News
September 2023
It was an honour to make the fnal of the Bay of Fires Art Prize in Tasmania with one of my dark oil works based on the gorge region at Duck Reach in Launceston. Also a great honour to show works at the PressWest gallery on the west coast of Tasmania with early works from the Raymond Arnold collection. The always energetic Ray was a leading mentor and enthusiastic supporter for many of us young art students.
I recently returned from a trip to Europe and spent some time sketching in and around the old town of Perigeuex in South West France. This was the first trip since 2018; the old place is the same, but more expensive.
Opening in November will be an exhibition I have been invited to display larger work in. Sense of Place will be curated by Katie Sanderson at the Adelaide Airport and will be on display over the summer.
For now, its back to my ever growing series about Duck Reach in Launceston and on site works closer to my Adelaide home; industrial landscapes in and around Port Adelaide and Alberton. Those 'contested' spaces are always in my sights with their decaying industral machinery, dusty landscapes and newer industrial infrastructure.
January 2022
COVID lockdowns, social distancing, working from home directions have modified my getting out and about over the last couple of years. Having said that I've enjoyed working in the studio, and have done plenty of en plein air paintings in South Australia and Tasmania. The 100 Years 100 Paintings project has been installed and launched at the Unitng SA Aged Care building at West Lakes in Western Adelaide. It looks great, set into the wall on the ground floor at reception and open to the public for viewing. A 112 page book has been published with an image of all works, essays and descriptions. From Sydney, Felix Ratcliff contributed essays and observations that draw out a rich tapestry of stories. Books can be purchased for $40 via the Uniting SA website (www.unitingsa.com.au) or on the phone (84402200).
I recently visited family in Tasmania and while there went to Weymouth, a seaside town on the north east coast where as a family we holidayed in our home built caravan on the half acre block facing the Pipers River. I have strong memories of those days and later when a young under graduate art student in Lauceston, I used this location as a base to learn and experiment with en plein air painting. I revisited this location, it hasn't changed much, sketching and painting small gouaches. I'm now working up a series of oils in the studio based on this work and memories. Other current projects include a small series of factories from a high vantage point from Le Fevre Peninsula, near the ship building industries in Adelaide's Port region, and a small series from the top of the hill in Skye in Adelaide's eastern suburbs.
January 2021
The 100 Years 100 Paintings project is now completed. The series, painted over two years was commissioned by Uniting SA to commemorate the 1919-2019 anniversary of 'The Mission' in Port Adelaide. The series of 100 individual oil paintings is a mosaic of my connections; as an artist, traveller, resident of Port Adelaide and staff member of Uniting SA. The works will soon be installed in the newly built Uniting SA Aged Care facility at West Lakes, in the Western Suburbs of Adelaide. Watch out for the soon to be published book. In the meantime the 100 paintings are uploaded onto the works site on this website and Facebook/Instagram have stories behind each picture as well.
June 2019
In April this year I was fortunate to be selected as one of ten artists to make the trip on The Ghan train and produce artwork based on the experience. This collaboration between Journey Beyond Rail and Guildhouse celebrates the 90th birthday of the Ghan railway. The four day Darwin to Adelaide trip provided me with hundreds of photographs and sketches which were worked up in the studio on return. One of the large oil on canvas paintings ‘Fence Line’ is currently exhibited along with selected works of the other nine artists at the Adelaide Parklands Terminal at Keswick in Adelaide, June through to the end of August 2019. More information about the works and the artists can be viewed at www.bit.ly/artistsGhan. The rest of the series (six paintings) can be viewed on my website under ‘The Ghan’ gallery of works.
The major art project for 2019 is a commission ‘100 years/100 paintings’ for Uniting SA. I will be painting 100 oil on canvas works to celebrate 100 years of Uniting SA, formerly the Port Adelaide Central Mission. The Mission began its work helping disadvantaged people in the Port Adelaide region in 1919, based on the social needs of the day. It has expanded into a major community based organisation and I have been fortunate to have worked part time in the Mental Health Programs at Uniting SA since 2000. I’ve started 50 paintings and completed 20 so there’s progress but still plenty to go! Updates on the project can be viewed on the Uniting SA Facebook site. The completed paintings will be installed in the yet to be built aged care building at West Lakes in Adelaide. Completion date is expected to be summer 2020/21.
