Voodoo Night

"Voodoo Night" 112x107cm Oil on Linen 2008

A few finishing touches left to do but I haven't posted a large painting on my blog for sometime, I wanted you to see what I've been working on. You may remember I put up an image of this last year at the first stage. I am enjoying painting in monochromatic colours after painting with an intensified bright palette for so many years I just feel a great need to knock everything back. The question of how much information do you need in a painting is very much on my mind.

Snap Freeze Review in current issue of Artichoke

Absolutely delighted when I picked up the latest issue of Artichoke magazine (number 22) on the weekend and found an article in SCAN with photos on "Snap Freeze" a survey of Still Life as a genre in contemporary Australian Art exhibition that I was curated into last year. There is a photo of my work and a discussion by the writer about my painting which is fantastic to see.

2008 Adelaide Festival of Arts

Adelaide is a BUZZ with art openings, fringe performers, writers week, street performers and WOMAD...its exciting! I've been to all the major visual arts openings that started last Thursday with EAF, Jam & Samstag galleries. I was most entertained by a suitably bemused Ray Hughes wandering about going quite unoticed by most of the insular Adelaide Art Crowd...I, of course couldn't resist going up and bothering him whilst he sat smoking a cigarette and watching the crowd ebb and flow. He was there at the invitation of one of his artists Tom Moore, who had the star works of the night for me at his exhibition "Autogenic" @ the Jam Factory.

Samstag Museum is hosting Penumbra: Contemporary Art from Taiwan which I was a little disppointed in, mainly because I thought it would be more challenging. However, having said that I went on opening night and the work probably has more impact when you are not talking to people and drinking wine...I'll have to go back. Meanwhile, the 2008 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art "Handle with Care" opened on Friday night and I was impressed with this show. I thought it was a huge improvement on the last Biennial and I particularly liked the fantasy world created by Kate Rohde's sculptures.



Of the commerical galleries I very much enjoyed (although I've seen most of it before in Melbourne at Diane Tanzer Gallery)...the photographic works of Marian Drew. They are beautifully sinister and reference still life paintings of animals, food and vanitas. I particularly liked this work "Possum with five birds" in Drew's exhibition " Every Living Thing".

Australian Art World comes of age

All smiles are Editor, Claire Amrstrong and Editor in Chief Steve Bush of Art World Magazine, here snapped by Vogue Australia at their Launch party at the Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst on 5th February 2008. Its the latest symbol that Australia’s Art Market has come of Age. The second new magazine in almost as many months, the previous being, Artist Profile Magazine (it does have a website...where I ask is Art Worlds???) This new bi-monthly glossy is dedicated to the contemporary art scene, but not just to the local market but more places Australia in the international art scene by how it relates to it. There are wonderful articles like Germaine Greers look at Louise Bourgois's long standing art carrer. The magazine spans the market, a look at 10 artists per issue, general gallery news and meaty feature articles.

In this time of information being at your fingrtips and the validity of hardcopy magazines being questioned, it is hard to justify putting a new hardcopy only magazine on the market. At the first issue I have found that I have read information that I've not been able to find anywhere else, so I would have to congratulate the editors and contributers on their research. I am curious at why the magazine doesn't have an online presence, is this a deliberate act and strategy to overcome the trend towards electronic information only? Will it survive in only this format in years to come?

I've named this post 'coming of age' which I call because we now have a range of Contemporary Art Auction Houses that deal in the secondary Art market, so there is a place for investors to sell and buy which didn't exist 10 years ago. We have so many more galleries opening all over the country, the Brisbane scene has completely exploded in the last three years or so enhanced by the opening of GOMA and the determination of the older stalwart, Philip Bacon. We have magazines like Australian Art Market Report, Artist Profile, Art Almanac, Australian Art Collector, Australian Art Review, Artlink, Eyeline and now Art World. Each offers a different angle and also because of the variety overcomes perhaps some of the previous bias that existed in the publications. To counteract the big end of town, we also see the young artists around the country showing in artist run spaces, and also a range of emerging artists prizes. NONE of this existed when I came out of art school. So its real progress in twenty years. I wait with enthusiasm as to what is next!

