to provide a work in progress series of posts leading up to the show.

Hugo Michell Gallery opens and other ramblings

New Gallery, Hugo Michell opened in Adelaide's Beulah Park a couple of weeks ago. A gorgeous space, with bad acoustics, that made it impossible to talk to anyone on opening night...



The opening show features works by Janet Laurence, Colin Duncan, Troy Innocent, Tim Sterling and Ildiko Kovacs. Laurence's work for me was the standout of the show which can be seen until 14 December 2008. As an aside note, I am most amused at the galleries attitude of secrecy...hmmm! One would think in this economic climate snobbery would not be the profitable way to proceed.



Onto other matters and I've had a really bad month, been sick most of it with a virus thingy but have managed to get out and take a few photos..This one, Jim took of me in my well travelled and much loved car, whilst I waiting for him to take some shots of the amazing sunset as we were coming home from the country one day.



This was taken on another days' journey in a small town, it is pretty rare to find old stations these days, and whenever I do, I just have to leap out of the car and take a photo.



On another occasion, when I needed to get away from it all and I couldn't paint, I drove along the dirt road which clings to the ridge above Kapunda in South Australia and came across this old abandoned home. It is certainly very isolated but at the same time, it is just the most beautiful and peaceful place, I soaked it all up for as long as I could.

James Gleeson DEAD at 92

"Sentinels of a late season", 1987, oil on linen 182x274cm

Australia's greatest Surrealist Painter, James Gleeson has died in Sydney, aged 92. He remains one of my sole inspirations as I follow the path of an artist. He never strayed from his path, he had a single vision which he painted and wrote about his whole life and continued to paint almost every day until the end, regardless of money, fashion or any other distraction. Any time, I think what I'm doing is pointless and no-one cares for what I do, I always think of Gleeson and his single vision, his need like mine to paint. The quality of his painted surface, the paint is so luscious that you want to eat it, the images so organic and primordial, they are the stuff of life.

These two paintings were from his last show on exhibition last month at Charles Nodrum Gallery. I spent quite some time devouring the qualities in these works I so admire, my only regret is that I never got to meet him. I tried several times but there was always a reason either his or mine that it did not happen. I want all Australian painters to study the work of this great man and realise what a great legacy he has left for us.


Detail "Depot for used shadows", 1999 oil on linen, 133x178cm

Following the announcement, I ran up stairs to pay homage to the work of Gleeson that I have in my home, I feel so privileged to own one of these truly great works of art.


James Gleeson "Headland", 1998, oil on canvas, 134 x 200 cm

Things that go bump in the night....

For awhile now, I've been hearing the odd clanking sound in the studio late at night, the odd thing where it shouldn't be and the alarm has been going off in the early hours of the morning. So, something was crawling about but I could never find it. Then, I was greeted by the neighbour holding a mouse trap cage in a bid to help me catch the rodent, so she could get some sleep, rather than be awoken at 2am by the alarm sounding. So, setting the trap day after day, the alarm still going off at really early hours of the day, no luck, no rodent in the cage...and so when arriving at the studio around midday on Sunday, I couldn't believe my eyes, but yes, there was a rather large blue tongued lizard peering at me from behind the couch! Out with the gardening gloves, and into the bucket! Deciding to share the exciting news with the neighbour, it was decided that she would keep it in her back yard that is full of native plants and rockeries...a perfect haven for the little guy....its now really, quiet again in the studio and the alarm is quiet! I so wanted to keep him, as I just adore lizards, oh well, at least I know he is just across the road if I need to visit.