'Shining Lock of Northshore' selected as a Finalist in the 2018 Online Gallery.
I have always had a fascination with urban or industrial scenes, from lamps in Paris to wooden doors in Bali. The first painting that I ever exhibited was over 20 years ago at the Courier Mail Home Show Art Exhibition. The painting was of looking up from the ground at the concrete pillars and windows of an old and somewhat haunted looking building in Melbourne.
Since returning to painting in 2017, I have found myself drawn back to this somewhat stark, angular and rustic subject matter - I call urban mindfulness or industrial art. Finding beauty in everyday inconspicuous scenes and bringing them to life for others - is a real interest subject of mine.
Earlier in 2018, I was walking my dog around the Northshore precinct in Brisbane and noticed a very shiny silver lock hanging off a brightly painted Cyan Blue coloured tin shed. The shed was part of a row of dis-used industrial sheds that have all been painted brightly colours to promote the new Eat Street Market precinct. Needless to say - this scene has become the subject for my series 'Northshore' and hopefully captures a moment in history before these sheds are replaced with waterfront homes or shops.
The 'Shining Lock of Northshore' was the first in the series that I painted. I was somewhat surprised about how it turned out so with a little boost I decided to enter it into the well known Lethbridge Small Scale Art Prize 2018. I felt so honoured to have this painting then make it as a Finalist in the Online Gallery! This was a proud moment as I had only just returned back to painting after over 15 years!
So what next.....
I want to complete the Northshore series and hopefully exhibit it as a collection that captures this moment in time. And then of course planning what competitions and art prizes I am going to set my sights on in 2019!
Learn more about the Lethbridge Gallery at www.lethbridgegallery.com