Swan Hill Print and Drawing Award finalist

 

The Needlewoman, 2022, pigmented drawing ink and watercolour, 76.5 x 56 cm, has been shortlisted for the 2022 Swan Hill Print & Drawing Acquisitive Awards at Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery.

The work is pictured here, all packed and ready for delivery to the good folk at Creative Framing Gallery. (Thank you, Shane Jones, for the loan of the box). 

Umpteen hours over a long period of time have gone into the development of this drawing. In fact, more than once I nearly gave up on it. Along the way, it even acquired a new title. Its inclusion in the award means a great deal. It will also be a huge relief to have the work safely under glass so I can no longer fiddle with it!

Your invitation to RÜCKENFIGUR

  

Attached is an invitation to Rückenfigur, my upcoming solo show at Queenscliff Gallery.

The representation of the feminine personae has long been a subject of art history. The female visage has featured in various depictions in this history – obscured, averted, deformed, glorified, domesticised, dehumanised. In her latest exhibition, artist Deborah Klein builds on this artistic canon of the feminine, offering us the idea of Rückenfigur – "the figure seen from behind.”

Weaving together sewing iconography derived primarily from handmade doilies inherited from her late Aunt Eileen, and motifs of knots and braids, Klein stitches together a story that is as complex as the knots that she depicts; a story of the perpetual outsider where our current state of disconnection – from ourselves, each other and the natural world – is rendered palpable.

- Queenscliff Gallery

The Opening Event is on Sunday June 26 from 2 - 4 pm. I do hope you can join us.

Rückenfigur runs from Jun 23 – Jul 10, 2022.

Gallery hours: 10 am - 4 pm. Closed Tuesdays.

Queenscliff Gallery 

P 03 4202 0942 | A 81 Hesse Street Queenscliff VIC 3225 

STRAIT-LACED: progress views

Pictured above on the table easel (along with two strands of synthetic hair): Strait-laced, 2022, diptych, acrylic on canvas, 55 x 22.5 cm, a painting in progress, with still a way to go. 

An earlier progress view is below:

Journey’s end

From this evening, our little corner of the world is opening up again. Travel restrictions between Melbourne and Victorian regional areas are being lifted, so I will be able to bid Backstories, my exhibition at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, a final, fond farewell. I’ll be there on the last day of the show, Sunday October 31, from 3 pm, if you’d like to drop by and say hello.

Viewing times for the show’s final two days are below. 

Pictured: Lookout, 2018, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm. 

BACKSTORIES 

Stephen McLaughlan Gallery

Level 8 Room 16 Nicholas Building 37 Swanston Street Melbourne 3000

(On the corner of Flinders Lane)

T: 0407 317 323     E: st73599@bigpond.net.au 

www.stephenmclaughlangallery.com.au

Gallery Hours: 

Saturday October 30: 11 am - 5 pm

Sunday October 31: 1 - 5 pm

Ladies in Lockdown 3: Droplet

 

…She left the web, she left the loom, 
She made three paces through the 
room, 
She saw the water-lily bloom, 
She saw the helmet and the plume, 
She look'd down to Camelot. 
Out flew the web and floated wide; 
The mirror crack'd from side to side; 
"The curse is come upon me," cried 
The Lady of Shalott…

- from The Lady of Shalott (1833, Alfred, Lord Tennyson) 

Pictured: Droplet, 2018, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm, another lady in lockdown dying to break free. One of the first works made for BACKSTORIES at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, current to September 5. 🔐 

Ladies in Lockdown 2: Pathfinder

…By the margin, willow veil'd,

Slide the heavy barges trail'd 

By slow horses; and unhail'd 

The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd

Skimming down to Camelot: 

But who hath seen her wave her 

hand? 

Or at the casement seen her stand? 

