‘Printemps’

6 September - 6 October 2024 | Queenscliff Gallery

My time in France, primarily in the Dordogne region and little seaside village of Collioure, gifted me a greater appreciation and understanding of why the French Impressionists and Fauves began painting the way they did. The local landscapes radiate such energy, that any kind of ‘realistic’ interpretation would be amiss. Distant haze, big skies with purple, blue, pink and green undertones in the shadow and light, create such intricate colours, a nostalgic ‘dreaminess’ that would be difficult to describe without artistic intuition.

To get to ‘know’ something, one needs to spend a great deal of time painting it. Many of the plein air works in this show mark the emergence of some kind of understanding of place, which for me is truly exciting. Painting alongside the participants of a workshop I ran in the region, my interest in the ‘experience’ of a subject - from the artist’s initial encounter, to their interpretation process, to the decision when a piece is ‘finished’, then last but not least, the viewer’s interpretation of the work, (and everything that happens in between!) - has become increasingly fascinating to me. Teachers and students are really one and the same, it’s such an enriching part of my practice to be able to explore these ideas with others.

With a traditional background in tonalism, my attention over the years has been shifting more towards ‘colour’, and the challenges (and rewards) that come from leaning into intuition. The deep connection I felt to Collioure and the Matisse and Derain works created there, took me by surprise - offering me encouragement to pursue new ways of ‘seeing’ that I may previously not have felt ready to consider. These ideas permeate this collection of work, at times just quietly and at others with more gusto.

Oil on linen, wood, and canvas, various sizes