Artist Talk: 2pm Saturday 19 March
‘From desolation a new beauty can arise. This is the sentiment behind Dianne Fogwell’s new exhibition ‘Something This Way Comes’. Implicit in the title is the belief that, despite the twin catastrophes of major bushfires and COVID that have upended lives and imposed a new way of living on us all, something worthwhile has to come out of it.
A key element to this survey, the major piece ‘Arcadia Lost’ 2020 is a large-scale work of eight panels completed in Canberra during that year’s major bushfires which threatened lives and property, devastating Namadgi National Park, also impacting heavily on Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and other rural lands creating an ecological disaster. Fogwell recalls the turmoil of the scene along with its’ terrible air quality as akin to a war zone, while facing the possibility of losing her studio and treasured contents. Struck by the awfulness of what her work was capturing she also recognised an ornamental and decorative aspect that is very present in this work.
Reflecting the parallel disaster of COVID and its’ limiting effect on the world, the four panel ‘Emptying the Nest’ 2020, also a large-scale panoramic work, was conceived during lockdown. Conveying a situation that is looming and foreboding, Fogwell’s works question whether this is a nexus point, an opportunity for new growth and development.
Later works in this exhibition have, for the first time, begun to incorporate water into the landscape, printed like long unfolding scrolls, reflecting the great ability nature has to recover after long periods of desolation. Exploring the presence of new life force and regeneration after a long period of gestation, Fogwell has taken inspiration from the transformation possible around locations such as Lake Eyre to describe the emergence from arid drought to a world that displays survivors in abundance, and evidence of nature’s paths meeting. The optimism injected by this element parallels the refreshment of drought breaking rain and provides some hope for a progression from a seemingly endless cycle of natural disaster.’ – excerpts from the catalogue essay ‘Something This Way Comes’ by Caroline Field, Writer and Curator, 2021
Image above: Mary Tonkin After, Kalorama 2021 oil on linen 183 x 320 cm We are delighted to share this …
Image credit: Holly Treadaway Congratulations to printmaker, Dianne Fogwell, who has been announced as Artist of the Year at the …
Image above: Sue Anderson Christmas Island Pipistrelle coloured pencil on paper 30.5 x 22 cm ‘Extinct’ is a recently published book by …
Image above: Orest Keywan That Line 2023 steel 168 x 271 x 190cm Congratulations to Orest Keywan, Michael Snape and …
Image above: Andrew Antoniou Weird & Wonderful 2024 charcoal on paper 82 x 88 cm Congratulations to Andrew Antoniou who …
Image above: Christine Wrest-Smith Portrait of Susan Johnson oil on linen 122 x 92cm Congratulations to Christine Wrest-Smith who has been …
Image above: Deborah Williams The air smells different 2023 aquatint intalgio 53×39.5cm Congratulations to Deborah Williams, Martin King and Phillip …
Above image details: Jenny Rodgerson Mum’s orange cardigan 2024 oil on linen 60 x 40 cm Congratulations to Jenny Rodgerson and …
Image above: Sarah Tomasetti From Balpatta X 2024 145 x 150 cm pigment oil and marble dust on fresco Congratulations to Holly …
Image above (left to right): Graeme Drendel Portrait of Rick 2024 oil on canvas 41 x 31 cm | Michelle Hiscock …
Image above: Janet Luxton Giant Australian Cuttlefish 2021 oil on canvas 120x160cm Congratulations to Janet Luxton who has had two …
Above image: Wayne Eager, Allegory I 2023 oil on linen 95 x 133 cm Wayne Eager was interviewed by Janet …
Image above: Marina Strocchi The vineyards of Madden’s Lane 2023 acrylic on linen 122 x 152 cm Congratulations to Kate …