Summer Projects V is our first exhibition for 2018. A group show of work by six dynamic painters from around Australia – Sarah Rowe, Melissa Boughey, Kate Debbo, Graeme Altmann, Jordy Kerwick and Mickey Egan. Though quite varied in the individual artist’s approach, Summer Projects V is a complimentary and exciting show. Sarah Rowe is a Melbourne based artist, and established textile designer. Her recent return to painting has been much welcomed by Boom Gallery. Throughout her career Rowe has demonstrated a strong interest in the relationship between, design, space and expression. Her recent works demonstrate her ability to seamlessly translate this interest from one form to another. Through her exploration of the paint medium Rowe brings together abstract forms and contrasting colours in a painterly style, to produce dynamic works that portray softness and depth simultaneously. “I have returned to painting after a very long time away from it. My main bread and butter is in textile design which I also have a great love for and often, my inspiration and motivation comes from interiors and textiles. My work centres around colour, shape and pattern and how they interact with each other. I experiment with combinations of these three basic elements to create an expression of myself. I favour the use of strong colour with impact, I like contrasts. The forms I make are often juxtaposed against each other into an abstract landscape or an aerial view composition, occasionally there are figurative elements. As I’m also a textile designer, I find it natural to collage and layer paint in a fabric-like way. I use oils because I think the colour is better and I seem to enjoy the creative process more when I use this medium.” Melissa Boughey Since completing her BA Fine Art (Curtin Uni 1994), Melissa Boughey has lived and worked on a rural property near Denmark in the far south of Western Australia that she and her husband bought 20 years ago. Her work is inspired by her landscape; her studio in the trees, the wetlands below and driving (or walking & riding) in the country. “I am constantly in awe of the natural environment, held enthralled by the way the light changes, the long shadows of autumn into winter, the play between scratchy, shrubby bush and warm fields of colour in summer; the shape of things. Waterways, creeklines, heading up a mountain, a vista or just the humble feeling of being but a speck in the universe (but somehow deeply connected to the earth) may all imbue the work. The new work for Summer Projects V is inspired by trips made to my local beach, via coastal heath, wetlands, and farmland. Often incorporating some sort of motion; riding, walking, or driving – so the view is not stationary. The imagery is caught unawares, out of the corner of my eye, imbued in memory or the saturation of colour. I often start a work with a couple of simple shapes or colours and allow an intuitive approach using materials at hand until a feeling of a landscape emerges.” Kate Debbo is a painter living and working in Margaret River, Western Australia. She creates large works that move intuitively from abstract to representational. With the painting directing the artist, each piece is a new adventure in colour, form and composition. Kate is inspired by her children, their fresh and unique approach to making art and life. She loves the notion of being lost and then intuitively finding her way again, and finds most of her inspiration in this ‘in-between’ place. Kate hopes to engage the viewers imagination and evoke a sense of joy and playfulness through her paintings “I create paintings in layers of acrylics and oils which are characterised by expressive colours and forms. My paintings are made from memories and my direct experiences of the ‘here and now’. I consider each piece to be a page out of my journal, a reflection of my daily existence. The images are a means to an end. They are a way to give shape and meaning to the paint. I am inspired by everyday colours and events. Through my work I hope to engage the viewers imagination and evoke a sense of joy and vibrancy.” Graeme Altmann was born in Warrnambool, lived and studied in Warrnambool and Melbourne to the age of 26, relocated to Melbourne permanently where he has continued his full time arts practice. After continued commercial representation for the last 30 years and an expanding arts practice incorporating bronze sculptures and installations, Altmann has now established his own studio and gallery in Melbourne. His work continues to be inspired by the back roads of the Western District and the obscure coastal narrative of the Southern coastline. ‘My current work is based not far from the sea. The drive through the home territory of the Djargurd wurrong towards my own birth town, between salt lakes and country of ancient fires is pretty much all I need to inspire me.” Jordan Kerwick is a self taught artist based in Melbourne. Whilst Kerwick’s art practice is still relatively young, it is fast acquiring the attention of a global audience with representation in New York, Paris and London. Kerwick has a uniquely raw and confident approach, combining a range of materials to create detailed and textured surfaces. “I was lucky enough to spend some time painting outdoors over the past few months and was able to absorb the colours of my surroundings – purples, blues and the occasional brilliant hues from a setting western sun. In many ways, my still life paintings are very autobiographical and encapsulate my rawness and flawed traits as a person. The result for these works are a raw, textural response to my surroundings.” Mickey Egan lives on the Surf Coast with his family. He is a designer presently working in Geelong. He has worked for major brands both in Australia & the USA. His work & lifestyle has led him to travel frequently and extensively which has further enabled him to access his interests; cities, art museums, galleries, cultural events, historic sites, surfing locations & the great outdoors. “These paintings are consequential reconstructions of many observations, photo’s, drawings and experiences taken from a recent trip I took to Vanuatu with my family in August 2017. This small series has provided as an experimental platform to explore and project impressions of figures and motifs within a contemporary context verses notions of a historic timeline.” Summer Projects V runs until February 18. See a full listing of the exhibition here.
