Number Forty Seven - Karen McPhee

Lying on the lush green grass and staring up at the sky through the canopy of leaves is one of my favourite past times which I am so way overdue at doing, but upon seeing the series ‘Here and There’ at Number Forty Seven in Rylstone it all came back. This series of work by Karen McPhee is a sheer delight, it’s light and dark works manage to work well together giving us a balanced selection.

From ‘Up and Down I & II’ acrylic on board, 60x60cm with their blacked out backgrounds and lightly lit bodies swinging to a lofty perspective. ‘Bushwalk I, II & III, acrylic on board, 60x60cm has an eerie quality about them yet at the same time I can see myself going for a quiet stroll through them with not a care in the world. ‘Riverside’, acrylic on board, 120x60cm is a stunning piece to enjoy while sipping a coffee and enjoying the lushness of the greens, greys and watery depths.

‘Looking up I, II & III’ acrylic on board, 60x60cm are my favourites, I can feel the swishing of the leaves in a soft breeze and maybe some birds tweeting. These works show off a talent for mixing colour and applying it quickly to full affect.

‘Rob’s Party I & II’ acrylic on board, 60x60cm show more talent in placing light just in the right place, reminiscent of early Louise Hearman and the same goes for ‘Night Walk I & II’ acrylic on board, 60x60cm which clearly states Karen’s love of dark and light and a good well rounded use of colour.

If you’ve not been to Rylstone, it’s roughly 3 and bit hours on the way to Mudgee, has a couple of pubs, a fabulous bakery, a hardware, a tiny IGA which sells the best honey that supports the Ferntree Gully Reserve Trust, a wonderful wool and craft store at the old Convent, a groovy new wine bar called Ned ‘n’ Bel's and a sprinkling of café’s including where this exhibition is on called Coffee Concrete run by 2 of the Cementa Arts Festival Directors Alex Wisser and Georgina Pollard.

Please by all means go to Rylstone, have a look at some Art and take in the sights and promise me you wont leave until you have tried the Deep South Chocolate Cake .. Yum!!

Fleur MacDonald

8th November - 30th November 2014
coffeeconcrete.com.au
www.conventandchapelwool.com