Or is she known in all the land, 

The Lady of Shalott?…

- from The Lady of Shalott (1833, Alfred, Lord Tennyson) 

Pictured: Pathfinder, 2018, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm, part of my solo show, BACKSTORIES, temporarily under lock and key at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery on the eighth floor of the Nicholas Building, Melbourne. 🔐 

Ladies in Lockdown 1: The Other

…Four gray walls and four gray towers,

Overlook a space of flowers,

And the silent isle imbowers

The Lady of Shalott…

- from The Lady of Shalott, (1833, Alfred, Lord Tennyson) 

Image: The Other, 2019, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm, part of my solo show, BACKSTORIES, currently in lockdown at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne. 🔐 

JOURNEY INTERRUPTED

The collective name for my most recent protagonists is ‘Rückenfiguren’ or alternatively, ‘Journeywomen’. Ironically, since they were freed from the ties that formerly bound them, they’ve spent most of their existence under lock and key, like fairy tale princesses of old. It seems they simply cannot escape their fate, no matter how hard they try.

Throughout the history of art, most notably in the works of German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich, the Rückenfigur, or back figure, has gamely turned to face an unknown destination. She invites the viewer to empathetically share her perspective and ultimately, her journey. This time it appears to be a journey back into lockdown, at least for now.

Since I wrote the above, my much-disrupted show, BACKSTORIES, has been granted yet another stay of execution, this time to September 5. For that, I thank Stephen McLaughlan from the bottom of my heart. Nobody could have done more to keep my show alive. Based on recent experience, however, Delta may have other plans. As originally rescheduled, the show should have gone ahead and run its course completely uninterrupted. A couple of days before it was due to open, however, along came the infamous furniture removalists… 

At least I had an Opening Event to remember (see HERE and HERE). I have Stephen to thank for that too, not to mention the wonderful people who came along to help me celebrate. Heartfelt thanks also to those who have acquired works from BACKSTORIES. Despite its convoluted run, the show has had an overwhelmingly positive response. All of this has meant the world. It was my decision to have the show now and I firmly believe it was the right way to go. I’ve previously outlined why, and have absolutely no regrets. 

When the current lockdown ends, hopefully BACKSTORIES will have a few more days to shine and those still keen to see it will get a chance to do so. At this point, I can’t offer any more than that, not at a time when there’s so little to be sure of, and certainly not in the face of the rampant stupidity of the relative few whose selfish actions affect so many.

Pictured top: Emergent English Rose, 2019, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm, stoically waiting for lockdown to end. Photo credit: the artist.

Installation views of BACKSTORIES at Stephen McLaughlan Gallery are by Tim Gresham. Click on individual images for a clearer view.

SAVE THE DATE

Backstories, my solo show at Stephen Mclaughlan Gallery has been a long time coming. It was originally scheduled for April 2020, and the works, a combination of paintings and drawings, were all ready to go. Then along came Covid, followed by another unforeseen circumstance that necessitated a second postponement. In the interim period, I made a few more works, all of which may, or may not, make the final cut.

More than 12 months on, reconnecting with the work for Backstories was not a little unnerving. As I unwrapped it all, I repeated ‘it is what it is’ in my mind, and steeled myself to resist the temptation to undertake endless “improvements” that could ultimately prove destructive. (Not without justification have I been accused of overthinking). 

The work pictured here is an exception. With the clarity afforded by time and distance, I simply felt I could do better and am substantially repainting it. The painting has a way to go, but hopefully I’m still on schedule and haven’t condemned it to the art scrapheap.

Backstories opens on 21 July. The opening event is on Saturday 24 July from 2 - 4 pm and the exhibition runs to 7 August. Further information will follow shortly. 

In the meantime, please save the date!

Pictured top: progress view of The Sea She Saw, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm. 

Extended dates for INTO ME SEE

Some positive post-lockdown news: the group show INTO ME SEE has been extended to Saturday 19 June 2021. 

Venue: The One Star Gallery, 301-303 Victoria Street, West Melbourne 3003

Gallery hours: Wednesday-Friday 3-7 pm and Saturday 1-7 pm

To learn more about the exhibition, go HERE and HERE.

INTO ME SEE was curated by Mariella Del Conte. For further information, visit the The One Star Gallery on Instagram HERE or on Facebook HERE. 

Pictured above LHS, top: detail of my painting New Horizon, 2020, acrylic on canvas. LHS, bottom: detail of my drawing Maid of Honour, 2020, watercolour, water soluble graphite and pigmented drawing ink. Click on the image for a clearer view. 

