jonathan partridge ― divine maker

Tibetan inspired cabinets, small ceramics and large ethereal prints.  The Artefact exhibition of Jonathan Partridge is testament to his incredible artistic diversity and the divinity of nature.

Jonathan describes himself as a ‘compulsive maker’. While he is best known – and loved – for his large-paneled prints, he is a ‘multi-disciplinary artist’ who will try his hand at anything and everything: “I always have to be making something and I am constantly moving from one thing to the next, whether it’s art, furniture-making or even shaping a surfboard,” he tells us.

Cocooned in his retreat at the foothills of kunanyi/Mount Wellington, the genesis for Jonathan’s Artefact exhibition was born. At its heart it draws on Buddhist philosophy and reverence for the natural world.

“An ‘Artefact’ is a man-made object that has cultural significance. A sacred object, a revered object,” Jonathan explains. “And I view the concept of nature as an artefact, it is divine.”

Stunning artefacts in Jonathan’s exhibition include cabinets of recycled King Billy Pine crafted using early pioneer techniques and adorned with ‘Tibetan alter paintings, of tigers and thylacines. There are also small ceramic animals, ‘little deities’, that again echo nature’s reverence. But, hanging centre-stage are Jonathan’s large-paneled prints, where dreamlike landscapes of she-oaks and birds are brought to life with a Japanese-styled tranquility.

“I like bringing beauty into the world. It’s very important,” Jonathan explains. “And this is reflective of the biggest influences in my life – my Buddhist studies and my many years of living in Asia.”

Jonathan Partridge’s Artefact exhibition runs from May 21 – June 7.