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

Julz holds a Bachelor Of Fine Arts UNSW Art & Design (COFA). She was a finalist in the Hornsby Art prize (2019), Finalist Northern Beaches Art Show (2019), Finalist Mosman 2088 (2019) Finalist Mosman 2088 (2020).

Describing herself as an expressive artist Julz is always working towards capturing the ‘essence’ of the landscape. Prolifically painting her chosen subject again and again, completely emerging herself in it. Julz strives towards gaining a deep understanding of the landscape. Often returning to the same place at different times of the day, with its different light and in all weather. Her artistic process begins “Plein air” where she collects gouache colour paintings, drawings and photos. Working towards capturing that one moment in time.

Her insatiable love of the Australian landscape, its unique colours constantly pull her outdoors and feeds her desire to capture its beauty. Her works are an expressive piece of the whole process as well as a manifestation which embodies the feeling of actually being there. “It’s all just a snapshot of my memory, of what I see and how I feel in the landscape”.

“As an Artist, painting is like a process of liquid thought. It’s a means of story-telling, the power to express a particular moment in time in that Landscape. Starting my work Plein Air allows me the ability to be present in the moment so I can deeply interpret the authenticity of the landscape. Questioning what make this place so unique, later translating its story to the canvas. This recent body of work is a representation of the conversation I’m having with myself and the canvas. The physical painting itself is a process of liquid thought. A story telling where I convey my reflections through expressive mark making with a particular fascination of communicating the authentic light and colour of the place in time. Completely assimilated into the countryside and open to discover the landscape in front of me. Through deep consideration of what I see and feel while immersed in the Australian Landscape I begin my process with drawing and gouache colour paintings, hoping to capture the essence of the place. Seeking to communicate the story of the place at that exact moment in time”.

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

Julz holds a Bachelor Of Fine Arts UNSW Art & Design (COFA). She was a finalist in the Hornsby Art prize (2019), Finalist Northern Beaches Art Show (2019), Finalist Mosman 2088 (2019) Finalist Mosman 2088 (2020).

Describing herself as an expressive artist Julz is always working towards capturing the ‘essence’ of the landscape. Prolifically painting her chosen subject again and again, completely emerging herself in it. Julz strives towards gaining a deep understanding of the landscape. Often returning to the same place at different times of the day, with its different light and in all weather. Her artistic process begins “Plein air” where she collects gouache colour paintings, drawings and photos. Working towards capturing that one moment in time.

Her insatiable love of the Australian landscape, its unique colours constantly pull her outdoors and feeds her desire to capture its beauty. Her works are an expressive piece of the whole process as well as a manifestation which embodies the feeling of actually being there. “It’s all just a snapshot of my memory, of what I see and how I feel in the landscape”.

“As an Artist, painting is like a process of liquid thought. It’s a means of story-telling, the power to express a particular moment in time in that Landscape. Starting my work Plein Air allows me the ability to be present in the moment so I can deeply interpret the authenticity of the landscape. Questioning what make this place so unique, later translating its story to the canvas. This recent body of work is a representation of the conversation I’m having with myself and the canvas. The physical painting itself is a process of liquid thought. A story telling where I convey my reflections through expressive mark making with a particular fascination of communicating the authentic light and colour of the place in time. Completely assimilated into the countryside and open to discover the landscape in front of me. Through deep consideration of what I see and feel while immersed in the Australian Landscape I begin my process with drawing and gouache colour paintings, hoping to capture the essence of the place. Seeking to communicate the story of the place at that exact moment in time”.

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

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

Michael Reid Southern Highlands is delighted to welcome Ray Monde to the upstairs gallery with The River.

It’s the simple joy of a river in summer that Ray Monde captures in these new works which thread a connection along the Shoalhaven River between Riverbend, Ray Monde’s home and studio, to Riversdale, part of Arthur Boyd’s estate at Bundanon.

Ray Monde is renowned for his collage technique called ‘ghostworking’ where he overpaints paper from magazines allowing the print to ‘ghost’ through the paint, adding depth and complexity to his work.