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The summer mood keeps on rolling with Armidale-bas

The summer mood keeps on rolling with Armidale-based artist JO WHITE's latest series of bright, breezy, nostalgic paintings – available online and at Michael Reid Northern Beaches.

Titled ‘Like Wow, Wipeout’, the artist's retro surfing scenes offer a wistful ode to the classic Australian beach holiday. Like postcards from the decade that brought us Puberty Blues, each piece reflects her affinity for the Australian vernacular and her eye for the totemic images and objects that loom large in the cultural memory.

Reminiscent of faded snapshots from a family road trip or the type of idealised, sun-splashed imagery that might adorn the interior of a Surf Life Saving Club or a coastal RSL, White’s petite and perfectly composed paintings seem less concerned with the actual landscapes they depict than the halcyon era they evoke. They transport us to laid-back, languorous days of salubrious, sporty pursuits in a simpler, more innocent time.

Works from ‘Like Wow, Wipeout’ by Jo White are available online and at the gallery, where they are displayed alongside ceramic sculptures by Jan Vogelpoel from this year’s ACB Selects.

For more, please email northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au

@jowhitestudio
@janvogelpoel_ceramics

#jowhite #jowhiteart #jowhiteartist #likewowwipeout #contemporarypainting #newportlocal #michaelreidnorthernbeaches

We are pleased to announce that the next large-sca

We are pleased to announce that the next large-scale solo presentation at Michael Reid Northern Beaches will be an exhibition of sublime new works by acclaimed contemporary photographer DANIEL SHIPP.

Now available to preview digitally ahead of the show’s opening on Thursday, 1 May, Shipp’s ‘Super Nature’ series writes a bold and richly atmospheric new chapter in his ongoing project, ‘Botanical Inquiry’, which draws on romantic visions of exotic flora and moody landscapes gleaned from 18th-century botanical illustrations.

Shipp’s images are highly constructed compositions that harness light and colour as storytelling tools to elicit an emotional response. The artist stages live plants against epic photographic backdrops and captures them with a single exposure. These sweeping, cinematic illusions are lensed using an antiquated analogue technique developed in the 1940s, which he honed for this series and built into his digital process.

“I produced the first ‘Botanical Inquiry’ ten years ago,” says the artist, who found early inspiration for his wild, windswept flora in a suite of engraved plates. “The original images appropriated this aesthetic, but instead of romanticising rural environments featuring exotic plants, I played into the idea of romanticising urban life using very common plants found in the street.”

Over time, Shipp has seen his subjects as a springboard for questions around new technologies, reflecting on the pervasive influence of algorithmic systems on perceptions, behaviours and lived reality. “The plants have become more extreme hybrids displaying unnatural behaviours while still presenting a veneer of natural opulence and beauty,” he says.

Now, these critical threads have coalesced to supercharged effect in ‘Super Nature’, a series alive with fecund forms, sweeping movement and cinematic drama. “The compositions are far more layered and complex than I have ever attempted before,” says Shipp, who leaned on painting precepts to achieve a delicate balance of moodiness and ethereality.

For previews, please email northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au

@daniel_shipp

#danielshipp #botanicalinquiry #supernature #michaelreidnorthernbeaches

The latest solo exhibition from celebrated Meanjin

The latest solo exhibition from celebrated Meanjin/Brisbane-based contemporary painter and National Emerging Art Prize winner SOPHIE SACHS is about to enter its final week at Michael Reid Northern Beaches after a celebrated run that has seen almost all works immediately find homes with collectors.

“These compositions always feature direct sunlight, as the shadows play an equally important role in the arrangement as the objects themselves,” says Sachs, whose ‘All Glass’ series is a meditation on natural light’s ephemeral qualities and the serendipitous effects produce by its intersections with glass. “The focus of my work is on capturing the optical effects of light and the fleeting nature of the present moment.”

Among the last two remaining works from her series is ‘Rosemary in a Glass Jar’, a captivating study of the dynamic interplay between object, illumination and transience. The subtle duality in the blue-toned background deepens the composition’s complexity, accentuating the shadow play and providing a soft, amorphous contrast to the more intricately rendered rosemary and water glass.

“There is the overall sense of light and colour, which can be perceived at a glance,” says Sachs, discussing the two-fold experience of producing and encountering her work. “Then there is the detailed experience at a more intimate scale. I selectively highlight details that inspire and interest me while allowing other elements to become more stylised and retain a painterly quality.”

Available works from ‘All Glass’ by Sophie Sachs can be viewed and acquired online or at our Newport gallery. For enquiries, please email northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au

@sophiesachsart

#sophiesachs #sophiesachsart #sophiesachsartist #allglass #michaelreidnorthernbeaches

A selection of bright, breezy, nostalgia-soaked pa

A selection of bright, breezy, nostalgia-soaked paintings from the latest series by celebrated Armidale-based artist JO WHITE has landed at Michael Reid Northern Beaches and can be shopped in our stockroom online or by request.

Titled ‘Like Wow, Wipeout’, White’s collection of retro surfing scenes keeps the summer mood rolling with a wistful ode to the classic Australian beach holiday. Like postcards from the decade that brought us Puberty Blues, these works reflect White’s affinity for the Australian vernacular and her eye for the totemic images and objects that loom in the cultural memory.

