Sally West is a highly acclaimed contemporary artist from Australia who has garnered widespread recognition for her distinctive use of thick paint and bold, textural surfaces. Her captivating beach series, which draws inspiration from a range of Australian beaches, including Terrigal, Avoca, Freshwater, Manly, Coogee, Maroubra, Bondi, Camp Cove, Blueys, Lizzie and North Curl Curl, has garnered a significant following.

West has earned numerous art prizes throughout her career and has exhibited her work in many prestigious art competitions. These include the Portia Geach Art Prize at the SH Ervin Gallery, the New South Wales Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, the Paddington Art Prize (2016), the KAAF Prize (2016), EMSLA (2016), Salon Des Refuses (Wynne) Prize, the Charlatan Ink Art Prize in Manhattan, New York City, the Pacific Palms Art Prize (winner 3 years), the Gosford Art Prize, the Mosman Art Prize (2019), the Hornsby Art Prize, and several others. Sally West’s work is highly sought after by collectors and art enthusiasts, and she is considered one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary artists.

Sally West is a highly acclaimed contemporary artist from Australia who has garnered widespread recognition for her distinctive use of thick paint and bold, textural surfaces. Her captivating beach series, which draws inspiration from a range of Australian beaches, including Terrigal, Avoca, Freshwater, Manly, Coogee, Maroubra, Bondi, Camp Cove, Blueys, Lizzie and North Curl Curl, has garnered a significant following.

West has earned numerous art prizes throughout her career and has exhibited her work in many prestigious art competitions. These include the Portia Geach Art Prize at the SH Ervin Gallery, the New South Wales Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, the Paddington Art Prize (2016), the KAAF Prize (2016), EMSLA (2016), Salon Des Refuses (Wynne) Prize, the Charlatan Ink Art Prize in Manhattan, New York City, the Pacific Palms Art Prize (winner 3 years), the Gosford Art Prize, the Mosman Art Prize (2019), the Hornsby Art Prize, and several others. Sally West’s work is highly sought after by collectors and art enthusiasts, and she is considered one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary artists.

In the introduction to my book, Still Life (Thames & Hudson, 2021) I refer to a perceptible and condescending hangover in some quarters of the art world, where the still life genre has been considered ‘the preserve of women and Sunday painters’. Well, in this show Objects in Spaces, two artists who are neither female nor weekend hobbyists explore the genre in a compelling, contemporary and very personal way – and I am a big fan!

Bernard Greaves and Oliver Abbott are two young artists both living and working in Sydney.

Bernard’s artworks are a contemporary expression of colour, movement and texture.  Each collection of works tells a narrative through the thick and instinctive application of oil paint, allowing the viewer to examine a variety of bold, playful and organic gestures.  His recent Still Life series depicts a recent snapshot into his studio surrounds at his grandparents home. The paintings depicting certain items of the everyday are recognisable yet, together, the works hint at a timeless sense of domestic family life. This depiction showcases connection to his own family’s history, having come as migrants from old-world Europe and embracing a new Australia. By closely observing the everyday possessions around him, Bernard aims to remind the viewer of their own connection to their familial memories.

The large chunks of paint draw attention to the material itself, to its colour and to the marks on the canvas, reminding us that what we see is different to what is actually there. By creating these images, detail is reduced, so the viewer must draw on their own memory to make it their own. Bernard utilises the energy and motion of the application of paint to evoke a visceral response so that one may see, touch and smell the pigment in front of them. The oil paintings will draw the viewer even closer to an inspection of the surface and what is indeed the focus – paint.

Oliver’s practice is informed by an interest in external and internal spaces and the built environment. He views interior spaces and the objects within as protected and supported by the architecture around them. Enclosed space affords us the ability to decide the placement of objects within, and the space we provide around them determines how we perceive them. He suggests that objects we own can sit restfully or with a sense of unease, stoicism or ambition.

Referencing Gaston Bachelard in ‘The Poetics of Space’, Oliver highlights the quote “I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.” And referencing the great Giorgio Morandi, Oliver brings our attention to the suggestion that “There is little or nothing new in the world. What matters is the new and different position in which an artist finds himself seeing and considering the things of so-called nature and the works that have preceded and interested him.” Oliver contends that objects we own can sit restfully or with a sense of unease, stoicism or ambition. Still life is a well worn path in painting, but it also affords a familiar entry point.

—
Bernard comes to his art practice from a design background, having completed a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and working in the design and building industry for a number of years. He has recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Art School, Sydney.

Oliver is currently undertaking a Master of Fine Arts in Painting at the National Art School.

• Amber Creswell Bell

Sally West is a highly acclaimed contemporary artist from Australia who has garnered widespread recognition for her distinctive use of thick paint and bold, textural surfaces. Her captivating beach series, which draws inspiration from a range of Australian beaches, including Terrigal, Avoca, Freshwater, Manly, Coogee, Maroubra, Bondi, Camp Cove, Blueys, Lizzie and North Curl Curl, has garnered a significant following.