May 2018
I'm currently exhibiting a range of paintings in a two venue exhibition titled 'Converge'. I have 15 (mainly large) paintings exhibited at the Gouger Street space and 30 (mainly small) paintings exhibited at the Kent Town space The exhibition of my paintings are exhibited alongside a group of ceramic works from Adelaide's Jam Factory and the exhibitions are curated by Amy Worth from Worth Gallery. Venues are Fisher Jeffries, floor 1, 19 Gouger Street Adelaide and Worth Gallery, 20 The Parade West, Kent Town, Adelaide. Converge runs until June 28, 2018.
April 2018
The highlight of 2017 was a trip to France and Norway. Norway was a pilgrimage to see Edvard Munch paintings in Bergen and Oslo (and some Black Metal on the side). In France I made some en plein air sketches in the Dordogne region. I also wandered upstairs into a Romanesque Abbey in Chancelade, South West France. There I took photographs of a badly damaged large oil painting that had been leaning most probably for decades up against the crumbling walls. Back in the studio in Adelaide this image became the subject for my Glover Prize entry. Titled 'A Large oil painting of a Tasmanian Landscape discovered in the Attic of an Abbey in South West France', I transposed the image on the old painting with a recognisable scene from Glover country in Northern Tasmania. The painting was selected as a finalist and exhibited in March 2018. Other exhibitions in 2017 included paintings at Worth Gallery in Adelaide and a display at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The most recent outdoor painting trip has been to the Murray River Mouth and Goolwa Beach on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula. I'm currently preparing a wide selection of paintings for exhibitions at Worth Gallery and Fisher Jeffries for May/June 2018.
December 2016
I'm back into the studio after 10 weeks travelling in Spain, Portugal and working on a film in Iceland. I met up with the film making team Living Not Beige Films in Reykjavik where we spent 3 weeks filming musicians at the Airwaves Festival, politicians and a range of other personalities, and lots of sublime landscapes. I produced 2 on site paintings on the vocanic Heimaey Island off the south coast of the mainland which will be part of the film. The website www.livingnotbeigefilms.com has a daily diary of the film shoot including stills and video footage. The film, a documentary style feature, is planned to be completed by mid 2017. If you're interested please follow the progress and updates on the website. To compliment the film and make use of the imagery collected and the experience of being in Iceland, I am currently working on a series of oil paintings back in my Adelaide studio. These will eventually be uploaded onto the gallery site of this website.
June 2016.
LARGE PAINTINGS has now finished at Worth Gallery. There are some paintings still available for sale. Please contact the gallery for sales at info@worthgallery.com. The exhibition Ben Lomond Salt Lakes continues at Stillwater Gallery, Launceston until July 7. There are 21 paintings in the show from the two recent series of Ben Lomond in the summer time and the salt lakes of Victoria's Western Wimmera Region. The exhibition coincided with the drama of the Tamar River floods. Good views of the flooding river were had from the third story art gallery. For sales or further information contact art@stillwatergallery.net.au.
Apart from this website my works can be viewed on the Worth Gallery site and the recently launched Wellmade site by Adelaide's Guildhouse, www.wellmade.com.au.
May 2016.
My exhibition titled LARGE PAINTING opens Friday May 13, at Worth Gallery, 20 The Parade West, Kent Town, Adelaide and concludes June 24. I'm showing 5 large paintings from the residency at the Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns. Works made during this time can be viewed on my gallery page. The show will be opened by long time collaborator Cole Larsen who made short films of the paintings being made on site in Cairns.
April 2016.
