| Clifford How has quickly gained a reputation as one of Tasmania’s most in-demand artists, but even he is shocked by the sell-out success of his upcoming solo exhibition, Takayna – Original Earth, which takes his work to a bold new level.
We have come to associate Clifford’s oil paintings with Tasmania’s Central Highlands where reflections glimmer on still, calm waters. But in Takayna – Original Earth, Clifford transports us to the wild west where canvases burst with turbulent power as fierce waves pound jagged shorelines: “I am overawed by the vastness and perpetual movement of that big ocean, and the romantic notion that there is nothing between Tasmania and South America,” Clifford tells us. “And this is the fuse that ignited these paintings of a timeless land sitting on the edge of the world.”
Clifford’s 19 new works come after years visiting takayna/Tarkine. And, as is his usual practice, this self-taught artist takes a sketch pad and camera on treks, later recreating landscapes back in his Launceston studio. However, it is only recently that Clifford has had the confidence to tackle the energy and movement that this wild takayna/Tarkine landscape dictates. “This is a big switch in subject matter, but I really felt I had to challenge myself.”
Pairing back his palette to just four colours and white, and bringing a powerful new emotion to his art, Handmark Director, Allanah Dopson simply states: “Clifford has gone to a whole new level with these paintings.” There is no doubt about that.
Clifford How’s Takayna – Original Earth exhibition runs from April 1 – 18 |