susan simonini ― vivid carnival
Published 2 September 2024
When Susan Simonini was invited to exhibit in Vivid, there was no hesitation. “It’s right up my alley.” No surprise perhaps, as Susan’s joyful abstracts pulsate with a riot of bright hues. “Colours excite me. They bring me joy.”
Susan recently made a big splash with her first Handmark show, Glimmer. “However, the colours in this exhibition are sweeter – a palette of pinks, reds and oranges that remind me of candy-coloured lollipops and carnivals.”
Take Higher Place, one of the paintings especially created for Vivid. It evokes nostalgia as we revisit the fairs of our childhood and “all the things they have to offer – colour, light, noise, movement, pattern and joy. I hope to harness the revelry of these events.” She does this beautifully.
Image credit: Susan Simonini, Higher place, 2024, Acrylic on polycotton, 100 x 120 cm
hilton owen ― vivid success
Published 2 September 2024
As an emerging artist, his first sell-out show was with Handmark. Now 35 years-old – and with 16 solo exhibitions under his belt – Hilton Owen is back home in Hobart with stunning paintings for Vivid, and a unique take on portraiture: “They are what they are!”
Hilton’s compelling mixed media offerings may look like collage, but “everything is hand drawn”. Turquoise for example, is a multi-layered composition of acrylics, oils, and spray paint: A woman’s face is splintered by vibrant blocks of colour. “There’s a lot going on in this one.”
Flash is simpler and starker. A vivid purple slash dominates. But our eyes are drawn to shards of a woman’s face with yellow glasses, red lips and tawny hair. “I just love these colours.”
Image credit: Hilton Owen, Turquoise, 2024, Mixed media on linen, 76 x 66 cm
jeewan suwal ― vivid joy
Published 2 September 2024
When Jeewan Suwal left Nepal four years ago to set up home in Hobart, his colourful abstracts were tinged by the gloom of homesickness. But there is no darkness in his latest paintings.
Jeewan has produced a stunning series of landscapes for Vivid inspired by “the beautiful rainbows in Tasmania.” As he moves through the spectrum of rainbow colours, he transports us “to the wonderful world of our imagination.”
In Winterfeast, Jeewan’s joy is palpable as the colours of DarkMofo explode on the canvas. “It may be cold, but the city is alive.” Since his first exhibition as an emerging artist with Handmark in 2022, Jeewan has gone from success to success. Watch this space.
cameron haas ― vivid debut
Published 2 September 2024
New to Handmark, prepared to be thrilled by the geometric abstractions of Cameron Haas in his debut showing. He unveils colourful paintings in Vivid that he describes as “visual art for your eyes.”
Cameron’s organic forms are seemingly simple. But every brushstroke is carefully composed. Every mark, shape and form carefully considered. Colour is key. “My paintings are non-narrative, but I am always looking for an emotional response. My colours are vivid, and I use different combinations to elicit strong emotions.”
Handmark Director Allanah Dopson discovered Cameron’s work at Sydney Contemporary, and immediately bought one of his paintings. He began his artistic journey at the School of Creative Arts, University of Tasmania, “I just knew Cameron had to join Handmark’s stable of wonderfully talented artists.”
Image credit: Cameron Haas, Untitled #98, 2023, Acrylic on linen, 117 x 117 cm
kaye green — celebrating national tree day
Published 4 August 2024
There was never any doubt about Kaye’s favourite tree: A giant conifer near her childhood home in Ulverstone. “I must have ridden past it every single day.” But how to do it justice? How to replicate that sweeping canopy and depth of colour? After months of soul searching the answer finally arrived: A richly layered collage of laser cut paper, and The Gatekeeper is born.
Image credit: Kaye Green, The Gatekeeper, 2024, Mixed media collage, 60 x 100 cm
emily snadden — celebrating national tree day
Published 4 August 2024
Just before her sister passed away two years ago, she gifted Emily with a Spinning Gum. “I think of her every time I see it happily ‘waving’ at me. The tree has pride of place in our garden and is a beautiful, precious monument to her memory.” Emily has created a wonderful collection of jewellery for this exhibition. But the showstopper is a neckpiece of spinning gums twinkling with sapphires.
Image credit: Emily Snadden, Spinning Gum Necklace, 2024, Sterling silver, 9ct Yellow Gold, Australian Parti Sapphires
anna fitzpatrick — celebrating national tree day
Published 4 August 2024
A lemon scented gum near her house, was Anna’s refuge: “I have read books under it, napped under it, and even used its scent as a guiding light while walking home in the dark.” Her joyous painting captures the memory of gazing upwards and “having your entire field of vision filled with leaves and canopy.” A feeling which “leaves you reeling with the grandeur and improbability of nature.”
Image credit: Anna Fitzpatrick, Lemon Scented Gum, 2024, Oil on linen, 156 x 156 cm
peter gouldthorpe — celebrating national tree day
Published 4 August 2024
Earlier this year while trekking through the Great Western Tiers, Peter spotted a towering blackwood that was just perfect. “I was immediately captivated by the abstract patterns of its bark.” The result is so intricate, and so photo-realistic, that you can literally smell the dampness, and hear the murmur of nature as you gaze upon his wonderful painting – Bark.
Image credit: Peter Gouldthorpe, Bark, 2024, Oil on canvas, 71 x 56 cm
nick glade-wright ― pro hart finalist
Published 9 July 2024
It’s a long way from Tasmania, but the talents of Handmark landscape artist, Nick Glade-Wright have been recognised in our red centre. He has just been selected as a finalist in The Pro Hart Outback Art Prize.
Strong rock formations feature prominently in Nick’s paintings, and he turns to them once more in Vanishing Point. “Having had experiences in outback Australia I am inspired by the counterbalance and interaction between the solidity and rich colours of rock formations, and how they can gradually fade into the immensity of an ephemeral sky.”
But this work also serves as a metaphor about global warming and all that is vanishing from our landscape. The award will be announced at the Broken Hill Art Gallery in August.
Image credit: Nick Glade-Wright, Vanishing Point, 2024, Oil on canvas, 122 x 152 cm
sebastian galloway ― floral treasures
Published 9 July 2024
Flowers that float through the air on a shimmering backdrop. This is Sebastian Galloway’s trademark, and he has delivered some beautiful new treasures to Handmark.
Late last year Sebastian stunned us with hyper-realistic and intricately detailed flowers painted on copper, in his Suspended in Bloom exhibition. “It is this intense detail that I am looking for in my paintings,” he explains. “It gets us to look closely at little things we would normally not notice.”
Sebastian has just dropped three small paintings into the gallery. In one, a glowing Teddy Sunflower with masses of detailed petals floats through space. In the others we gaze upon a single iris – one a vivid blue the other a translucent apricot – that “just popped up unexpectedly in my garden. These flowers are such amazing little structures. They are almost architectural in a way.”
Meanwhile, Sebastian is busy preparing for his Handmark exhibition next year, and much time is spent experimenting with new metallic surfaces on which to paint. We can’t wait to see the results.
Image credit: Sebastian Galloway, Bearded Iris, 2024, oil on copper, 47 x 47 cm