PART 1:
Week one of our Winter Salon is a showcase of three talented artists that unrelentingly pursue their subject. For Kate Broadfoot and Julz Beresford it entails enduring all-weather to capture the changing moods of the landscape and for Alix Hunter it is a desire to capture light and balance of composition in her still life scapes. All three have a marked determination in their pursuit that results in beautifully resolved works.
In this new series of work, Julz Beresford steps off her usual dingy on Pittwater to explore the mountainous region of Hill End and Tasmania. The marked shift in palette and soft rendering of light perfectly captures the most beautiful aspects of these hilly scapes.
Kate Broadfoot draws inspiration from the diverse and spectacular region in her locality. Particularly known for her ability to capture the moody coastline or render beautifully the backstreets of the coastal towns that surround her, Kate is a devoted en plein air painter giving her works an inspiring depth.
Alix Hunter uses the genre of still life to examine the technicalities of form, composition and light. Moody shadows interplay with objects in her observations which are then rendered in considered mark making. These are careful compositions that one imagines have been observed slowly and in changing lights to achieve just the right balance.
PART 2:
In the second week of our salon, we will explore 3 artists of a different nature.
Nicole Nelius is a Sydney-based painter exploring colour and playful compositions based on her own still life photographs of uniquely balanced objects. Nicole eschews trickery to align her items. Rather she uses the objects’ natural qualities to create arrangements and harmony in new forms in a Totem-esque fashion, and in the pursuit of a feeling of universality and authentic equilibrium. What starts with a meditative playfulness and curiosity in her photographs is then progressed in an instinctive exploration of colour and unique interactions of colour.
Sydney artist Gemma Rasdall breathes new life into old sails and the vibrant seascapes she produces tell the story of a life well lived by the sea. Growing up in the beautiful bay of Pittwater was an ideal location to instil a love for the water. Weekends were spent racing out of the local sailing club, whilst at home (with an art teacher for a mother) creativity was the primary focus
Nick Olsen is a Brisbane based painter who is interested in the built environment and how our living spaces reflect our cultural sensibilities through different times in our history. He uses a focus on light, tone and colour to elicit an emotional response and a sense of “place” in his work.