First steps for the new work

Last weekend I began collecting information for the new series of works that I have planned...So, I headed off to the beach in to take shots of a architectually designed house from the 50's (you'll get to see this later!!!), and I hoped for the Saturday night classic cars out for a cruise, I found a couple and also these that were parked for a wedding...flicked the camera to black and white and yes I was on a roll...Now, I've just got to find someone to model a fifties bikini in front of the house and I'm there...Rome was not built in a day as they say...

Summertime

Well is beautiful and warm and lovely sunshiny long days and my current obsession is to visit the Adelaide Botanical Gardens and the refurbished Amazon Water Lily display...its just the most amazing flower.

Meanwhile, I've been painting my small works and drawing up new ideas for very large paintings. I spent pretty much the whole of last year tortured with wanting to paint new subject matter. I thought I had it and still may paint my other idea for work in the future but right now its not what I need. I've re-looked at what my interests are, who I am and looked at historical contexts and come up with something more like where I am in my life now. Thankfully I have my small works to get the other things out of my system but really I don't want to paint in such bright colours, rather more monochrome and the subject matter is strong women who display their feminine side and sexuality not in an avert way but rather more in a controlled and knowing way. Large 6 foot black and white paintings of women is where I'm headed...I know its going to be a slow process but I'd rather put out around 6-10 well resolved large paintings and accompanying preparatory studies each year, rather than many medium sized works.



I put this painting up by Otto Dix 1926, Portrait of the Journalist because it influenced me as a young painter and I've realised it is still important to me and am keeping it nearby to remind me about where I'm at...Its going to be an interesting year and am looking forward to making new work.

Oh Xmas Tree

Seasons Greetings to all my readers ! Took this photo as I was driving past at night on they way back to the studio....you get the idea...hence a blurry but pretty big nice looking Xmas tree in the heart of the city.

Its been a frantic month, I'm finishing up all my commissions and other works I didn't quite resolve through the year and then there is all the Xmas parties to got to and general madness resulting from what is the silly season! I'm hoping to make a clean start for 2008 and get working on a major body of paintings for my next exhibition in Canberra. I need a complete change and its a hard process to go through, sometimes, I wish I could just press the hold button on the rest of my life whilst I sort out the mechanisms for my new work....Meanwhile, I'm continuing to paint my small works on This Small Painting Life I am really enjoying these little works and am trying to put up several before the end of the week....

Meanwhile, I've been tagged by the wonderful Georgia based artist, Neil Hollingsworth and thus I have to tell you 5 little known facts about myself and then I'll tag five other artists to do the same.

So, here are some facts about me:

1. My first day at school, I was bored in class wondering what all the rubbish was coming out of my teachers mouth....so got up, walked out of class and plonked myself in the sand pit and began building things...much more interesting .... !

2. I am absolutely scared of heights, I cannot even watch high things on television without pins and needles under the arch of my foot, get a niggling pain in my tummy that makes me want to jump...

3. Cars, I am obsessed with them, it is one of my favourite subjects to talk about, once I start, I just cannot stop!

4. I worked in television for 16 years, both my father and cousin still work in the industry and my mother worked there too until she got married in the 60's when there was a rule that you couldn't work once you got married!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!!!!

5. I have a pet Sulpher Crested Cockatoo who we all thought was a male, hence named Sebastian, at age 18years he/she layed an egg and now we call her Sebastienne. She is very important to me because I am an only child, my mother is an only child, thus our family is very small and this crazy parrot who has kept me company all night when I studied at university and always been just there for the past 35 years or so...is just well, to me, like my little sister.


These are the five artists I'd like to tag...

Otto Lange

Cooper Dragonette

Travis Louie

Nigel Cox

Edward B Gordon

Melbourne trip Part II

There was so much to see and do in Melbourne that I couldn't squeeze it all into one blog post...so here is a bit more of the journey and the people along the way....
Day one in Melbourne started off with a wonderful walk in the park and then breakfast with the lovely Channel 10 Adelaide Newsreader who is based in Melbourne, Rebecca Morse and the keen eye amongst you will realise this is the person whom has been my subject for a portrait painting.