New paintings have been completed returning to my old hunting ground...Gillman. I've worked on images of ponding basins near the highway section of South Road in Adelaide. The painting, 'Wetlands, South Road Interconnector' has been selected as a finalist for the 2016 Watershed Art Prize. It will be exhibited at the John Harvey Gallery, 12 James Street Salisbury from 29 April - 29 May.
In May I will be showing large oil paintings from the residency at the Tanks Arts Centre. These will be exhibited at the new Worth Gallery space in Lower Parade, Kent Town. Then from June 7 I will be showing recent works from the Ben Lomond and Salt Lakes series in a solo show at Stillwater Gallery, in Launceston.
The next month will be focussed on making stretchers, stretching paintings and transporting works to the various venues. For a short time I will have a de-cluttered studio and store room!
January 2016.
2015 was a diverse year with several group shows in Adelaide and Tasmania, a trip to China, and the completion of two sets of works. The new works are now on the gallery page of this website. The first series of 15 paintings are from a field trip to the salt lakes in the Mallee and Western Wimmera regions of Victoria in summer. I worked on site at Lake Hindmarsh, near Jeparit and Lake Tyrrell near Sea Lake. The acrylic and oil on canvas paintings were mostly completed on site in 35-40 degree weather. Some days were windy which added new challenges and influenced the making of the paintings.
The second series completed in December 2015 is a series of studio oil paintings influenced by a recent visit to the top of Ben Lomond in the summer. Ben Lomond overlooks Launceston in Northern Tasmania and is a ski field in winter. I grew up with a view in front of the mountain but as children we never went to Ben Lomond as it was considered too dangerous and too far away. On a recent trip to the top I was surprised at how desolate and eerie the landscape was. It was more industrial looking than the romantic ideals of winter ski fields. This series attempts to capture the sublime aesthetics of the mountain and the industral motifs that populate it.
My recent work is also now featured along with other South Australian artists on the Guildhouse website, Well Made. Web address is www.wellmade.com.au
September 2014.
Final preparations are going well for the opening of my solo show, Sunday September 21, 2pm, at Gallery 1855, 2 Haines Road Tea Tree Gully. I'll be showing about 25 paintings made over the last 10 years. The exhibition titled 'Contested Landscape' meanders through a number of rooms and runs until November 1. Opening hours are Wednesdays to Sundays 12-5pm. I'll be giving an artist floor talk on Saturday October 25 at 2pm. For more information www.teatreegully.sa.gov.au/gallery1855 or 83977216.
January 2014.
Hanging has begun at Brave Art Gallery in Longford Tasmania for my solo show 'Days at Deddington'. There are 13 works on show, all oil paintings done partly on site at the former property of John Glover and in my studio in Adelaide and Launceston. Dr Jane Deeth, an art educator from Launceston has kindly written the catalogue essay and will open the show at 6pm, Saturday February 1.
November 2013.
Last summer I completed a large oil painting at the Patterdale property, near Deddington in Northern Tasmania. This is the former property of colonial artist John Glover. I found a spot overlooking a hill closeby to his house. As I was into day 3 of working, the sky darkened with smoke from bush fires from the East Coast which impacted on the finished work; I introduced different colours and included ash as reference to the fires. This painting was chosen as a finalist for the 2013 Fleurieu Art Prize and is currently on display at the Strathalbyn Stationmasters Gallery. Opening times are 11am - 4pm each day until November 25. The next project is finishing off paintings for an upcoming exhibition at Brave Art Gallery in Longford in February 2014. I'm currently working on 12 oil paintings which I'll send to Tasmania in December and complete on site at Deddington.
September 2013
The series of small oils, Paessagio Urbano Italiano is on show throughout September and October at the Mockingbird lounge, the Broadway in Glenelg. Visit www.mockingbirdlounge.com.au. Also I have been fortunate enough to be selected as a finalist in the Fleurieu Art Prize, from October 26 - November 27, 2013, at numerous venues throughout McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula. Visit www.artprize.com.au for the program of events and venues. I remember being selected as a finalist in the first Fleurieu Biennale Prize in 1998. Robert Hannaford won the prize back then and the works were displayed in one venue and in alphabetical order.
