Six Artists of the 2018 Fleurieu Biennale

When you think of an artist’s studio, you may envisage a place filled with tools, materials, inspirational curios and unfinished artwork; maybe even packing materials, standing ready for the finished artwork to be shipped out. I love visiting artists in their studios. It gives great insight into their practise and what is important to them. I have been lucky enough to have visited most of these artists more than once and they are all incredibly industrious and professional. They represent themselves through venues locally and interstate.

They all, in some way, take inspiration from their environment and know how lucky they are to be in the enviable position of creating a lifestyle around their art. Many work in the landscape – all gain inspiration from it.

The Fleurieu Biennale will be held over six weeks in three venues, featuring artists from across South Australia and interstate. Eighteen of the 120 finalists will be from the Fleurieu. We visited six of them to find out what’s happening behind the scenes.

Brian O’Malley is a designer, painter and all-round experimenter, and his creative stimulus of artworks varies. Brian tells me that Polyocular artworks – which he creates – are formed by moving through the environment while recording and featuring aspects which gives him stimulation which describes the sense of place. Polyocular art is crafted with detail and lots information. To achieve these art works, Brian paints on-site; the canvas is moved through the landscape to various points to achieve multiple perspectives, allowing peripheral vision to be continuously joined.

What makes your work unique? The artworks’ uniqueness is the multiplicity of views of an environment that describe the one place; the painting is created so you can see in front and behind you simultaneously. I like that it is demanding and difficult. The process of moving through the landscape physically while painting means it is about the whole place, not just a snapshot of the diverse, real visual information available. Working on site means that I can change the viewing points. I choose to remove some aspects to increase other elements that I would like to highlight. The painting can be recording up to six to eight hours of changing light depending on how long I can keep working. Sleep after is always guaranteed.

How does living on the Fleurieu influence your work? The Fleurieu is a topographical haven with an enormous range of interesting physical features. The roaming hills, the beaches, the vines and the small patches of natural scrub give rise to a smorgasbord of potential. The light means that I feel inspired because it gives depth to the paintings, from the colour intensity to the contrasting shadows. The social aspect, the diversity of people with varying interests, the growth of the cultural aspects in the Fleurieu over the last fifteen years, give rise to an art-interested supportive public. I am very touched by the people who follow the works, purchase them and give positive feedback.

Chris DeRosa has been an artist for more than twenty years and takes a multimedia approach to her print-based work. Her current project reflects her engagement with the local coastal environment (for years Chris has been part of a group which takes a daily swim across the width of Horseshoe Bay). ‘While I don’t aim to make unique work, an idiosyncratic look or style has emerged from my approach to printmaking technique and colour’, she tells me.

Chris intervenes with traditional print media to experiment, explore and reconfigure imagery in large-scale two and three dimensional forms. Her studio is a cabinet of curiosities, with walls covered in sea sponges, patterned lino, drawings and other objects which have grabbed her attention. ‘The studio in my garden is a haven which can be peaceful and contemplative, or loud and productive,’ she says. ‘As any artist knows, the studio can also be a site of high anxiety; making art isn’t always an easy or intuitive activity.’

Since moving to Port Elliot some seventeen years ago, her work has become heavily influenced by her appreciation and interpretation of the beaches and waters around her. ‘I am amazed by the flora and fauna that wash up on the beaches’, which she combs on a regular basis.

‘The more troubling side of my forays into and on the edges of the sea is the amount of plastic and detritus in the ocean environment.’ These themes are addressed in Chris’s work through bright plastic colours, macrocosms and recognisable – yet abstract – forms.

‘Reading also informs my practice, particularly writers dealing with post apocalyptic ecologies such as JG Ballard and Margaret Atwood,’ she says. ‘I have also taken the opportunity to recharge by travelling to international museum collections of ocean organisms, art museums and events like the Venice Biennale.’

Chris has received funding for various projects from Arts SA and Country Arts SA. ‘Last year I was the recipient of the Breaking Ground Award for regional artists, which provided a great opportunity to be mentored by Michelle Nikou and to make a significant new body of work which was shown at Light Square Gallery last year and this year at Signal Point Gallery in Goolwa’, she tells me. This work hangs together as a group beautifully, however each piece remains a stand-alone work. These awards are important for mature artists to take the time to create works of significance, and to delve deeply into their practise.

John Lacey is a jovial character with an easy laugh. But behind his casual demeanour is someone serious with an astute design sense; a deft use of the brush and palette and a strong sense of purpose. Artists can sometimes be depicted as meandering characters. When John decided to commit himself to a career as a painter he did so with determination. His studio and gallery have been carefully laid out with good lighting and polished concrete floors; the artworks are given pride of place and he is prolific.

