New work in group exhibition

Smooth Descent 90x110cm Acrylic on canvas 2014

This month Renew Newcastle celebrated it's 5th anniversary and to commemorate this NANA contemporary art space mounted a retrospective exhibition titled: Out of the Woodwork. 

Renew is famous for enlivening the creative heart of Newcastle by supporting artists and facilitating their creative projects in otherwise disused commercial spaces. Represented by over 16 different works were the efforts of artists, designers, collectives and galleries who have all contributed to the Renew program in the past 5 years. I have been involved with Renew since 2013 when I occupied a studio in a disused office block on Watt St in Newcastle's CBD. In this space I developed the textile work that formed my solo exhibition Hiding Places at the Lockup Cultural Centre in July 2013. When this project ended I became the co director of NANA contemporary art space and opened a gallery in the former David Jones building in Hunter St Mall. 

Smooth Descent is my contribution to Out of the Woodwork and is a significant piece as it marks the beginning of a shift in my practice. Completed in early 2014 it represents a time when I became less concerned with the conceptual content of my work but rather the ability of paint. This is a time when I first asked the question: 'What can paint do ?' On careful observation you will notice that this painting has been made using a wet into wet process, meaning, unlike in previous works where I was concerned with creating deliberate layers and allowed surfaces to dry before painting over, I painted a variety of colours into one another. The reason for this was I was primarily concerned with edges and creating more tonal depth within my chosen colours. 

A pivotal piece for me in 2013 was Clouded Desire, where I first worked all over the canvas completely with my chosen palette. I appreciated the immersive environment that this technique created and how the limited palette allowed one's eye to move slowly around the canvas rather than abruptly from bright colour to the next. However I was not satisfied with the transition of brush stroke to brush stroke, which were quite angular and awkward. Like many of my earlier paintings Clouded Desire was still concerned with colour blocking as if I were creating a design of shapes rather than an environment. In Smooth Descent I set about experimenting with smooth edges, bleeding colour, curving the brush and trying to extend the possibilities of the composition beyond the canvas. This is why I painted the yellow, like a frame around much of the composition, not to contain it but hopefully to suggest that the colour spreads beyond the rectangle. Whilst the colours are still very bright and contrasting the edges between them are softer the shapes have been pushed into one another rather than over the top. Generally though there is a peculiarity to the composition that evolved unintentionally. It is suggestive of a figure and ground and  there is a subtle horizon like. But there is also an all over flatness to the shapes that reminds you that it is just a surface. This tension between depth and surface and indeed the conventions of opposite genres (landscape and abstract expressionism perhaps) entertains me. The fact that these were unintentional effects intrigues me. 

Smooth Descent is the first of a new series of paintings where i have continued to ask what can paint do ? Which has led to experimentation and deliberate actions on the canvas that challenge the direction of the painting. Like in other parts of life, humans have a tendency to stick with what they know, even if we don't intend to, we develop habits and tendencies. Artists are mown experimentalists but even so we can develop practices that can restrict us. I have been known to 'solve' paintings according to techniques that i have used before. Sometimes it even feels like I am painting the same composition again - it is as if the subconscious reverts to what it knows. I am at a stage now where I am choosing to challenge my subconscious into making new decisions by deliberately changing how I apply paint. My friend recently asked me if this scared me as I didn't know what was occurring on the canvas couldn't gauge where it was going. Entering the studio daily I am surprised by what I find but more importantly I feel quite free as I relinquish control. Yes, I am the one applying the paint, but I don't know to what end and rather than painting a brush stroke so as to form something I know I am instead painting a question. 

Smooth Descent can be seen as part of Out of the Woodwork at NANA contemporary art space. 185 Hunter St Mall. Until April 12 2014. nanacontemporaryart.blogspot.com

Clouded Desire 120x110cm Acrylic on canvas 2013

Paintings from a European Summer: Nice

Ponies of Nice Gouache & pencil on paper 20x15cm 2013

I made this painting during a visit to the Matisse Museum in Nice in September 2013.