Reminiscent of faded snapshots from a family road trip or the type of idealised, sun-splashed imagery that might adorn the interior of a Life Saving Club or a coastal RSL, White’s petite and perfectly composed paintings seem less concerned with the real landscapes they depict than the halcyon era they evoke.

Transporting us to laid-back, languorous days of sporty and salubrious pursuits in a more innocent time, works from ‘Like Wow, Wipeout’ by Jo White are available online and at the gallery, where they are displayed alongside ceramic sculptures by Jan Vogelpoel from this year’s ACB Selects.

White’s arrival at Michael Reid Northern Beaches follows a succession of enthusiastically received solo showings at our Murrurundi gallery, where she is among the most celebrated names in our stable of regular exhibitors. In 2024, White dazzled Murrurundi audiences with a trifecta of bold and ebullient exhibitions and was selected for the Sulman Prize's Salon des Refusés at S. H. Ervin Gallery.

For more, please email northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au

@jowhitestudio
@janvogelpoel_ceramics

#jowhite #jowhiteart #jowhiteartist #likewowwipeout #contemporarypainting #newportlocal #michaelreidnorthernbeaches

A beautifully curated collection of paintings from

A beautifully curated collection of paintings from our online stockroom has been highlighted by the team from The Design Files in a round-up of original, affordable artworks they are personally coveting right now.

Whether you’re sourcing an elegant piece for your space or looking for a truly timeless and original Mother’s Day gift, this stockroom edit is an essential resource, featuring some of the most exciting names in our program. All works are priced under $2000 and can be shopped online or by contacting the gallery.

“I love the slightly abstract beach scenes of ELLA HOLME’s ‘Dusk’ Series, and MELANIE WAUGH’s landscape paintings – the brushstrokes are so energetic and confident,” writes TDF editor Lucy Feagins, whose wishlist also includes a still life by DAVID GRIFFITH. “I’ve been loving KATHRYN DOLBY’s paintings for a while now. She has such a unique way of capturing the Australian landscape.”

“I am loving ELLA DUNN’s recent works and the way she captures everyday moments and movements of people,” says TDF art director Sarah Hendricks. “I really love the way she uses scale, perspective and colour.”

TDF writer and producer Christina Karras namechecks PHOEBE STONE, whose ‘So Long, Summer’ series recently debuted at our Berrima gallery.

Thank you to @thedesignfiles for featuring these pieces among the “43 Affordable Artworks The TDF Team Are Adding To Cart”. Please visit our website to shop these and other works from our stockroom or email northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au

01 ‘Eastward on the Bellinger River’ by Melanie Waugh (@melaniewaugh)
02 ‘Dusk 6’ by Ella Holme (@ellerlapaints)
03 ‘Still life with striped bowl and tape’ by David Griffith (@dav1dwg)
04 ‘Milk Over Pecan’ by Kathryn Dolby (@kathryndolby)
05 ‘Still Life with Terracotta Jug’ by Stacey McCall (@staceymccallart)
06 ‘Tending to the Garden’ by Ella Dunn (@ellardunn)
07 ‘Summer Table’ by Phoebe Stone (@phoebe.stone.art)
08 ‘Crystal Clear, Darkwood’ by Melanie Waugh
09 ‘Stone 4’ by Louise Knowles (@louiseknowles.art)

#thedesignfiles #tdf #melaniewaugh #ellaholme #davidgriffith #kathryndolby #staceymccall #elladunn #phoebestone #louiseknowles #michaelreidnorthernbeaches

New to our Northern Beaches stockroom is a fresh s

New to our Northern Beaches stockroom is a fresh suite of landscapes by Eora/Sydney-based artist SHANON BRADBURN. Halcyon coastal scenes from her latest body of work are pictured here on Newport Beach, only a short walk along the sand from our gallery space.

Describing her work as “an exploration of memory and a sense of place”, Bradburn focuses less on exact geographies than on the emotional imprint left by the landscape. Shifting clouds, surging tides and soft light become conduits for memory and reflection.

The artist successfully captures the raw and dramatic beauty of the littoral zone through a masterly interplay of light, shadows and tonal contrasts. Swaying branches and windswept coastal scrub frame elemental forces such as crashing oceans and rugged escarpments while sunsets flicker beyond. The sun’s golden glow – partially veiled by wisps of clouds – echoes the evolving dialogue between sea and sky – a motif that recurs throughout her practice.

“My paintings – although inspired by my childhood growing up by the beach and kayaking along the Lane Cove River where I now reside – are usually of no particular place; they could be anywhere,” says Bradburn. By freeing her paintings from a singular setting, the artist gives viewers the freedom to form their own narratives, connections and personal resonances.

“When I paint, it's the feeling of being in the landscape or atmosphere of the place I'm trying to evoke: the sand between your toes, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves lapping upon the shoreline,” says Bradburn, whose work can now be viewed and acquired online.

For more, please email northernbeaches@michaelreid.com.au

@shanonbradburnart

#shanonbradburn #shanonbradburnart #shanonbradburnartist #contemporarypainting #michaelreidnorthernbeaches

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