Gallery Red - David Quoy

In this, his first solo David Quoy is showing immense exuberance in using such a beautiful classic medium such as etching he has implored desire and a strong necessity for matter of fact humour and not just humour but a commentary on our existence, exploring today’s popular culture while trying to remind us not to forget where we came from and what life is all about.

Was a little excited getting the invitation to his first solo after enjoying his work in many group show’s. The detail in these works is lovingly intense and at sometimes romantic, but that’s a good thing and not just etchings but there is also sculpture and I fell in love with ‘False Idols’ caste bronze, timber, gold engraving, so cool with it’s golden contemplation on a past life and the plaster versions scattered out below.

Good to visit a new gallery in a suburb I don’t get to very often, well not at all but hopefully will again and one day in the future I hope to give etching a go, as I have always been a little interested in the process, although I do enjoy sitting back and gazing upon the finished product.

‘The Noughties...WTF?’ is a show not to be missed, get on a bus to Glebe and see it!

Fleur MacDonald
9th November - 20th November 2012
www.galleryred.net.au

Damien Minton Annex - Isabel Gomez

Oh well yet another opening I missed but love her work and had to go see the show before it closed. Haven’t been to the Annex in ages and finally found it after going the wrong way and found this stunning landscape show. I’ve seen a bit of her work in group shows but not had the chance to see a solo until now.

It’s not a huge show but with 23 works it really packed a punch and made me miss my life as a landscape painter. Oh Isabel your landscapes are lovely, with your fluid brush strokes, your perfect perspective and your wonderful colour matching. These paintings are to die for, they are careful descriptive snapshots either during the day or winding round a darkened evening highway.

The intimate portraits of her sleeping dog ‘Maggie’ are just fabulous, you can sense her asleep, snoring peacefully and comfortably.

It’s one of those shows that stays with you as there is a serenity about them, no chit chat busy stuff but quiet peaceful works that empower the painter and the viewer, that same feeling like your standing on top of the tallest mountain.

Fleur MacDonald
7th November - 17th November 2012
www.damienmintongallery.com.au

Factory 49 - Louise Blyton

With a wonderful corner work by Gary Deirmendjian and another beautiful wall work across the road at the biscuit factory by Kate MacKay and also some really lovely delicate work in the Office Project Space by Susan Buret, Louise Blyton was in good company. Really love the nature of Factory 49 but sometimes it’s a bit hard for me to get there but a pleasure when I finally do and had to make an extra effort since Louise is a Melbourne Artist and I also like to support out of towner’s.

I’ve been an admirer of Louise Blyton’s work for some time now and since becoming friends on facebook it was wonderful to finally meet her for the first time at her opening.

Louise has a fundamental understanding of the nature of colour and pigment, how hues of one pigment can playfully play a negative reflection against a background of raw linen. In ‘Long Love Days’ her choice of cobalt teal pigment on narrow stretched linen running in a line across the walls of the gallery creating an image that’s close to Morse Code is truly breathtaking and sublime. But my favourite would have to be the tyrian pink pigment on linen, it plays with my mind with it’s double negative and the slightest hint of a lighter hue hiding within the circle of the hottest of pink is totally mesmerizingly gorgeous.

Fleur MacDonald

17th October - 27th October 2012
http://factory49.blogspot.com

Galerie Pompom - Nana Ohnesorge

This Artist has always proven to me to be daring, colourful and so in tune with her surroundings, at first glance ‘Changing Colours’ to me seemed Nana Ohnesorge was laughing at everyone, not just at her peers, the establishment but every man woman child and pet. But this show is serious, really serious, our own historical existence reminding us whitey’s of where we came from, reminding us of what those first settlers did to the indigenous population, telling the story in a whole new beautifully modern way.

Loved ‘Interference 1(outbreak)’ and ‘Interference 2 (violation)’ both ink jet print, watercolour, paper collage, acrylic ink & cardboard puzzle pieces on watercolour paper. These works showed strength in character but in a very quiet subtle way.

There is exuberance in Nana’s work, there is no sign of namby pamby, more like gun’s a blazing which show’s this Artist has gut’s and that’s what I like.

Fleur MacDonald

2nd October - 27th October 2012
galeriepompom.com