Another way to escape the current seemingly endless scorching Sydney heatwave is to catch the delightful HARBOURING THE BEACH exhibition now showing at the Traffic Jam Galleries.
The exhibition features the works of Anakita Eskalante, Danielle McManus, Bruno Mota, Bronwyn Newbury, Rebecca Pierce and Sally West in a themed exhibition that embraces Summer, The Harbour, beaches and positivity for this coming year. Don’t forget to check the gallery’s windows facing the street as they feature some of the works included.
Anakita Eskalante’s four works can perhaps be viewed as a group, perhaps companion pieces on the same theme. The texture of the huge rocks are vividly depicted and you can feel the dangerous sea crashing against them. In Walking Along the Edge (Bondi to Coogee) the sea appears to be in a happier mood but is it actually?!
Bruno Mota’s several works are bright bold and colourful, a little Ken Done like in style almost abstract and at times using Matisse like paper cut out shapes. Mota seems to like broad swirling lines drawing the eye of the viewer. There is an s-shape slithering across the page in Harbour Bridge
At Night Bondi Beach has wonderful abstract lines forming the building shapes and leading the eye there is a sense of stretched flatness of the building in the centre of the design and the Rubik’s’- cube like tall building as well – not forgetting the party hat of the Opera House here defined in yellow and red.
Danielle MacManus has some rather wistful works. Her trademark is a sweet figure with huge eyes. Backyard Beauty has a cute young girl in a flamingo shaped and coloured small bathing pool with the curved design emphasised.
Lost At Sea is a child crying about losing their toy boat – and perhaps being separated from their parents? – whilst wading birds studiously ignore the child. After her Swim is a terrific red and white spotted and striped portrait of an older, world weary woman.
Bronwyn Newbury’s exciting hazy semi abstract work captures people at the beach from an almost aerial perspective. In Lazy Hazy days of Summer the setting is a white sandy beach with various people radiating out from the central couple. There is the fun inclusion of blue and white striped umbrellas.
Yoga Before the Storm imparts the feeling of people on the beach before a storm.The use of the huge blue section of sky and water brings tension, and we see two people forming triangular shapes at the bottom of the work.
Every Man and His Dog is an aerial view of a crowded beach with almost abstract dots of umbrellas.
Rebecca Pierce’s very thickly textured, lush, enticing works shimmer and engage you. Floating with its explosive green and yellow lines among the blue and white flowers for example is captivating. Again there is almost an abstract, even perhaps pointillist sense of work in, for example, Flag, and The Park At the Beach is like being in an ice-cream cone coloured rippling garden. Between The Flags with its spots of umbrellas just begs to be touched.
Sally West is represented by several works; land/seascapes all painted with a breathless feel of urgency and a scurrying bold use of brushstroke. The Rose Bay Ferry captures the ferry speeding past and the buildings and trees are briskly indicated in thick brushstrokes.
The light is indeed soft and rather cloudy and grey in Soft Light On Double Bay, catching clouds coming and featuringn several boats temporarily at rest.
This was a delightful summer exhibition.
HARBOURING THE BEACH runs at the Traffic Jam Gallery, 41 Military Road, Neutral Bay until the 23rd February, 2017.
http://www.tjg.com.au
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