I remember the journey to the South of France as arduous but visually spectacular. It was a romanticized place for me and as autumn was approaching I was seeking that last hoora of summer by the French Riviera. I had travelled by train from Bern Switzerland early in the morning on a suitably prompt Swiss train, passing through lush green pasture so iridescent it reminded me of rice pats in Vietnam. The mountains that encircled the grass were majestic and serene, hardly as imposing as those that I had seen during my time Canada. Approaching Geneva the train started to twist and turn as it rounded Lake Geneva, I had taken a phone call from a loved one in Australia but had to abort the conversation as I became transfixed with the landscape that was evolving in front of me: Rows and rows of grape vines were cascading down to the water's edge which was mirroring the peaks of the mountains overhead. It was pristine and clean. This had also been the condition of the efficient train that I had been travelling on, even with the addition of Swiss soldiers who had boarded two stops earlier, the cabin was civil and reverent to the changing landscape outside the window. This experience however came to a sudden halt when we crossed the border into France and transferred trains in Lyon. I was ushered into crowded, hot cabin class onboard a train to Nice, where one had to fight for a seat between sweaty legs, birdcages, snotty nosed children and enormous suitcases. Needless to say the southward journey was arduous and I longed for the civility of the Swiss and the cool climate. 

The temperature began to rise as we approached the Mediterranean and you could sense the arid heat by looking at the dusty red soil outside. With the transition of green to red it felt like I had witnessed an eclipse of landscape and culture. As the Mountains came into view of the Cote De Azure I noticed they were craggy and sunburnt and completely un vegetated. Yet despite the dryness there were abundant vineyards, growing but I presumed was the regions specialty: Rose. This was a pleasant discovery as I likened the red pigment of the soil to the subtle pink colour of the wine and imagined how deliciously quenching a glass of chilled rose would be on a day like this.

Soon the train was nearing Marseille, which I realised was where most passengers were alighting, returning from their summer holidays in France and greater Europe. School was to return the following week and the working year was to begin again. Hence the disgruntled French families travel beaten and nauseous from the rollicking train ride disembarked, leaving me alone to continue onto Nice. As the sun began to set I finally arrived at my destination where I found my hostel and some rest for the night. Tomorrow I would explore.

My initial experience of the cities' streets was similar to that of a pinball machine where I was the tiny metal ball being bounced and flung amongst a maze of bright colour and lights. The city sucked me in and I made a twisting path through the streets following fragrances and alluring colours around every corner until I met the sea. It amazed me how different this French city could feel to that of Paris, which up until this point had been my only address in France. Not only was there the contrast of coloured architecture to the limestone blocks of Paris but also I could feel the salt on my skin but the smell of citrus, figs, cumin and olives wafted freely. I could visualise the origin of these flavours in Greece, Italy and Morocco and the bustle and colour of the market city made more sense - I was compelled to follow the source, jump on a trade boat as if I were a stick of cinnamon and transit between these exotic places.

On a later day I learnt that the city had been the home of Matisse for 25 years, as a favourite painter of mine this information only added a new layer of meaning to my experience. My appreciation for the cities atmosphere had been growing something about the Mediterranean air seemed to add a joyful lightheartedness to the spirit of the place. It was as if the city were wrapped in a blanket of warmth that kept people's attitudes at a healthy medium. The history of the city as a Jazz haven in the 1930's could be read in the architecture of the city halls and hotels that stretched along the ocean boulevard. The music could still be could be heard in the colonial architecture which kept a vibrant beat of colour and a created a gentle hum of market activity. The neighbouring white art deco suburbs were the image of timeless melodies with their elegant balconies and sweeping lines. It made sense then that Matisse made music and dance some of his most memorable subject matter and celebrated it through colour and line. As one gazed around the city the pieces of his paintings could be found: A date palm here, a juicy peach there, a pattern of terraces and a blanket of blue sky. 

