OPUS

Introduction:

I got a phone call about the Fine Art buildings coming down. It wasn’t a surprise. And so, I went to see for myself.

This is not only our history. These buildings contained our sweat and tears, paintings, drawing, sketching, printing, the exams, the tests and tribulations. These images are a caught moment. Perhaps the last moment of these lives. Everything is eventual. We all knew that in time this would happen. Change was imminent, so we were years ago told. These are the collected images and words that came from that call.

The Only Constant:

Manmade factory seconds in a bedrock of creation. It is there she watches the turning wheels of water absorb sound. Tasting liquids with velvet patience in a wondering of where it might end ?

Metal claws move, like an impatient sewing machine, with needles of worn cloth. Material sadness in a history, caressing painted walls. Ancient handprints recycled and numb glance at each other as they fall into dust.

Engines weep, as if in a dream. It is here she quilts renderings of imagined sound. Utopian truths exiled into another memory yet to be sewn. Falling pieces once shaped of clay thankful for the lemon sun. That capture under a room called sky, light flashes in quick waves between each conscious mind.

The washing away of wakened memories drop reluctantly in exhaustion and submission. Crevassing darkness into the stirred earth. And above the clouds look down upon this sleeping state. Still alive.

It always ends the same. We are alone in the silence of an imagined room. And the only witness to the falling-down of a dream ? A pair of lovers. The lady with a scroll. And a father, without his sun.

All Rights Reserved on article and photographs

Maggie Hall © 2023.

Jessica Gilbert

Artist Jessica Gilbert lives and works in Newcastle, NSW.

As an emerging artist Jessica is fast becoming known for her vibrant expressionist paintings.

2022 Newcastle Club Foundation Prize finalist, Fresh Talent Award

2022 Carol Duval Painting Prize finalist, Highly Commended

2022 Hunter Emerging Artist Prize finalist, Highly Commended

2021 Blackstone Gallery Works on Paper prize finalist, People’s Choice

2020 Blackstone Gallery Works on Paper prize finalist

2022-2023 – Mentorship with James Drinkwater Newcastle Art Space Mentorship Program

Page 102 : Boy and Cat – Acrylic on canvas 2022 Highly commended Carol Duvall painting prize. Jessica Gilbert.

Right : Purple Dressing Gown (Making Breakfast) – Acrylic on canvas 2022

- Jessica Gilbert.

Jessica Gilbert - Interview

My name is Jessica Gilbert, I am a 36-year-old artist living in a little flat in Newcastle with my cats. I am so happy and thankful to be a part of this month’s edition. I grew up in Tighes Hill with my beautiful family from the 80s-00s. My brothers and I were always encouraged to enjoy creation and exploration.

I paint due to my desire to be listened to and understood, to articulate my emotions when I often have trouble voicing them. I also really like compliments.

My paintings have been described as expressive, intimate (sometimes intense), and sentimental. I like figurative, painterly works, celebrating the beauty in the everyday. I mostly work in acrylic paint as I like that it dries quickly and can be worked over easily. I can apply thick, dramatic paint, play a few games of Candy Crush, then go back to it dry and ready to be worked over.

Since last year I have been sharing a studio at Newcastle Art Space with my dear friend Leah Poi which has been fantastic. I mostly go in at night-time, so I don’t get to interact with many of the studio artists, but just having a place to work that isn’t my bedroom has been such a help to my productivity.

I wish I could say that I have a set process. I have a terrible attention span, and troubles with motivation and inspiration. I tend to either avoid things completely and feel guilty about it, or go all in, painting after work every night until I’ve completed something that initially felt impossible. That is relevant in all aspects of my life though. I think that what is most important for me is to find time to sit with my thoughts and reflect on what I’m feeling or take note of what is happening in my life.

I have taken photos everywhere and all the time since I was a teenager, obsessed with capturing moments and people, parties, friends and cute boys. This has been a great help with inspiration and reference, tying in with my sentimentality.

I usually work from candid photographs as I find the natural expressions and body language quite beautiful. I keep folders of photos in my studio and tape them to the wall. I need to learn when to stop referencing the photo and rely on intuition.

A lot of my work is me having conversations with myself about life, change, relationships, and self. Our lives never really turn out the way we thought they would, and we collect and keep things on our adventure. Things like friendships, couches, trauma, love, and lessons. It’s only through life going in strange directions that I have become the person that I am with the opportunities and inspiration to make the artworks that I do.

I try to express the strange melancholy and unease we can feel when things are quiet and still. I think there is so much going on just under the surface. Everything can represent so much without being explicit. Men, cats, homes, and still life are motifs I use to explore thoughts about identity, safety and autonomy.

