Paddington Stories

Michael Reid Northern Beaches is delighted to present the highly anticipated return of one of the stars in our stable of represented artists, EMILY GORDON. ‘Paddington Stories’ builds on the success of her previous collection of cityscapes, which also traced the distinctive topography and historic character of the titular inner-city enclave and was shown to great acclaim at our flagship gallery late last year.

“I spent much of 2024 exploring the stepped maze of streets and alleys that traverse and connect the many pockets of Paddington,” says Gordon, who was raised in Oakland, California, and moved to Australia in 2005, now dividing her time between Sydney and Gunning, NSW. “My base is the city, and while I had a general familiarity with the area, I was looking to delve into a more intimate understanding.”

Gordon beautifully captures the eclectic jumble of Victorian rooftops and gelato-toned terraces spilling over Paddington’s slopes. Heritage architecture parts to reveal flashes of harbour, bathed in golden light and the shadows of fronds and flowering trees.

“For my previous show, ‘The Paddington Project’, I was hunting for expansive moments of revelation that would translate into larger-scale compositions,” says the artist. “Along the way, I catalogued moments of sunshine, humour, colour and form – snapshots better suited to the smaller board sizes I work with most often: windows into my adventures on foot, an outsider taking notes on my journeys.”

This visual archive informs the Newport-bound ‘Paddington Stories’, a series that distils moments of delight and intrigue from her city walks. “The architecture and flora will look familiar to locals, but each work tells a story that might take an unexpected twist,” she says. “Rhythm and light, atmospherics and drama remain central preoccupations.”