Province.
Handmark Gallery, Hobart
21 August - 14 September
2020
Exhibition essay.
Clifford How, 2020
As an artist, I’ve been determined over time to avoid sentimentality in my work. But this show Province pushes ominously close.
Unlike much of my previous work, these paintings document the areas close to my home in a literal sense. They are scenes seldom pursued by the adventurous bushwalker or fleeting tourist. These are places we have easy access to easily from a geographical point of view. They are commonly seen through the windows of a speeding car.
It was for these reasons that the Anglicised landscape so common to us came something worthy of contemplation. But what could I bring to this subject that would make the viewer of this collection of work stop and analyse?
It was the effect of light and atmosphere on this seemingly mundane subject that gives its ‘stop and take notice’ transformation. This transformation was the driving factor for Province.
Many of these works feature early morning light which is a subject that has intrigued me personally for some time. This silverly/lemon light is something I pursued by means of plein air colour studies over many years. Often returning to the same spot on icy cold mornings to allow the subject to sink into my subconscious, only to be remembered back in the studio. I find this mode of work, integral to the finished representation that you see hanging here.
Yes, this body of work has a very familiar ring to the majority of us, but when we stop and really ‘look’ at the unseen qualities, the way in which light and atmosphere can transform the mundane into the magical; the way scenes are felt on an emotional level, we have something very worthy of artistic consideration.