March 2024 Kilcoy art Gallery kilcoyart.org.au
In 2023 Cameron and I joined the Kilcoy Art Society as a way to meet people in the wider community. Since then I have exhibited in two exhibitions. 4 small oil paintings in the first, and a low relief wall sculpture using paper clay, acrylic, gold leaf and resin in the Paint Like A Master exhibition.
As always, I started working toward this exhibition by doing some research.
The word MASTER - by definition - it is a person who shows great skill or proficiency.
An expert, a virtuoso or wizard.
Today Vincent Van Gogh is considered a master. His paintings are worth millions
Yet Vincent Van Gogh - who to us - is considered a MASTER,
was, in his time thought of as a NOVICE.
He did not attend art school, so his contemporaries thought his work lacked technical skill.They described it as sloppy, lacking in precision and finesse.
Thought his Colors were overly intense and unrealistic.
Yet - Van Gogh - described himself as a musician of color
Said he tried to use color as a symbolic language of his emotions.
To express the terrible and incredible passions of humanity and today we understand that the intensity of Van Gogh’s palette symbolizes the way he struggled with his inner turmoil.
To me STARRY NIGHT which he painted while in an asylum represents all this angst and beauty. It is his psychological response to the world.
Through bold, emotive use of color and expressive choppy brush strokes
his work displays directness, freshness, vitality and passion.
And we consider it a masterpiece.
Then I looked up the word LIKE. Paint like a Master. LIKE - means having the same
characteristics or qualities.
To me these qualities were - the way he displayed his inner turmoil,with colour, intensity, vitality and passion.
It wasn’t primarily about producing something to be sold. Vincent In his 10 year career as an artist - having produced some 800 works - Sold 1
In my response to produce something LIKE Starry Night - I chose a circle to portray the timelessness of his mental condition.
To show the disquiet and choppiness of his life - I have portrayed his trouble thoughts - looking out from his asylum.
To represent his passion and vitality I used impasto and color. Thick layers of Paper clay with Bright Acrylics & Gold Leaf . To symbolize the restraints placed on him by his contemporaries and society - I have Imprisoned the work behind a layer of hard resin.
PROCESS Paper clay - is it dries hard without the use of a kiln. Build up layers - using a slurry of paper clay, water and PVA glue. Joined at the back with Chux, and slurry. To repeat shapes I produced molds using PINKY SIL or Plaster. I sealed the finished work with gesso, painted it with acrylics and sealed it with resin.
