Denis Smith- Chasing a ball of light

Sometimes artistic pursuits are for the Artist as much as the viewer. Denis Smith is on a journey of self-discovery that has led him to some exciting locations across the state. Artistic pursuits are a way of finding one’s self, particularly in this modern world where one can easily become lost. I met Denis Smith at Bowerbird and was fascinated by his photography. After speaking with him I got the sense that there was a unique story attached to his work, that there was more to it. I was directed to the video on his website and I must say it was both honest and eye-opening.  I hope people take the time to view it for themselves; I have provided link at the end of this post.

Ball of light is a concept that is; as far as I am aware, unique to Denis. It is not created with the use of Photoshop or any post production means. What is astounding to note is that the “ball of light” shots were all taken at night. These photographs are built by a time-honoured technique where the “Bulb” setting on the camera is used to keep the shutter open for long periods of time. Light is then spun in front of the camera at the appropriate time in the shot to produce the “Ball”. Denis has travelled all over the beautiful State of South Australia capturing the changing landscape in remote and local settings.

These photos were taken at remarkable rocks on Kangaroo Island. They are strange shapes of weathered granite that sit on a hill overlooking a vast national park.  Constructed over thousands of years they are immense and in many ways seem as though they are a portal themselves.  They are a fitting place for a ball of light, with its otherworldly nature, to come into being. If you look closely at the sky in each of the shots you can gauge the amount of time that Denis Smith would have had to sit. The stars have carved small trails across the heavens, the earth having moved a considerable distance on its axis. I enjoy these shots for the colour, the contrast of bright yellow and gold to the ochre stone, green foliage and blue sky and sea. I feel as though a strange visitor has encroached on the landscape and the photograph is witness to it.

Grange jetty is an icon in South Australia. An old weathered jetty it has a character all of its own. This shot taken from below reflects the light of the ball on the underside of the wooden slats above while the calm sea lies in the background. The whole photo transmits a plasma like light that pervades the scene.

For Denis the Ball of light is a portal to another place. For him there is no doubt that it was a lifesaving and life changing experience. Please have a look at his site.
http://www.denissmith.com.au/about/ball-of-light-movie/

http://www.denissmith.com.au/

Catherine Fitz-gerald- Tranquil garden moments captured in oil

Catherine Fitz-gerald  is an Adelaide artist known  for her masterful skill in depicting colour, particularly in nature. Her works have spanned a variety of subjects from fruit, to flowers and organic forms. I was able to view her work at Greenhill Galleries in North Adelaide.

Catherine grew up in Adelaide although she spent 16 years away, she returned in her early 40’s. Her art career began in Year 12, however she did not complete any painting in this time preferring set and furniture design, etching and enamels. She also briefly worked with ceramics before embarking overseas. In Canada she studied calligraphy and began painting little “Victorian” watercolours in her travel diary. She began painting in earnest at the age of 40. When I asked Catherine if she had studied formally she said;

“The best art advice I ever got was from my 9 year old nephew, who was doing his piano practice and said, “My teacher can tell if I haven’t practised 3 times a week.”  I realised if I wanted to really give my art a good go I had to paint at least three times a week. Which I have done (as a minimum) for the past 11 years.”

This is by far the best advice on how to paint that I have seen too. She states that even though it may sound banal; one’s whole life develops your eye and informs your art.

Her show is titled “Inspiration and Memory” the title evokes feelings of nostalgic revere. The title of the show was dedicated to her mother who had turned 80 only days before the exhibition opening. For Catherine the garden was always a place that evoked pleasant memories. She was one of 5 children and it was often in the garden that she had private and meaningful conversations with her mother. In this place she learned of family history. The garden was her access point to her mother’s memories. Her mother also had a beautiful singing voice and singing always helped the household tasks go quicker.

One of the notable things about Catherine is that she often paints with children of all ages. She does not teach them as such but they paint with her as fellow artists, exploring the same theme and planning their works.  She is a firm believer in the value of art in a well-rounded education. As part of this solo exhibition they are on display with her works.

“Enthusiasm” is a delightful oil on canvas work primarily of a nectarine blossom in the arch of a tree. It is a work which focuses on the point where the branches diverge. Small lively green leaf shoots are apparent on the upper branch with a bold centralised pink blossom being the focal point. Other blossoms echo the shape and hue but lie behind the main branch. There is an array of interesting angles that intersect with the edge of the space. The textures have been brought forward by the use of contrast. This same element has been used to compose the bark.  Thick layers of paint have been utilised to ensure that the cracks and roughened surface is apparent in the piece.  Enthusiasm is a joyful work, and in many ways it is a celebration of life and of spring. The central arc of the intersection of the branches is reminiscent of a figure joyfully throwing their arms into the air. The vibrant blossoms and tender shoots signify a new life or enthusiasm as the warm weather causes the plant to ecstatically come to life. Contrast is apparent throughout the work the roughened nature of the bark with the tender petals of the blossoms and the bright energetic colours with the stark brown and grey of the tree. I enjoy the painterly qualities of this work which Catherine Fitz-gerald has allowed to show through. There is no hiding that this is a painting. The beautiful brush strokes tell me that. The works in this exhibition had songs attached to them and; for Enthusiasm it was, “Young at heart”.

