This exhibition presents a dynamic selection of paintings by Anne Saunders and Doug Wright, showcasing the artists’ strong connection to the land and a common interest in history, expressed through their distinct visual languages and individual painting styles.
‘Anne Saunders’ painting positions itself in the dichotomy of her two worlds, Scotland and Australia.
Her work explores themes of place, journeys, pattern with the association to place, memory, moments and people. The relationship between the ‘here and there’ is described through division, metaphorical reference to footprints, random marks, repetition and the balance of two equal parts. Mark making and abraded surfaces suggest rambling connections between these two lands. The subtle fading and broken lines in these evocative works make reference to the tenuous hold we have on the planet and the fragility of situations and circumstance.
For Doug Wright, painting and memory are inextricably intertwined. The act of painting relies on momentary memory, recalling events, imagery, fleeting impulses and decision-making, as well as intuitive colour responses and more focussed decisions on particular moves in the progress of a work. In other words, he seeks the abstract with the more formal.
Images may be sought and found, cherished, or discarded. Not only is that his approach, however, he invites a viewer to similarly enjoy his paintings.
When thinking of his work the word ‘wandering’ comes to mind.
His interest does not lie with a completed image but is more focussed on what is transitory, as if the image is forming and dissolving. Nothing remains the same, “This state of flux seems to be the manner of working that I am finding most satisfying, he says.”
The interweaving of lines and multiple layering over time lead him to be making quick decisions as the work progresses, while continually looking for the luminous moment when something on the canvas takes off and throws him in a new direction.’
-Kevin Childs, 2023
