to see anew....

That is definitely one of the ways in which to describe the work of Idris Murphy...


'it is to see the world anew...'

Idris has to be one of my favourite painters - or artists' - for his depiction of the Australian Outback, his use of line and for the amazing colours that he plays with...

But there is one other thing....

what i like about Idris is the person that he is and how he keeps investing in his interpretation of the land and what that means to him.... I feel that too many artists' get caught up in so many trappings of the art world that their artwork gets lost in it all... Idris is a different kettle of fish. Quiet and humble he works and travels and constantly tries to better his own attempts at drawing this beautiful country.

Last weekend I went to the opening of his new exhibition at King on William gallery which also included a talk or conversation with Idris + artist and writer Joe Frost ...

Some of the questions asked of Idris were for him to try and explain his eye for the landscape and how he has comes to terms with the massive expanses, at locations such as Mutawintji National Park - a place that i have visited + attempted to draw!

The way that he explained it that afternoon was that he opens himself up to the light, the lines and shapes that are created from the changing light conditions and colours that occur throughout the day.... He also talked about his interpretation of history - and the artists' filtered gaze...

I like this quote from John Berger:

A work of art is not the same as a scientific model.

But it stands in an equivalent relationship to reality. Once it was useful to think of art as a mirror. It is no longer - because our view of nature has changed. Today to hold a mirror up to nature is only to diminish it.

The talk or conversation flowed - especially since Joe and Idris have done many drawing camps together in the past and know each other well. But what felt alittle alien was the way we were all sitting - i.e. in a gallery rather than sitting cross-legged around a campfire with the stars lighting us from above...

Sounds romantic - but out there in the bush - it is! Idris and his paintings make so much sense out there as well ... with the flattening out of the landscape, the fantastic colours and squiggly gum trees...

Another artist that plays to the same drum as Idris is the amazing Ginger Riley Munduwalawala.... After seeing his beautiful canvases at the AGNSW it is so very very obvious that these two men listen, focus and talk to the landscape in the same spiritual and visual way. Shame they have never sat next to each other on a gallery wall.... I guess that is one thing that needs to happen more often... placing all these Australian landscape painters together- in order to change the way we curate and categorise...e.g Aboriginal, asbtract expressionist etc.

But the colours....

I truly love Idris' palette! If you would like to know more about this man and his artwork... I would take a stroll down to King on William and have a look at the exhibition which is on until Aug 22. Hazelhust gallery is also about to open their show on Idris' work! They have a further talk planned with Idris for Sunday Aug 23! Its an Idris-athon I tells ya!!

oh... by the way.... I have a quick apology to make to you all...

Im sorry the images are alittle funny - I had some trouble with the scanner!

... just tilt and squint alittle!!

.......

On another tangent...

While at the Idris talk I bumped into a long lost art friend ...Miss Suse McNicol! We went to art school together and so I guess it was no surprise to see her here at a gallery event - especially when we both have the same taste in artwork! I thought id post up a couple of her works that I have in my humble fine art collection! Hope you like the work ...

Have a great weekend and remember the Young Blood market opens tonight at The Powerhouse Museum...

Its on until 5pm on Sat afternoon !...

Hope you find a find!