Heading off to some galleries, Nellie Caston, a peak at the new and very large premises that Mossgreen now occupies in South Yarra and a gander at the works on offer for their auction. I was very disappointed by the Christine Abrahams show of Philip Wolfhagen's work it was slapped together and although I appreciated the surfaces I saw, I found them neither abstract or literal representation of landscape and sky, they lay somewhere in the middle not sure of where they wanted to be.
Later in the day we headed off to Brunswick street for some alternative shopping, always a rewarding experience! I spent way to much money in Zetta Florence!



With my pocket suffering in shock I took myself off to see Louise & David @ St Lukes and stocked up on some art materials...with the promise of beer, we hung around after being told an artist called Martin King was coming around to show his home movie of a trip he'd taken to the sub antartica. Well, my sceptical eye was raised thinking, oh my, a home movie...Was I WRONG! Martin turned up with a DVD and some catalogues and a group of us gathered to watch his experience detailing himself and three other artists and their trip to South Georgia on the ship Australis in 2005. What a wonderful production which I immediately said the ABC should be screening to which he said they were planning to...keep your eye out for it, a really well shot, great music score, amazing scenery and exploration by the artists. King recently held an exhibition at Port Jackson Press.

Spoilt to have seen such a well put together production and all fuzzy from drinking beer, it was time to get myself together to meet for dinner, the very charming Eugene who is working with Jim for his 2008 exhibition with Charles Nodrum Gallery.

Morning of day two it was decided that town was the best idea and headed off we did to Flinders Lane, took in Hearman's show at Tolarno Galleries, which was crowded to the rafters with work, all wonderfully painted but way too much of it! Ducked into a couple of shops underground that were hidden by hidden doorways and off to look as any good tourist does...yes, Graffiti!



Jim and I met up with Daniel Sanger and Michelle Giacobello at their exhibition being held at Cafe Loco in Elsternwick, we were also joined by Triecia Gibney and had a long chat over some lunch, it was great to meet with people in the physical sense those you've only interacted with in a virtual way.



And so it came the big day of the exhibition opening but first the drive in the beautiful Gippsland...Had a great time, a few people drove over from Melbourne for the show and everyone who was there loved the exhibition. After the opening a group of us sat down to the wonderful country hospitality of Cowwarr Artspace director, Carolyn Crossley who cooked the fresh fish that her partner and great sculptor, Clive Murray-White caught..

The Melbourne Trip

Had a fantastic time in Melbourne as always...starting with the long and beautiful drive down the Great Ocean Road and came across some beautiful cars there for the Porsche Great Ocean Road Escape. There were about 170 cars plus officials etc ending up in about 350 people involved, a really big group of people having a lot of fun in expensive cars! I found this replica Porsche, like the one James Dean was killed in, built by the man who was checking the tyres. Absolutely beautiful. Many people were not so impressed with the Great Ocean road being blocked off at various times over the weekend so the club members could play the driving course. They were raising money for the local hospital on the way. so that has got to be good.



After getting distracted by cars as I always do.....I went nuts taking photos of trees, Sulpher Crested Cockatoos that were running around everywhere in Lorne and of course I had to climb up on something to get a better view of the ocean!



There is a great Sculpture by the Sea exhibition along the coastline at Lorne too...well worth the look.





Finally got to Melbourne, went Gallery Hopping in Flinders Lane and a look at all the fantastic Graffiti everywhere...I thought the I love Melbourne one was really appropriate.



And here is proof I was there...its a picture of me!!!!



After a day of running around the art shops buying paint, looking at shows, visiting friends just needed a good night out, so an artist in Melbourne suggested the Blue Diamond. Had a fabulous time there, what a great view...and all those decadent red curtains everywhere are just my kind of idea of right...



Of all the exhibitions I saw, the whole exhibition and this painting called "Thought you had all the answers", 2007 oil on linen 152 x 152cm by Julia Ciccarone was the most inspiring experience and I recommend getting along to see it if you are in Melbourne.

On the road again

This is the view from my car as I drive to the studio at the end of the day from my job..although its a lovely view and I really should stop taking photos as I drive, but then I'm usually so bored at driving at these ridiculously slow speeds we are forced to go at these days...Anyway....I'm leaving in the early hours of this morning and heading up the coast to Victoria via the Great Ocean Road...I just cannot wait! I'll be back in a few days from my trip and the opening and I'll tell you of my adventures then.

