Amber Stokie ‘Moments’

Currently located in Geelong, Amber Stokie holds a BA in Fine Art from the University of Ballarat (1995) and recently completed a Master of Fine Art degree with Distinction at RMIT University, Melbourne (2018). Stokie has been exhibiting regularly in group and solo exhibitions since 2009. From 2006 to 2009 she established and curated regular exhibitions at Artasis Gallery (ARI) in Richmond. Throughout this period, she also completed several private and corporate commissions and participated in live painting performances at venues that included the National Gallery of Victoria and Chapter House in Melbourne, Vic. She has been a finalist in the Williamstown, Stanthorpe and Blacktown prizes and has won “people’s choice” at AGENDO emerging art award. In 2016 she was recipient of the ADFAS Young Artist Award for her RMIT MFA work, the next year she successfully applied for a solo exhibition at the Wodonga Public Art Gallery. Stokie has been awarded multiple grants for her work from both Council and RMIT University. In 2019 she was commissioned to perform a key work “Are You An Artist Too” from her Masters studies at the 2019 Montsalvat Arts Centre in Melbourne.

Amber Stokie describes her latest abstract paintings as a slow build of depth and dimension where a focus on texture and colour is used to create immersive paintings that continue her investigation of the emotional experiences that come with living in today’s world. 

Through the skilful use of layering, Stokie’s paintings reflect her fascination with life’s ever-changing journey in which diverse events and unpredictable encounters shape our experiences and identity. Her use of bold and unexpected bursts of colour throughout her paintings could be read as moments, turning points, or events of significance, an approach that evokes a sense of fascination and constant discovery after lengthy observation.  Stokie perceives herself as an optimist, carefully selecting a palette that evokes a sense of joy and contemplative connection.

Stokie constructs her work with layers of oil paint and pure pigment, materials that allow for alchemic and often unpredictable outcomes retaining an immediacy in the work. The temporal nature of this body of work, both in its physical and conceptual construction alludes to the relationship between the passing of time and the development of our life’s narratives. 

These works, with their lively and complex surfacers, invite close inspection and closer introspection.

This exhibition will be on display at Michael Reid Northern Beaches from the 23rd of August until the 2nd of September. Viewings are welcome at any time within the exhibition period.