INTO ME SEE (Part 2)

Following directly from my last post is a preview of the two works that are part of the upcoming exhibition, INTO ME SEE at The One Star Gallery in West Melbourne.

The construct of INTO ME SEE (scroll down to read the exhibition brief, or click HERE) underpins much of my own work, which focuses primarily on women’s hidden histories. One of its dominant motifs is the ‘figure seen from behind’, or Rückenfigur. A perpetual outsider, the Rückenfigur reflects a mood of quietude and isolation. Like the protagonist of New Horizon, 2020, pictured top, (1) she invites us to share her journey, learn her story and see the world through her eyes, to the extent that we become as one with her. 

The Rückenfigur addresses a particularly divisive time in our history, when our state of disconnection - from ourselves, from each other and from the natural world - seems greater than ever before. 

My drawing Maid of Honour, 2020, pictured above, (2) alludes to the centuries-long tradition of women stitching their stories onto fabric in place of ink and paper. The pattern on the anonymous subject’s elaborately tattooed back draws parallels between the tattoo and embroidery needle. It is based on a detail from Maids of Honour, an embroidery pattern designed by May Morris (1862-1938). Morris, who characteristically drew her inspiration directly from nature, was a significant contributor to the Arts and Crafts Movement, a prolific embroiderer, textile, wallpaper and jewellery designer and educator. Even now, however, her designs are sometimes attributed to her more famous father, William Morris. 

INTO ME SEE is curated by Mariella Del Conte. Exhibiting artists are: Camilla Gold, Deborah Klein, Deborah Walker, Georgia Janetzki, Heidi Yardley, Jane Burton, Jenny Watson, Katrina Beale, Lisa Barmby, Lisa Roet, Mina Young, Polly Borland, Sophia Hewson, Susan Wyers, Victoria Hartcup, Edwina Preston and Anna White.

Opening night: Thursday, 20 May, 6 - 8 pm

The One Star Gallery, 301-303 Victoria Street, West Melbourne, 3003

Gallery hours: 3 - 7 pm Monday - Friday, or by appointment: 0432357537

Email: onestargallery@gmail.com

Instagram: @onestarlounge and Mariella Del Conte: @salonhang

INTO ME SEE runs from 19 May - 12 June

*

Pictured  from top: 

(1) New Horizon, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 50.8 x 50.8 cm 

(2) Maid of Honour, 2020, ink, watercolour and water soluble graphite on Khadi paper, 42 x 30 cm 

(3) Mick Harvey, AKA Neo Arts, co-founder (with Katrina Beale) of The One Star Gallery, pictured here with exhibition curator Mariella Del Conte as they begin the installation of INTO ME SEE. My two works are in the foreground. In the background, L-R, are works by Deborah Walker and Heidi Yardley. Mick Harvey’s Instagram page is HERE.

Rückenfigur

Deborah Klein, current work in progress, a triptych as yet untitled.
Acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm (each panel).

I have to stay alone in order to fully contemplate and feel nature. The painter should paint not only what he has in front of him, but also what he sees inside himself.

- Caspar David Friedrich

Recently I discovered by sheer chance that the dominant motif in my work for well over two decades has a name. It’s “Rückenfigur”, or “figure seen from the back”. Why did I not know this before? The subject dates from antiquity, but the term originated in the German Romantic Movement of the 19th century and is most closely associated with the painter Caspar David Friedrich, whose work I’ve long admired. In fact, his paintings were the main catalyst for my current body of work, a series of anonymous figures I call “Journeywomen”.

Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1818.
Oil on canvas, 94.8 x 74.8 cm, Kunsthalle Hamburg.

The history of figures viewed from behind spans the entirety of visual culture, including graphics, cinema and photography. Among the painters who have employed the Rückenfigur in their works are Rene Magritte, Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Gustave Courbet, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and, most notably and consistently, another of my favourite artists, Vilhelm Hammershøi.

Vilhelm Hammershoi, Interior with Young Woman Seen from the Back, 1904.
 Oil on canvas, 60.5 x 50.5 cm, Randers Museum of Art.