While speaking with John I quickly work out he is certain about one thing: he loves painting, whether it’s a landscape or the challenge of a portrait. His studio is light and spacious. ‘It’s just good to work in,’ he says. ‘It gets untidy but I kind of know where everything is, unless Lydia (his wife) cleans it up, but I gradually find things and put them back.’ John’s work is multidisciplinary and ranges from impressions of what he sees to an expressive interpretation bordering on the abstract. Living on the Fleurieu – at their beautiful Mount Compass property – has allowed John and Lydia to create a perfect setting for creating his landscape inspired work. The landscape is ‘just there,’ John tells me. ‘I’m in it and I feel and see its ever changing moods. Being outdoors, whether it’s gardening or golf, rain or shine, you suck it in. It all helps what come out the end of the brush.’

What does the Fleurieu Art Prize represent to local artists? It’s a great showcase of work from around Australia and great for the region. ‘It’s fabulous if you can get your work hung, as you can see where you fit amongst other artists from around the country.

Tom O’Callaghan creates realist oil paintings using of a variety of painting techniques, exploring subject matter ranging from local landscapes and fire, to images from his travels. He has a spacious shed in the back of his Victor Harbor home, which he works out of. ‘The studio is equipped with everything I need to make all the components of a finished piece of art,’ he says. There, Tom makes and stretches his own canvases. Working in oil, he has a large mobile pallette on wheels which he can move freely around from painting to painting. The space is orderly and clean, and the walls are reserved for finished work so it is like a studio inside of a gallery. He describes it as somewhere to ‘hang work while it is drying and for the times I have people over to view work’.

How does living on the Fleurieu influence your work? Living on the Fleurieu influences my work on a daily basis. I observe and take note of my surrounding environment at all times. The varying moods of the landscape, light effects and atmospheric conditions find their way into my work in some form or another. This coastline on my doorstep informs my work as I submerge myself in the ocean regularly and gather information from new perspectives not viewed from the well worn trails.

Do you feel supported in your current practise? Yes. It is brilliant living in a community that supports artists with local galleries and exhibition venues and art prizes, along with many local art lovers and collectors.

What does the Fleurieu Art Prize represent to local artists? It is a prestigious art prize that attracts many high calibre artists nationwide. It represents an opportunity to showcase my interpretation of landscape to a wider audience.

Gail Kellett is a self-taught artist who has been practising in the art of linocut printmaking for 25 years. ‘Linocut printmaking is an exciting medium which can be unpredictable, which I like,’ she says. Her work is hand drawn straight onto the lino and she often works in situ and can be found in Hardy’s Scrub, the Onkaparinga Gorge, Deep Creek Conservation Park or the various vineyards and scrublands around the Fleurieu. Her work reflects the diversity of the region – rural and urban landscape, native flora and agricultural machinery.

Gail has great memories of the Fleurieu of the ‘60s and ‘70s; her grandparents lived at Sellicks Beach and she moved to the region in the ‘80s. ‘I work in an incredibly energetic region,’ she says. ‘All the local councils are highly supportive of the arts and artists within their districts. Many galleries and wineries exhibit artwork. I am fortunate to be permanently exhibiting at Penny’s Hill Winery and owner Tony Parkinson has been an integral force behind the Fleurieu Biennale Art Prize.’

What does the Fleurieu Art Prize represent to local artists? I think it gives all of us the opportunity to showcase the area in so many different mediums. It also gives emerging artists a chance to exhibit in their own region.

Dana loves walking her dog Honey, early in the morning or late in the evening, through to the Aldinga Scrub or down to the beach. Foraging for inspiration along the way, she usually comes back with some beautiful coloured leaves, bark and sticks. She even finds herself rummaging through bird books to find the name of the bird she just spotted in the trees.

Do you feel supported in your current practise? Yes absolutely. I get lots of support from government-run arts organisations in South Australia like the Guildhouse and Wellmade. I have lots of wonderful galleries that love to have and promote my works, but mostly I find it directly from people that enjoy my work, either through social media, my web page or at one of the many art and design markets around Australia that I do my best to travel to.

What does the Fleurieu Biennale Art Prize represent to local artists? As an artist, having such a well known and established exhibition, art prize in your neighbourhood that you can, fingers crossed, be part of gives you a sense of place in the community.

Fleurieu Biennale: June 16 ~ July 22. Visit the Fleurieu Biennale at Stump Hill Gallery and the Fleurieu Arthouse in McLaren Vale or Signal Point Art Gallery, Goolwa. There will also be satellite exhibitions at Dog Ridge Gallery and Kay Brothers in McLaren Vale. Opening night at the Stump Hill Gallery – Saturday June 16 and the Southern Fleurieu Launch at the Signal Point Art Gallery on Sunday June 17. Check the Biennale website for details: https://artprize.com.au

Story and interviews by Petra de Mooy. Photographs by Angela Lisman.