West has earned numerous art prizes throughout her career and has exhibited her work in many prestigious art competitions. These include the Portia Geach Art Prize at the SH Ervin Gallery, the New South Wales Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, the Paddington Art Prize (2016), the KAAF Prize (2016), EMSLA (2016), Salon Des Refuses (Wynne) Prize, the Charlatan Ink Art Prize in Manhattan, New York City, the Pacific Palms Art Prize (winner 3 years), the Gosford Art Prize, the Mosman Art Prize (2019), the Hornsby Art Prize, and several others. Sally West’s work is highly sought after by collectors and art enthusiasts, and she is considered one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary artists.

In the introduction to my book, Still Life (Thames & Hudson, 2021) I refer to a perceptible and condescending hangover in some quarters of the art world, where the still life genre has been considered ‘the preserve of women and Sunday painters’. Well, in this show Objects in Spaces, two artists who are neither female nor weekend hobbyists explore the genre in a compelling, contemporary and very personal way – and I am a big fan!

Bernard Greaves and Oliver Abbott are two young artists both living and working in Sydney.

Bernard’s artworks are a contemporary expression of colour, movement and texture.  Each collection of works tells a narrative through the thick and instinctive application of oil paint, allowing the viewer to examine a variety of bold, playful and organic gestures.  His recent Still Life series depicts a recent snapshot into his studio surrounds at his grandparents home. The paintings depicting certain items of the everyday are recognisable yet, together, the works hint at a timeless sense of domestic family life. This depiction showcases connection to his own family’s history, having come as migrants from old-world Europe and embracing a new Australia. By closely observing the everyday possessions around him, Bernard aims to remind the viewer of their own connection to their familial memories.

The large chunks of paint draw attention to the material itself, to its colour and to the marks on the canvas, reminding us that what we see is different to what is actually there. By creating these images, detail is reduced, so the viewer must draw on their own memory to make it their own. Bernard utilises the energy and motion of the application of paint to evoke a visceral response so that one may see, touch and smell the pigment in front of them. The oil paintings will draw the viewer even closer to an inspection of the surface and what is indeed the focus – paint.

Oliver’s practice is informed by an interest in external and internal spaces and the built environment. He views interior spaces and the objects within as protected and supported by the architecture around them. Enclosed space affords us the ability to decide the placement of objects within, and the space we provide around them determines how we perceive them. He suggests that objects we own can sit restfully or with a sense of unease, stoicism or ambition.

Referencing Gaston Bachelard in ‘The Poetics of Space’, Oliver highlights the quote “I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.” And referencing the great Giorgio Morandi, Oliver brings our attention to the suggestion that “There is little or nothing new in the world. What matters is the new and different position in which an artist finds himself seeing and considering the things of so-called nature and the works that have preceded and interested him.” Oliver contends that objects we own can sit restfully or with a sense of unease, stoicism or ambition. Still life is a well worn path in painting, but it also affords a familiar entry point.

—
Bernard comes to his art practice from a design background, having completed a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and working in the design and building industry for a number of years. He has recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Art School, Sydney.

Oliver is currently undertaking a Master of Fine Arts in Painting at the National Art School.

• Amber Creswell Bell

Steve Tyerman paints the places with which he is most familiar – the landscapes surrounding his home in the  hinterland of the Gold Coast, as well as the coastal areas of SE Queensland and far northern NSW. Using rich impasto technique, his paintings are an attempt to create a synthesis of his visual sensations and lived experiences, and reflect the artist’s emotional responses to these places tempered by his keen interest in gardening, wildlife, literature and the natural world.

As a means of countering the ubiquity of the cropped and filtered digital image, Tyerman seeks to portray the perspective of viewing with ‘two eyes’ – looking up and down,  adjusting the focus to near and far, and peripheral vision. The human experience of the brain combining all our other senses, memories, expectations, fears, preferences, preconceived ideas and other thought processes to create every lived moment is what he hopes to render in his paintings.

“I’m interested in the passage of time through the landscape, the changing light conditions, the journey of water, the flora and fauna that are so crucial to the environment, the life cycle of plants, our human presence, symbiotic relationships and the connectedness of all these elements in a beautiful and complex ecosystem”.

In the introduction to my book, Still Life (Thames & Hudson, 2021) I refer to a perceptible and condescending hangover in some quarters of the art world, where the still life genre has been considered ‘the preserve of women and Sunday painters’. Well, in this show Objects in Spaces, two artists who are neither female nor weekend hobbyists explore the genre in a compelling, contemporary and very personal way – and I am a big fan!

Bernard Greaves and Oliver Abbott are two young artists both living and working in Sydney.

Bernard’s artworks are a contemporary expression of colour, movement and texture.  Each collection of works tells a narrative through the thick and instinctive application of oil paint, allowing the viewer to examine a variety of bold, playful and organic gestures.  His recent Still Life series depicts a recent snapshot into his studio surrounds at his grandparents home. The paintings depicting certain items of the everyday are recognisable yet, together, the works hint at a timeless sense of domestic family life. This depiction showcases connection to his own family’s history, having come as migrants from old-world Europe and embracing a new Australia. By closely observing the everyday possessions around him, Bernard aims to remind the viewer of their own connection to their familial memories.