“Fairytales can come true…if you’re young at heart. For it’s hard you will find to be narrow of mind, if you’re young at heart…and life gets more exciting with each passing day…..”

In this work we can see the honesty of the nature of the thing itself. A simple moment noticing the life of spring and the beauty of a tender blossom has been captured for us to enjoy. Each new time we witness the wonders of spring it is as though we are seeing it with fresh new eyes.

“Resilience” is an altogether different oil painting compared to others in this exhibition. It captures the play of light beneath the leaves and branches of a Gingko plant. The bright blue sky is the background negative space. This space envelops the work and provides a vibrant backdrop which highlights the luminescent leaves and solid defined branches.  Through the thin structure of the leaves deep shadows show through. There are solid and defined forms of light and dark reacting within these leaves. The song attached to this piece was; “What a wonderful world”.

“I see trees of green….and I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

“Resilience” to me is reminiscent of life. The ups and downs, the dark and light a counter play of opposites. More so however is the plant itself, the Gingko has survived since the dinosaurs. It is itself an amazing example of the resilience of the natural world.

List of Catherine’s other works at Greenhill Gallery

Reason for being

I attended the opening of this exhibition on Sunday and I must say it is a wonderful display, drawing together the talents of several local artists. It is different in that the artists have created their works from objects that have been discarded by others. The overall theme of the show is recycling; giving new life to old objects, transforming them into things of beauty that evoke an element of contemplation. I was fascinated by the depth and sophistication that could be achieved by using such simple materials.

This exhibition is about reusing and recreating. I have included some images and statements from the Artists from the online catalogue available here
Reason for being online catalogue

Judith Carletti’s whimsical soft sculpted creatures combine animal and human body parts, and employ only supermarket packaging (flour bags, soft drink cans and foil lids from dips and yoghurt) in their production.

Fern Hudson
In this throwaway society that we live in, I love finding things that people have thought to keep, to mend, to not throw away. That someone might have a garment that is no longer of use, but they would first cut off the buttons and collect them in a tin.

This exhibition is open until the 17th of June at Prospect Gallery, just next to the Prospect Library. If you are able to, please take the time to see it for yourself.

Prospect Gallery website

Kally Doyle- echos of the past signal a future

I met Kally Doyle a few days ago and was most impressed with her work which is hanging in the Geoffrey Stapleton Gallery until the 13th of May. She is in her second year of at Adelaide College for the Arts and is a practising artist in the meantime. Kally has a youthful energy that is apparent in her work and also in her choice of subject matter. For the SALA festival last year she decided to explore dinosaurs as her theme and found that they were well received. She has included a few more in this show along with many other works. She is only at the beginning of her career and is already an accomplished painter. Her work is diverse and personal.  I spoke to Kally one thing I noticed  was the energy that she transmitted. She is certainly a quirky, interesting individual who is in love with her work.

It was the Dinosaurs amongst her works on display which captured my imagination and brought back childhood memories of pawing through books on dinosaurs at school.

“What they don’t know” is a bold work containing large tyrannosaurus rex that seems to creep silently along a darkened room interior. Its teeth are bared, flashing white, as it looms through the shadows. It’s skin is camouflaged against the Art Nouveau wall paper which bursts with a plethora of stylised floral patterns. Doyle has rendered  this monster using a hand painted background on canvas and then worked the creature into the painting using tonal graduation. Tone is the predominant element of the piece, effectively drawing the viewer into the work without detracting from the wallpaper background. Doyle’s application of pattern in this work provides a uniformity that serves to balance the dominant subject against the space.

When one first looks at this canvas it appears as if this is a painting of patterned wallpaper then the monster appears from within.

Who has not been frightened at one time or another by the shadows in a room? Or a monster created by a coat rack or a pile of clothes? I remember being frightened by the shadows. Things in the dark that look so real until the lights are turned on and they disappear altogether. Perhaps with this work Doyle is providing an explanation as to where they might vanish, into the walls!  Who is to say what a dinosaur’s skin actually looked like, what colours it might have contained? Creative illustrators might have described them in one way. Doyle now finishes the job.

“What was I thinking” is another dinosaur inspired piece, however this one has an altogether different denotation. This is a less than frightening dinosaur, reminiscent of a child’s play thing. It sits upon a background of geometric and organic shapes of purple and blue. Various transparent forms drift about; a smiling parental figure, a bike and a more realistic roaring dinosaur. This symbolic, playful plethora of forms contrasts directly with the geometric configurations to provide an interesting backdrop to the main subject of the work. Analogous colour softens the subject matter so it appears dreamlike.

This whole work is painted from the point of view of a child. We the viewer are positioned  beneath the towering dinosaur. Like the blank dead eyes of a doll, the eyes of this toy do not engage with us. They stare out at something beyond. Above the lizard there is a square yellow light that might resemble a skylight. The geometric shapes could represent memories or patterns of thought; they join, each one leading to the other as one might nostalgically recall events of the past. I found myself doing this as I examined this work; memories of endless hours of play with plastic dinosaurs on the lounge room floor. My head lying flat against the carpet wondering how they might have looked in real life.

Kally Doyle is an artist at the beginning of her career. It is a bold move to put yourself up on display. Her work is refreshingly honest and that is its appeal.

http://www.thegeoffreystapletongallery.com/