LEISE KNOWLES - INTERVIEW

When did your artistic passion begin?

I grew up in a very creative household. My father was a guitarist, writer of prose and song-writer when he wasn't working full time at the steelworks, and one of my mother’s many hobbies was oil painting. Mum's bookshelf had many art books from across her favourite art genres; from Van Gogh to Modigliani, Picasso to Monet. I still have the Van Gogh book, written and published in Italian in the 50s, full of removal plates. I remember seeing Watson and the Shark 1778 by John Singleton Copley in one of her books and asked if it was a photograph and giving me an early appreciation for the classics and realism. Passion was perhaps always there. Passion for art. Passion for life as an artist.

Have you always wanted to be an artist?

I bought my first Dali poster when I was 16. Swans Reflecting Elephants, 1937 adorned my bedroom walls beside a Picasso and a de Chirico. Whilst at high school I undertook extra evening art classes at the local TAFE, as I really was that serious about art even then. I still have many of my early drawings from my teens at the back of my filing cabinet. I didn’t actually think about being an artist. But upon reflection, I was already budding from that age.

After the birth of my son I left the rat race and started art school. I studied at TAFE then onto ECU for my under graduate degrees in fine art and creative industries, and later the ANU for post graduate studies.

Describe your work?

I am an Aboriginal artist who was born and raised on Dharawal country. I have lived in WA on and off over the last two decades and was accepted as a member of the Wardandi people. I have ADHD and chronic PTSD, and I use my art to express my creative mind and for healing. I am now living on Bunurong Country.

My artworks definitely have a surrealist leaning albeit neo-surrealist as coined by some in the art-world. My paintings are an exploration of the fusion between my Aboriginal and European bloodlines and my innate connection to Country. Andre Breton (one of the founders of the Surrealist Manifesto, 1924), said that «Alcheringa», (the Time of Dreamings), was also the time of all metamorphoses*. In my work, my figures metamorphose and become the embodiment of my own cross-cultural translation. The nudes are inspired by classical European paintings and I juxtapose them with surrealist stylisation and Aboriginal motifs. The kangaroo appears most frequently as she symbolises adaptation and fertility, and has been used in Aboriginal art and Dreaming mythology for over 60,000 years. Her feet have four toes which provide firm connections to the earth. I imitate this in my paintings to further illustrate my own connection to Country, and the dashed stitches and dots used sparingly in my work, represent my bloodlines tying all the elements together.

What is the philosophy behind your work?

Like many other artists I want to evoke an emotional response and experience, for the viewer to think about what the artworks represent, ie. the effects of post-colonialism and the impacts it has had on generations of Aboriginal people. Alone with the mix of surrealism and Aboriginal motifs and imagery, I usually hide 3 numbers in my work...I will let people figure that out themselves.

Birthstone 30 x 30 cm.

Acrylic, oil & wax on board

2020 (Private Collection)

Leise Knowles

Do you have a set method/routine of working?

Many of my ideas have come to me in my dreams, or as a reaction to my post-colonial research over the years. The backgrounds lay the foundations and are just as important as the foreground figures. I create many, (I mean many) rich layers, textures, patterns and patinas which help to reveal the complexity of my deeply interwoven heritage. I work with vintage embossed wallpapers and lace, modelling gels, acrylics, pigment inks, and spray paint, often scratching into the surface, sanding and scraping before the surface is ready for the figures to be added. I prefer to work on wooden panels as they lend themselves to my hands on approach...canvas cannot always take the treatment. After the figures are completed, I then add in the traditional Aboriginal motifs and finishing the artworks with oil paint and a wax medium to protect the work.

Why do you choose this material/medium to work with?

The variety of mediums and techniques and multiple layers echo the complexity of the subject matter I guess. The finished patinas and depth of each artwork help to tell the stories of my multicultural heritage. The same concepts are used in my digital and collage works too.

How important is drawing as an element to your artwork?

Sketching up the ideas in my diary or on anything available is part of my process. I imagine an image, or on waking from a dream I sketch and write about it as dreams fade so quickly as you know. These quick line sketches are then worked up as more complex drawings with charcoal or pencil to fine tune the pose and position of the figure before committing it to the painting. I draw directly onto the prepared surface before starting the painting process, and often draw back into the painting as I work. I like how the viewer can see the process marks and how the painting has developed.

What inspires your work/creations?

