Image above: Jenny Bell Banners for life – Bees No 1 study 2022 vinyl paint on 300gsm magnani paper. Image courtesy Jenny Bell.
Jenny Bell has been interviewed by Richard Morecroft on the occasion of the opening of her current exhibition at Goulburn Regional Gallery, Jenny Bell: Life Forms, which comes ahead of her upcoming solo exhibition at Australian Galleries, Sydney in August 2023.
Life Forms at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery takes drawing as the underpinning of all of Bell’s work; its attendant close observation, rhythms and pattern-searching inform her life as both a regenerative farmer and an artist. The title of the exhibition plays on ‘forms’ as both a descriptor and immanent action. Bell’s lines form and morph, ‘as a hill becomes an eye socket and a mountain range gives way to a horse’s forehead.’
Bell’s bold, strongly-coloured and graphically distilled recent works share a heritage with her carefully observed charcoal line drawings and diverse oil paintings, spanning a practice of four decades. As Jenny explains to Richard Morecroft, her commitment to regenerative farming has played a major role in the evolution of her painting approach, allowing symbolic and imaginative elements to emerge.
Richard Morecroft is a well-known Australian broadcaster and arts interviewer. His interview with Jenny Bell forms part of an ongoing YouTube series, Exhibition, in which he interviews artists about their exhibitions on show.
Jenny Bell: Life Forms
Goulburn Regional Art Gallery
Civic Centre, 184 Bourke Street, Goulburn NSW 2580
23 June – 5 August 2023
Jenny Bell, Lifeforms
Australian Galleries, Sydney
15 Roylston Street, Paddington NSW 2021
10 – 27 August 2023
Double spread of Artist Profile issue #63 featuring an image of Jenny Bell for her interview with Anne Sanders. Image courtesy of the photographer and Artist Profile.
We are pleased to share that Jenny Bell has been interviewed by Anne Sanders in the latest issue #63 of Artist Profile.
The interview comes ahead of Jenny’s upcoming exhibition Jenny Bell: Life Forms, held at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, and her solo exhibition at Australian Galleries, Sydney in August. In it, Jenny discusses her deep love for drawing, select forthcoming projects, and her studio at the property “Bohara”.
Anne writes of Jenny’s work: “The necessity of drawing underpins all her work, with its attendant close observation. … Bell also works in oils on canvas and creates assemblages and installations. Recently her reductive line has become more graphic and her use of bold primary colours has marked a transformative break-through in her practice.”
Amidst discussions about her rural property being a focus of inspiration for her practice, Jenny also says: “The old idea of farming – that we apply a formula which we endeavour to control, and that the outcome is predictable – is challenged by an ’emergent mind’ which is always open to new learning, responding to signals, and knows it will never fully understand or be in control. This applies whether it be drawing or a farm, and is exciting beyond words to me.”
To view a selection of available works by Jenny, follow the link to her artist page here.
Jenny Bell: Life Forms
Goulburn Regional Art Gallery
23 June – 4 August
Jenny Bell
Australian Galleries, Sydney
15 Roylston Street, Paddington NSW 2021
10 August – 27 August 2023
Request to join the preview mailing list for Jenny Bell’s upcoming exhibition at Australian Galleries, Sydney.
Jenny Bell Splitting Posts no 24 2012 oil on board 60 x 60 cm. Find out more about this work here.
Cover, Artist Profile, issue #63.