Painting former partners is something I have felt compelled to do to work through feelings of anger, confusion and sadness, practicing kindness by acknowledgment of their troubles and my lingering possessiveness while remembering and celebrating what it is that I have loved and admired about them. It can feel indulgent or like a hesitance to move on with life, but it’s also part of my identity as a “boy-crazy feminist” who still has a lot to figure out regarding my complicated relationship with men.

The cats are safety and boundaries, putting up walls, embracing single life, sloth, warmth, depression, and comfort. I joke about being the white wine cat-lady spinster, but I think I am mostly trying to express a sense of peace and independence.

I adore interiors and what people keep in their homes. This is mostly an addition to portraiture and cats, but more personal in some ways. Whenever I visit someone, I look at absolutely all of their décor. Their books, photos, curtains, lamps, plants, all of it. These items are an insight into your personality and history. I wonder why they chose that rug and what appealed to them about that toaster, or was that a gift from someone who didn’t need it anymore?

I love painting my flat with its deep windowsills and picture rails. I moved back to Newcastle five years ago with very little except for the fancy lounge that was given to me by a friend who upgraded, and fuchsia leather armchair from a life model who found it in council pickup. Crockery, bookshelves, lamps etc have either been presents, op-shops, curb side, or marketplace. They all mean a great deal to me as they represent regeneration and an autonomy I’d not felt before. An ability to express myself through decoration, choice, and pride of home. My apartment represents important changes in my life, rebuilding and gaining control after years of turmoil, the paintings exploring comfort, safety and regeneration.

I am glad the occurrences in my life led me back to study in my 30s. I had mostly given up on art and hadn’t created in a long time until doing Fine Art as a “fun unit” in Open Foundation at the University of Newcastle. Hunter Street TAFE absolutely changed my life and practice and made me think more deeply about what and why I was creating. I feel incredibly lucky to be taught, challenged, and supported by the likes of Michelle Brodie, Vera Zulumovski, Peter Lankas, Michael Bell, Eddie Milan, Laura Wilson, Madeleine Snow, and David Trout. I know I was a frustrating student as I would have long bouts of depression and anxiety, struggling to pay attention, achieve anything or talk to anyone, but I was never met with anything but support and encouragement. I can still hardly believe that I finished my Advanced Diploma last year.

I was taught so many wonderful techniques and each educator’s personal philosophies and processes which led me to the conclusion that there was no right or wrong way to DO art. There are just endless ways. I really wish I could keep that in mind while making it.

I often keep Michelle Brodie in mind when I paint. One day in class she said something about seeing my brushy, gestural work before and “You’re better than this now, Jess”. I look to her work and take notice of her textures and different applications of paint, and now aim to work with layers and scratching back to reveal what I call the “Secret colours” peeping through. Michelle has been one of my greatest painting influences.

I feel lucky to be in Newcastle, with such a vibrant and thriving creative community. I can be quite shy and socially anxious, but going to as many exhibitions as possible, and volunteering at Newcastle Art Space and Blackstone Gallery helped me to connect with many wonderful, inspiring people. Entering prizes and group shows has also been a great way to challenge myself and face fears of vulnerability and rejection. One of my most exciting achievements was winning the Fresh Talent prize for the Newcastle Club Foundation Prize last year with my painting “A Beer with Jaci Lappin”. This work took everything I knew, and then some new techniques to create a loving homage to a strong, kind, community-driven Novocastrian feminist icon.

2023 is shaping up to be exciting and challenging. Through Newcastle Art Space’s Mentorship program, I have been paired with the wonderful James Drinkwater. A recent meeting addressed my fears and doubts, and he was able to reignite my excitement for creativity and possibility. Our discussion helped me to feel confident to loosen up again and enjoy wild expression rather than trying to make “correct” images. It got me thinking about my love of Schiele, Kokoschka, and Kirchner, and how electrified I felt after seeing the Arthur Boyd exhibition at MAC gallery some time ago.

My meeting with James was needed and appreciated as I have a lot of work to do this year. Group shows in March at Art Systems Wickham, October at The Owens, and November at C Studios. I am most excited/terrified about my first solo show in July at Blackstone Gallery.

Marguerite and Tim at Blackstone have been such a major factor in making me feel part of the community, generous in their friendship and advice. I am thrilled that my exhibition will be with them. My 2021 entry into their Works on Paper prize was the first time I’d been hung on a gallery wall, so I will always hold a very special place for them in my heart.

My hope is to continue learning and creating, one day maybe being a finalist in Kilgour, Portia Geach or the Archibald. I’m not sure I will ever fully be over my self-doubt, but I can be happy if I continue trying and growing.