Dianne Gall - Recent Paintings Cowwarr Artspace

Just finishing packing up my next solo show, which is being picked up on Thursday by the courier. Now, as I gaze around the studio, it looks really empty and the space is inspiring me to fill it up again with some new work! I'll be heading off to wonderful Melbourne next week and then travelling to the Gippsland for the opening at Cowwarr Artspace on Sunday November 11th. I'm so looking forward to the show and the hunt around the galleries in Melbourne, as well as stocking up on art materials :)

The exhibition runs until 17th December and is open Friday through Monday 11am-5pm...so if you are out for a nice drive in country Victoria, stop on by the show...

Finalist : Eutick Memorial Still Life Award 2007

"My Adventures with Astro Boy" 40x132cm Oil on Linen

I have been selected as a finalist for the Inaugural Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, to be exhibited at the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery in New South Wales. The exhibition opens on the 26th October when the winners will be announced...The exhibition concludes on the 25th November.

Small Paintings Blog

Have just set up a small paintings blog, This Small Painting Life I plan on posting one a week. I see this as a great way of exploring ideas and expanding my artistic practice.

William Robinson Exhibition - Australian Galleries Sydney

Blue sea and coastal forest 2007 oil on linen 100 x 162 cm

This wonderful painting looks to be the highlight of the William Robinson exhibition which opens tomorrow night at Australian Galleries Sydney and runs until October 24th, I wish I could see it. This work is just inspiring, I feel so relaxed looking at it and the light on the water in the distance just adds to the mystery and emotion embued in the work. Just wonderful :)

What's on the Easel?

I made very sure that the first thing I painted was his rope tie, so that he couldn't escape! I have a few of these objects, they give me the heebee jeebees! For some reason, which I cannot explain, I'm really drawn to them. I did see Karen Black in the Trilogy of Terror when I was a kid and it made a BIG impression on me, so believe me, that tag is never coming off my little Voodoo Doll! At least I can rely on Devil Girl to watch him.....she is just as bad but a lot more subtle about it!
This is the first stage of the painting which I'm experimenting with tinted B&W, it'll look a bit different when finished, a bit of red tinting here and there...just want to have some fun with it really....

Opening Night @ St Lukes - Exquisite Palette

I couldn't be at the opening but thankfully Triecia took some great photos of the works and crowd on the night....you can find out more @ her blog A Reason to Paint

Artist Profile Magazine

Popped into the Art Gallery of SA today and picked up the new Australian Art magazine Artist Profile published by Horwitz Publications quartlery and edited by Paul Flynn who is well known in Sydney as an Art History specialist and gallery assistant previously at Brian Moore Gallery and now at Michael Carr Gallery (who represents me in NSW).

This is a much needed publication, that is taken from the artists perspective, rather than the commerical one that Australian Art Collector focuses on. The first issue looks at the Sidney Nolan Retrospective at AGNSW, profiles young artist Alan Jones, abstract painter John Hoyland, takes a peek inside Nicholas Harding's studio and Steve Lopes talks about the creative process.

I wish Paul and all invoved in the Magazine success, its going to be a very valuable resource for the Australian Art community in the future.

Loreto Spring Art Exhibition September 2007

These are my two completed works for the Annual Spring Loreto Art Exhibition which opens Friday night September 7 2007 and runs for one weekend only. This is a very successful event for the College and artists alike, many months of work go into getting sponsors, publicity and selecting artists to participate and I always find it a rewarding venture to be part of.


"Still life - Frog cake composition #1" 2007


"Still life - Frog cake composition #2" 2007

Loreto Art Exhibition Work In Progress

A work in progress after four hours of painting, the subject is an Adelaide tradition! On the left are two cakes...they are known as Balfours Frog Cakes and these little sweet sensations were first made in the 1920's. Back then, it was a real treat to go into the heart of the city on a Saturday morning and have morning or afternoon tea at the company's popular tea rooms. Everytime I exhibit paintings of these, I add to my collection of "Frog Cake Tales"....it is always a joy to hear them.

Astro's Dream Car (Exquisite Palette piece)

This is the completed work for the Exquisite Palette show..."Astro's Dream Car (1951 Ford Mercury)" 2007