Melbourne, 1 Jul 2025 — 19 Jul 2025

28 Derby Street [PO Box 1183], Collingwood 3066

Landscapes for uncertain times
- Thornton Walker

OPENING NIGHT Tuesday 1 July 6pm to 8pm

Meet the Artist Saturday 5 July 3pm

Walker was born in New Zealand before moving to Australia with his family in 1965 when he was 12 years old. “As I get older, those early days in New Zealand have come to mean a lot more to me.” He pulls out a painting, The guardian, and the wood pigeon, and hangs it on a couple of the nails that are hammered grid like into the white bagged brick wall.

“Recently I’ve been reminiscing about those early years in Auckland and in particular, a bush-reserve near my home, called Dingle Dell. I often went there with my dog to explore the narrow tracks that networked the reserve under its dark canopy. In my memory it was a mysterious place and seemed to be inhabited by spirits.” An iridescent blue bird, a Kererū, flies out of the top of the painting, while a brooding carved Tiki-like figure stands guard over the forest below.

Nevertheless, Walker says his paintings “are not specific places, they might start off describing a hill in Tasmania or a recollected landscape in New Zealand, but during the painting process these specific references become more unclear; my interest is much more in eliciting a feeling, a fantastical, dream like world.”

–  essay excerpt  by Guy Abrahams, May 2025

Read exhibition essay
View exhibition catalogue
Read Art Collector Profile


“Thornton is cultured, intelligent and can really paint! An astute observer who can bring something most exciting to a subject that captures his attention. His eyes and sharpness extract qualities of the chosen subject in front of him. For instance, he can make a laid out still life, be very much alive, along with revealing the tension of the outside world. All these abilities are clear in his exhibition ‘Landscapes for uncertain times.”

 – Stuart Purves AM, June 2025

 

Thornton Walker
Thornton Walker was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1953, and emigrated to Australia, settling …
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