I decided to seek out the Matisse Museum and revisit his famous works many of which I had only seen in textbooks during art school. Located a short but steep bus ride out of central town the museum was set within an olive grove and overlooked the seaside city. As soon as I entered the building and witnessed my first work it were as if I were returning to the family home, where the idiosyncrasies of your loved ones make sense amongst the familiar smells of the kitchen and the worn cushions of the lounge. 

The works of Matisse are very familiar to me yet viewing them within the context of their source enhanced their potency. For me Matisse remains an impressive painter through his complex combination of analytical painting and joyful expression, done so with such effortless style. His work captivates my sense of perception in their analysis of the picture plane: How a composition can both construct and deconstruct space. His draughtsman ship and unapologetic construction lines chart the evolution of the work and pays homage to artistic practice. Yet despite Matisse contributing to some major advances in the development of abstraction his work manages not to intimidate but rather remains approachable and active. His use of line is deliberately unresolved and bright colour and humble subject matter maintains a sense of humility. What I think resonates with so many people about Matisse's work is that it celebrates life and can be understood through the representation of dance, music, food and bathers. Similarly the careful identification of colour, shadow, pattern and space serves as a reminder of the vast scope in which beauty can be found and is in tune with the details of life. It is this quality that makes Matisse's work deeply human and capable of reconnecting the viewer with simple sensual pleasure that can often become lost or taken for granted.

Having exited the exhibition I felt as though I had been reunited with an old friend and continued to muse about the work as I wandered the grove of olives that encircled the museum. The muted green leaves created a soft haze in the afternoon heat and spinning happily in the centre was a carousel. I took up a chair in the neighbouring café and took out my sketchbook, with Matisse by my side.

Solo Show

Hull Sequence in Blue Acrylic on Canvas 85x100cm 2014

SMOKE STEEL SALT

Works Made In Newcastle By Madeleine Cruise

 NANA Contemporary Art Space 

10 Jan - 1 Feb 2014

Stockton Industry (extract) Collage on Paper 45x100cm 2013

 SMOKE STEEL SALT is a collection of collages and paintings that reflect on the working industrial harbour of Newcastle. The compositions are loosely based on the landscape with figure ground relationships between stormy skies and turbulent ocean, fishing trawlers, smoke stacks and freight ships. Through a process of cutting and pasting collage material and building layered brush strokes my artistic practice has become part of the working city of Newcastle.

  View the complete series at NANA Contemporary Art Space

185 Hunter St Mall Newcastle

Wed - Sat 10am - 4pm

nanacontemporaryart.blogspot.com

Resident of Bowral

A return to Bowral this week has allowed me to re aquaint myself with Blue, the youngest of the painted Bulls. He looked over my shoulder last night as I sat on the couch in my parent's lounge room. Despite his size (the canvas measures 120x100cm) Blue is a docile presence in the house, who warms passers by with his soft yet reassuring gaze. Painted in 2012 he is one of the Bocanegra brothers who dazzled punters at the Waterhouse Prize last year as well as the Bowral District Art Prize. Blue however has kept out of the limelight, prefering a quiet life in bowral.

Hiding Places Exhibition Album Published !

The much anticipated documentation of Hiding Places has been published today and can be viewed in the right column of this blog. Double click on the slide show to be taken on a tour of the Lockup cells which were transformed into a series of Hiding Places during the July Exhibition at The Lockup Cultural Centre Newcastle.

Beginning with the Raspberry Serpent Den you will notice polka tongues are playfully licking at the floor, are they spitting out fur balls ? Or laying soft pastel eggs ? You can decide.
Secondly, the imagination is taken into the Cloud Room,  where the painting Clouded Desire is the feature piece. Dive into its seductive powder blue hues if you dare.
Across the other side of the cell block is the pink chamber of cakes, a luscious landscape in plush and paint that offers a window out into another world.
Finally, the ever changing glow of the powder puff will entice you into the last cell: Drive in Movie.
Feature sculptures like Marilyn will have you transfixed with her elegant chiffon and sexy black rubber.

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 

 

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

nanacontemporaryart.blogspot.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/pages/NANA/