The Rückenfigur is often portrayed as an outsider, reflecting a mood of quietude, self-containment and isolation, although she doesn’t necessarily travel alone. Paradoxically, she invites us to share her journey and see the world through her eyes, to the extent that we almost become her.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.

- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, ca 1597.

I’m fairly well versed in the ever-evolving history of  “rear view portraits,” yet this feels like a real light bulb moment. I am amazed at how empowering it is to to know that there is a collective name for them. To my mind, it validates and unifies this somewhat scattered tradition. Moreover, the Rückenfigur addresses a particularly divisive time in our history, when our state of disconnection - from ourselves, from each other and from the natural world - seems greater than ever before. 

Only connect! That was her whole sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die.

– E. M. Forster, Howards End, 1910.

Photo credit for above image: Shane Jones.

NEW HORIZON

New Horizon, 2020, acrylic on linen, 50.8 x 50.8 cm, the first major work completed in my new studio, will be part of 20 [2020], an exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary  of Tacit Galleries, Melbourne. The show runs from 4 - 15 March.

New Horizon and FOTP 2020

New Horizon (progress view) acrylic on linen, 50 x 50 cm

New Horizon, the painting-in-progress pictured above, is destined for the exhibition 20 [2020], a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Tacit Galleries in Melbourne.

Exhibition dates are 4 - 15 March, 2020.

Meanwhile, over at Moth Woman Press, we are busily constructing four new zines and making up some new copies of old favourites (see below) for the upcoming Sticky Institute Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair, which this year will be held at the Meat Market in North Melbourne.

FOTP 2020 is a two-day event, running from 8 - 9 February. Moth Woman Press will be there on the second day, Sunday, 9 February, from 12 - 5 pm and would love to see you there.

For full details about FOTP 2020, visit Moth Woman Press HERE.

All proceeds from Moth Woman Press sales at FOTP 2020 will be donated to Wildlife Victoria's Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

The Other

Another painting that's nearing the finishing line, although it seems to me that the works in this series will never be quite finished. There's always a hair out of place somewhere.

Top: The Other, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm. (Progress view).

VOYAGER

The Untold Want

The untold want by life and land ne'er granted,

Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find.

Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)

Pictured top: Voyager, acrylic on linen, 40.5 x 30.5 cm, considerably reworked and near completion.

For earlier progress views of Voyager, go HERE. 

Slow art

Voyager, acrylic on linen 40.5 x 30.5 cm (progress view). 

Developing several paintings simultaneously makes for slower progress with works such as this one, but does bring a sense of unification to the series as a whole. It’s not an uncommon approach with my linocuts, for example, the current Frankenstein’s Women suite (see previous post) but not so usual in my painting practice. At times, having too many unresolved paintings on the go can be a tad unnerving, so I may need to reign them in a little. That aside, the technical, aesthetic and conceptual cross-pollination has been beneficial, making me less inclined to be precious about individual works.

Journeywoman

This painting, currently on the easel in my Ballarat studio, has been a particular challenge. I'm still up for it, despite being a mass of insecurities about my work (which, paradoxically, seem to increase with age and experience). What is most satisfying about this series is how much I’m learning along the way. Speaking of paradoxes, one crucial thing I’ve already learned is that for some journeys, you actually need to stay put.

That isn’t to say my travelling days are over. It won’t be for a while yet, but return journeys to London, New York, Paris and Berlin are firmly in my sights. Without the formative times I spent in those places, and others, this work wouldn’t exist. I wonder if I’d even be an artist. After all, it’s a calling that has more extreme ups, downs, twists and turns than the roller coaster at Luna Park in my hometown, St. Kilda.

Geographically speaking, Ballarat may not be so very far from there. But in other ways, I’ve come a long way (not far enough, admittedly, but further, perhaps, than I tend to give myself credit for). I still have miles to go before I sleep. At present, however, here and now is precisely where I need to be. At times some of my protagonists' more labyrinthine locks seem like convoluted maps, strewn with secret pathways and not a few dead ends. It’s been a while since I last visited Hampton Court Palace, but I reckon that after this series, navigating its famous maze will be a cinch.