May 2013
I currently have one painting of the Gillman wetlands on display at the Watershed Art Prize. This is at the City of Salisbury's John Harvey Gallery, 12 James Street Salisbury SA. Show continues until May 30. Also on display until mid June is the series of small oils 'Paessagio Urbano Italiano'at the ABC Building in Collinswood Adelaide. Opening on June 26 will be a group show including six of my paintings at Worth Gallery, Fisher Jeffries Building, Gouger Street Adelaide. This show will run to July 29.
September 2012
Out of a cold winter studio in Adelaide I've made four oil paintings about the 1000 rupiah note from Indonesia. This much loved, fingered and mauled note provided me with the soiled landscape image that is the basis for these works, titled Dirty Foreign Money. For something completely different, my next painting excursion will be to the red rocky landscape of Arkaroola, 700km north of Adelaide. I'll be working outdoors on large canvases and aim to produce a series of day and night works.
April 2012
During April I'll be travelling, sketching and taking photos in Bali, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Singapore. Hopefully some of this will end up in a series of paintings that I'll work on later in the studio. In May I'll be visiting family in Tasmania and revisiting some locations in the Tamar Valley including the area that has been cleared for the proposed controversial pulp mill. The drawings and photos from this trip will be preparatory works for a new series of paintings about the industrial landscape and land use that I'll begin working on as soon as I'm back in my Adelaide studio. I'm looking forward to the trips, making new work and uploading some 'still drying' work soon.
December 2011
Opening of 'Palmer Landscapes Double Happiness'
An exhibition of 24 paintings by Robert Habel and 10 films by Cole Larsen
Murray Bridge Regional Gallery
Friday 2 December - Sunday 15 January 2012
Opening Sunday December 4, 2011, 2.00pm
For more information: www.murraybridgegallery.com.au
opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 11am-4pm
November 2011
CURRENT EXHIBITION
'Energy Landscapes: the new frontier'
Royal Institute of Science, RiAus, Exchange Place Adelaide
Until Friday 25 November 2011
For more information: www.riaus.org.au
opening hours: Monday -Thursday 10am-5pm, Friday 10am-8pm
UPCOMING EXHIBITION
'Palmer Landscapes Double Happiness'
Murray Bridge Regional Gallery
Friday 2 December - Sunday 15 January 2012
Opening Sunday December 4, 2011, 2.00pm
For more information: www.murraybridgegallery.com.au
opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 11am-4pm
September 2011
CURRENT EXHIBITION
'Energy Landscapes: the new frontier'
Royal Institute of Science, RiAus, Exchange Place Adelaide
Thursday 15 September - 25 November 2011
Opening: Thursday September 15, 6-8pm
www.riaus.org.au
Public Forum
'Energy Landscapes: the new frontier'
featuring a panel of scientists, solar farmers and the artists
Thursday September 22, 6-7.30pm
RiAus
UPCOMING EXHIBITION
'Palmer Landscapes Double Happiness'
Murray Bridge Regional Gallery
Friday 2 December - Sunday 15 January 2012
Opening: Sunday 4 December, 2.30pm
www.murraybridgegallery.com.au
Film Afternoon
'Double Happiness Uranium'
90 minute feature film, directed by Cole Larsen, production design by Robert Habel
Murray Bridge Town Hall
Sunday 15 January 2012, 2.30 pm
Includes meet the makers session
June 1, 2011
I'm currently on a seven week residency at the Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns. The first series of small oil paintings I'm working on are based on the local area in and around the Tanks area in North Cairns. The concrete tanks are three World War 2 oil storage tanks, now home to a large gallery and performance spaces run by the Cairns Regional Council. My moving image collaborator Cole Larsen will be joining me in June to make videos that will compliment the paintings. Our exhibition of paintings and moving image projections titled 'Cairns; in the Company of Strangers' will open at Tanks 4 gallery on June 24. www.tanksartscentre.com