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Connected through intense conversations about art and the isolation of being on the periphery of the various typical art scenes, ‘Outskirts‘ brings together three painters who connect as equals and share a serious commitment to the practice of art making – Robyn Shaw, Diane Hunter Robertson and Margaret Ellen Turner. Whilst their work does not share a similar visual connection, they share a willingness to take risks with what they say and think to build on each others ideas, and to define who they want to be as artists and people in the world.
These three artists may have spent their lives in different places, doing very different things, but now their shared and intense obsession with painting and talking about art is what they enjoy about living on the Sunshine Coast. The title of their exhibition ‘Outskirts’ reflects the isolation of being on the periphery of the art scene and thus, how important it was that they found in each other, colleagues who have a serious commitment to the practice of art-making.
“Our work in this exhibition is not superficially similar,” says Margaret, “but visual connections are not the point. The point is the conversation – we build on each others ideas; we are expansive, exploratory, daring, intense, rigorous. It defines us as who we want to be as artists and people in the world.” The three artists say that while it’s essential they share a similar sense of wry humour and irreverence, most important to each of them and their art practice is their willingness to attempt to articulate the ineffable – “emphasis always on the attempt”.
Diane’s work is concerned with the figure and she can work on a set of lines from a drawing session for many years. From years spent in London, she brings to her canvas a respect for the painters from history and their concerns, while bringing to her subject a psychological depth that is all 21st century.
Robyn is currently ‘artist in residence’ on a goldmine in North Queensland. She says the experience of drawing or painting from observation allows more than her visual and tactile senses to be engaged. “I am aware of my position and the movement within the landscape, connecting me to the subject. It is that movement I aim to capture, rather than just replicating a likeness”.
Margaret’s work is less connected to observation and more to exploring the process of the making itself, allowing chance to influence her aesthetic decision-making. Her paintings are made up of many layers, rather like Danish pastry and can take up to a year to complete. She hopes her viewers will be touched directly by the “material presence of the paint on canvas”.
Caloundra Regional Gallery
2 March to 10 April, 2016
Queensland
Image: Margaret Ellen Turner, #632 (detail), 2015, acrylic on canvas, 66 cm x 52cm
