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Glorious Descent

Glorious Descent
Acrylic on canvas 60 x 40cm

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Group Show



This Friday the 29th of November is NANA'S Debut and to help NANA celebrate my work will be exhibited as part of the debut showcase.

 Local artists and special guest performers will join forces to launch this exciting new contemporary art space in Newcastle. Along with music, tasty treats, bubbles and fine company the night promises to be more dazzling than your average debutant ball.

Friday 29 November 2013
6 - 8pm
NANA contemporary art space
The Emporium
Hunter st Mall Newcastle

Exhibition continues to the 7th December 
 

Thursday, November 21, 2013




Introducing NANA a new contemporary art space in Newcastle NSW Australia. Foundered by artists for artists it is the joint creative project of Madeleine Cruise and Jacqueline Larcombe. 

NANA is a not for profit organisation that provides cost effective opportunities to emerging artists in an inclusive and stimulating environment. Together with artists, performers, writers and designers from across Australia and beyond, NANA is invigorating the creative art scene in Newcastle and launching itself as a location for experimentation, collaboration and critical dialogue. 

NANA is located in the unique interior of the historic Scotts Department Store, built in the 1890s. The building was taken over by David Jones in 1958 and continued trading up until early 2011.  Reinvented as a centre for local artisans and designers, the building currently operates as The Emporium.  

NANA encourages a playful interaction with its commercial history and its alternative shopping experience of today.  The grand spatial ambitions of the buildings 19th century architecture complements NANA'S ambitions to be wonderful iconic space for contemporary art in Newcastle.



Regular Trading Hours :

Thur 10 - 6
Fri 10 - 5
Sat 10 - 4

December / Xmas period:

Wed 10 - 5
Thur 10 - 6
Fri 10 - 5
Sat 10 - 4

Contact :

Madeleine Cruise and Jacqueline Larcombe
nanacontemporaryart@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/NANA/










Paintings from a European Summer: The Seine


The thing about Paris is it is every bit the cliche, not the dry stuffy sort but rather the guilty pleasure. Which one soon realises the Parisians do not confess too but enjoy in style - and so too should any visitor to Paris. For it is a lustrous city whose every decadent whim is accounted for: The flying butresses of Notre Dame, the golden lamposts in Place de la Concord, the reclining chairs by the pond in the Garden Tuileries, the availability of croissants on every corner at almost any hour and of course, most significantly there is the Palace for Art, The Louvre. 

This extravagent building with its enormous collection of art best summasises my impression of Paris. For it represents a city that not only celebrates art but highly regards it. It is of the city and of the people and you can feel it. Like bread is to the French so is art in all its manifestations. 

Perhaps this is why it was difficult for me to apprehend my time in Paris and even more confronting to take pictures and make drawings. It was beautiful and it was the origin of so many revered momets in art and history. As a young  romantic artist it was a much anticipated city.

 I was fortunate then to spendthree luxurious weeks there, in fine company and with a room of ones own. Given time to enjoy Paris on a day to day basis the culture shock settled, most noticably in my stomach. For I realised the most important way to become accustomed to Parisian life is through food. And so my friends and I ate our way through Paris, with a map and a picnic basket. My most treasured possession came to be my opinel knife that we used to slice through copious amounts of camembert, usually whilst reclining on a lawn. 

On one such day our picnic was by the Seine. It was an unusually hot Summers day and despite our weariness Naomi  had Hilary and I on a quest to find an ideal view. Eventually we settled on the location depicted in my drawing. Feet dangling over the sandstone edge we watched as thin barges motored down the river whilst eating baguette, cheese, tapenades and fruits. 

I remember completing this drawing and feeling more connected to my surroundings. To be of the moment is a very powerful experience and sometimes hard to comprehend. I am fortunate to have the ability and inclination to paint and draw through these moments, an act that will always remain far more instinctual and emotive for my rational brain to translate. When I look back on these works I can reconnect with an emotion that I never could never achieve with a photo. Everything from the weight of a line to a gesture in paint carries significance. 

Over time this image will mean more to me, not because of nostalgia but because my experience of Paris is something I am still understanding, given distance. For me it is not a destination city but a mind set, a system of values and a way of life. 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Utilising the Safest courier in town

I live a fairly modest life as an artist and so do my paintings. Today 'High Score' enjoys a commute into the art gallery with all the other locals. No need for a fancy courier when there is cityrail. Lets just hope that the drunks who are bellowing on the platform with us don't take inspiration from our company and splash beer on the canvas. 

Monday, November 11, 2013

One of the selected


My painting Newcastle Port Traffic has been selected for this local Show at Cooks Hill Gallery.
You can keep an eye on the selected works by following the Galleries Facebook page where details will be listed soon as to how to vote for the people's choice art prize.

https://www.facebook.com/cookshillgalleries?hc_location=streamn=stream

For more information about Cooks Hill Gallery:

http://www.cookshillgalleries.com.au/current-exhibition

Thursday, November 7, 2013

A painting creates an illusion of an eternal  present, a place where my eyes can rest as if the clock has magically stopped ticking.

Siri Hustvedt, Mysteries of the Rectangle: Essays on Painting, 2005.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Escape from Hiding




Coming Soon: Images and tales from the July exhibition Hiding Places.

To wet your appetite...... Raspberry Serpents