The tireless seeking out of the traces of my heritage to construct an understanding of my identity and 'place' in the present, whilst examining the important narratives of my ancestors and Australia's convergence of cultures today; in particular women such as myself. My connection to the Dreaming and to Country is intrinsic in my work, and to the myriad of European histories that make the person I am.

What have been the major influences on your work?

The Surrealists of course (LOL). The philosophy of surrealism based on the works of Freud and later Jung would have to be the major influences which underpin my creativity. Modernism, including abstract and cubism from the early half of the 20th century have each made appearances in some form or another in my work over the years, especially as I build up the layers of the backgrounds. Classical 19th century European paintings and sculptures of the human figure both influence and inform my work also. Of course my Aboriginal heritage plays a major part of the stories behind each of my artworks. Recently I read an amazing paper about dreams and magic in surrealism and Aboriginal art by Darren Jorgensen (2011), that resonated with me and within my work. His concepts deal with the association of the unconscious (from where surrealism stems) and the Dreaming cosmology of my ancestors. I am always open to theories and research that could inform or help to construct new ideas my work. It never ends really does it?

Chained

30 x 30 cm .

Acrylic, pigment ink, oil & wax on board

Leise Knowles 2023

What are some of your favourite artworks and artists?

I lived, created art and took photographs in France for several years. I was surrounded by a plethora of art history, museums, galleries, and famous artworks are literally everywhere. I saw the most wonderful artists' exhibitions in Paris such as Klimt, Kahlo, and Monet etc., and visit so many museums and artist's homes. Salvador Dali's home and Joan Miro Museum in Spain, or the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I walked through that one. A few favourite contemporary Australian artists and Aboriginal artists whose work I love and collect include Melbourne based abstract artist Luke Jackson, Lismore based Lisa Bristow's stunning marine and floral oils, or Gloria Petyarre's incredible canvases of which I have two in my collection. I also studied the work of Nym Bunduk at the ANU and am lucky enough to own one of his bark paintings. I also admire and am influenced by the the classic and modernist masters' nudes. What are the challenges in becoming an exhibiting artist?

Fear and lack of confidence. Being an artist, we create from a place deep within our psyche, or subconsciously bring forth ideas to create images (and words) to share with the world. When we exhibit, especially early in our careers we are exposing those parts of ourselves to others to not only view, but often examine and critique. We fear the criticism or rejection I believe. My philosophy to help generate more understanding of art in social learning, has helped me find a level of confidence and overcome some of the fear surrounding exhibitions. There will always be certain feedback to navigate, but at the end of the day, its the conversations and positive responses from viewers and buyers who make this art life so worth while.

Name your greatest achievement, exhibitions?

In 2015 whilst living in France, I was part of an incredible touring Australian group show called Kangaroos Bounce Into Rome. It was the brainchild of my friend and art colleague Steve McLaren and opened by the then Ambassador of Australia in Italy, Mike Rann. It really was an experience that I will never forget. Later my four textile collages from the show, where toured along with others' works to Assisi and Soriano nel Cimino.

In 2021 I won an award for my painting Convergence in the City of Busselton Art Awards Exhibition. Really honoured as I had lived there for many years in the early 2000s.

How has the COVID 19 virus affected your art practice?

I had planned my 4th exhibition in France, a solo show, for April 2020 in Narbonne, Occitania. I worked for months finishing paintings of my Genesis series, designing promotional material etc. including a date for an interview on a radio art program in Carcassone. The lockdowns in March and April saw the event postponed, but I left France in November of that year before the exhibition was realised. Bit of a disappointment, but I must say I was not at all disappointed about the cancellation of the on air interview speaking in French with my Australian accent, in fact I was relieved.

What are you working on at present?

I am still painting my kangaroo women, and cubist style drawings on vintage linoleum. I am also a photographer specialising in black and white landscapes so that’s always a go to if I am not painting and dreaming.

Forthcoming exhibitions?

I have just had a duo exhibition in Melbourne with Luke Jackson, after relocating in early June from WA to Southern Gippsland, Victoria. We may have another duo or group exhibition in the future. Mid June this year I had two works in the Expo Metro Exhibition in Barcelona, Convergence and Birth of the Birth of Morning Star (panel 35). I was pretty chuffed about that as a few friends from France went to see them. Maybe a photo exhibition too of the Nullabor crossing in April, that friends keep suggesting. On verra mes amis!!!!