I've been exploring new territory, which is a nice little play on words for the work I've created recently. Landscapes. Literally exploring new territory both on foot and art.
Place is very evocative. Memories and nostalgia of places we spent in happy times, with people we love, on adventures and just the ordinary day in our own backyard. A space to contemplate, to consider. To just watch the clouds passing and bees in the garden.
Also all those beautiful shapes, colours, movement.
All the feelings.
I would say my heart lies with abstract. I love the freedom to respond to materials, to the process. But more and more I'm drawn to landscape.
I love that it starts with proper foundations; observing, noticing and reducing all that into a study with formal arrangements of shapes and tones.
Once I've established a foundation, I can then let loose and abstract to my little heart's content! Swish when I feel like swishing, scribble when I feel like scribbling.
I feel safe, I have a solid foundation
making the painting bit feel freer in some way.
In a way, it's how I live life. I am very organised, I love a list and have my admin systems to keep everything in place. But once that list is down, my inner teenager rebels! I chose to do what I feel like doing instead of what I should be doing. Sometimes it's called procrastination. I can do that knowing I have systems in place to bring me back to what's important. Just like art principles.
I have 4 landscape pieces entered in a number of art shows this coming month. And as I sit here writing (not procrastinating) I hope to have another couple ready to submit to a few more. What's a deadline, after all, unless it's at the last minute!
clockwise l-r: 'The Meadows' submitted to Bendigo Art Show; 'The Rocky Bank' submitted to Tumut Art Show; 'Let's Walk Back Along The Foreshore' submitted to Apollo Bay Art Show; 'Forest Mist' submitted to Apollo Bay Artshow.
