October Coogee

October Coogee

Watercolour and Chinese Ink on Arches Paper
57cm x 34cm

Today I visit Gallery East in Clovelly where my solo show will be in April 2011. The exhibition was another local artist called Nick Hollo.  Like my recent work, he is also inspired by the Sydney landscape as his subject-matter. He uses oil pastels on board to create wonderful bold interpretations of the landscape.

Clovelly rock walk sketches

 Clovelly Sand

Watercolour and Chinese Ink on Arches

 20cm x 19cm

Clovelly rocks

Watercolour and Chinese Ink on Arches

26cm x 20cm

The distinct linear clouds combined with the pattern of rock or sand offers an inspiring reference point. In these small pieces I am using this real-life reference to abstract and suggest. Increasingly, my desire is to abstractly conceive reality in a way that does not purely abstract but rather captures the monumentality of the landscape. I want every brushstroke to express and to have purpose.

Coogee Distilled

Coogee Distilled

Watercolour on Arches Paper

47cm x 33cm

Coogee is a suburb with a distinct visual language. The low-lying red roofs, the use of red brick, the exposed electricity wires, the mature foliage between the buildings. I want to reduce the representation to give a sense of this rhythm so that the painting could be representative of anywhere in the area rather than just a particular view. 

South Coogee Horizon

South Coogee Horizon

Watercolour on Arches

58cm x 39cm