The large chunks of paint draw attention to the material itself, to its colour and to the marks on the canvas, reminding us that what we see is different to what is actually there. By creating these images, detail is reduced, so the viewer must draw on their own memory to make it their own. Bernard utilises the energy and motion of the application of paint to evoke a visceral response so that one may see, touch and smell the pigment in front of them. The oil paintings will draw the viewer even closer to an inspection of the surface and what is indeed the focus – paint.

Oliver’s practice is informed by an interest in external and internal spaces and the built environment. He views interior spaces and the objects within as protected and supported by the architecture around them. Enclosed space affords us the ability to decide the placement of objects within, and the space we provide around them determines how we perceive them. He suggests that objects we own can sit restfully or with a sense of unease, stoicism or ambition.

Referencing Gaston Bachelard in ‘The Poetics of Space’, Oliver highlights the quote “I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.” And referencing the great Giorgio Morandi, Oliver brings our attention to the suggestion that “There is little or nothing new in the world. What matters is the new and different position in which an artist finds himself seeing and considering the things of so-called nature and the works that have preceded and interested him.” Oliver contends that objects we own can sit restfully or with a sense of unease, stoicism or ambition. Still life is a well worn path in painting, but it also affords a familiar entry point.

—
Bernard comes to his art practice from a design background, having completed a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and working in the design and building industry for a number of years. He has recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Art School, Sydney.

Oliver is currently undertaking a Master of Fine Arts in Painting at the National Art School.

• Amber Creswell Bell

Sally West is a highly acclaimed contemporary artist from Australia who has garnered widespread recognition for her distinctive use of thick paint and bold, textural surfaces. Her captivating beach series, which draws inspiration from a range of Australian beaches, including Terrigal, Avoca, Freshwater, Manly, Coogee, Maroubra, Bondi, Camp Cove, Blueys, Lizzie and North Curl Curl, has garnered a significant following.

West has earned numerous art prizes throughout her career and has exhibited her work in many prestigious art competitions. These include the Portia Geach Art Prize at the SH Ervin Gallery, the New South Wales Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize, the Paddington Art Prize (2016), the KAAF Prize (2016), EMSLA (2016), Salon Des Refuses (Wynne) Prize, the Charlatan Ink Art Prize in Manhattan, New York City, the Pacific Palms Art Prize (winner 3 years), the Gosford Art Prize, the Mosman Art Prize (2019), the Hornsby Art Prize, and several others. Sally West’s work is highly sought after by collectors and art enthusiasts, and she is considered one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary artists.

In the introduction to my book, Still Life (Thames & Hudson, 2021) I refer to a perceptible and condescending hangover in some quarters of the art world, where the still life genre has been considered ‘the preserve of women and Sunday painters’. Well, in this show Objects in Spaces, two artists who are neither female nor weekend hobbyists explore the genre in a compelling, contemporary and very personal way – and I am a big fan!

Bernard Greaves and Oliver Abbott are two young artists both living and working in Sydney.

Bernard’s artworks are a contemporary expression of colour, movement and texture.  Each collection of works tells a narrative through the thick and instinctive application of oil paint, allowing the viewer to examine a variety of bold, playful and organic gestures.  His recent Still Life series depicts a recent snapshot into his studio surrounds at his grandparents home. The paintings depicting certain items of the everyday are recognisable yet, together, the works hint at a timeless sense of domestic family life. This depiction showcases connection to his own family’s history, having come as migrants from old-world Europe and embracing a new Australia. By closely observing the everyday possessions around him, Bernard aims to remind the viewer of their own connection to their familial memories.

The large chunks of paint draw attention to the material itself, to its colour and to the marks on the canvas, reminding us that what we see is different to what is actually there. By creating these images, detail is reduced, so the viewer must draw on their own memory to make it their own. Bernard utilises the energy and motion of the application of paint to evoke a visceral response so that one may see, touch and smell the pigment in front of them. The oil paintings will draw the viewer even closer to an inspection of the surface and what is indeed the focus – paint.

Oliver’s practice is informed by an interest in external and internal spaces and the built environment. He views interior spaces and the objects within as protected and supported by the architecture around them. Enclosed space affords us the ability to decide the placement of objects within, and the space we provide around them determines how we perceive them. He suggests that objects we own can sit restfully or with a sense of unease, stoicism or ambition.

Referencing Gaston Bachelard in ‘The Poetics of Space’, Oliver highlights the quote “I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace.” And referencing the great Giorgio Morandi, Oliver brings our attention to the suggestion that “There is little or nothing new in the world. What matters is the new and different position in which an artist finds himself seeing and considering the things of so-called nature and the works that have preceded and interested him.” Oliver contends that objects we own can sit restfully or with a sense of unease, stoicism or ambition. Still life is a well worn path in painting, but it also affords a familiar entry point.

—
Bernard comes to his art practice from a design background, having completed a Bachelor of Design in Architecture and working in the design and building industry for a number of years. He has recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Art School, Sydney.

Oliver is currently undertaking a Master of Fine Arts in Painting at the National Art School.

• Amber Creswell Bell