Tag: abstract

Kusama at Louis Vuitton


Yayoi Kusama has designed Louis Vuitton’s new window displays! Thanks to my painting teacher Marina for tipping me off. I’d actually seen a photo of LV Kusama windows in Bangkok, but didn’t realise they were also in Collins Street, Melbourne.

Gemma Smith

Gemma Smith is one of my favourite artists. Her paintings are made up of geometric colourful ‘shards’, giving a sense of perspective and depth. She also makes multi-sided perspex sculptures she calls ‘boulders’. Her new works (Tangle paintings) are much more painterly and use organic shapes. I love her use of colour and the way she uses both geometric and organic shapes.

Work from 2011 here.

Yayoi Kusama exhibition

Flowers that bloom at midnight

In March I went to Brisbane Gallery Of Modern Art to see Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition, Look now, see forever.

In the show were large acrylic sculptures, installation rooms with inflatables, sculptures and mirrors, and large paintings, including an ‘Infinity Net’ series which inspired my Psychedelic Pink Coral painting. The Obliteration Room, an interactive work — a white room containing white furniture — was gradually covered with round colourful stickers by the audience. I love Yayoi Kusama’s work, it is so vibrant, quirky and colourful, and her installations are amazing. I first saw her work a few years back, her infinity room Soul under the moon, which is also at Brisbane GOMA. It’s incredible. You enter a small dark room and feel like you’re in a galaxy stretching to infinity. I’m so pleased I was able to see more of her work this year.

New work in progress

My latest painting uses geometric shapes again. I based the composition on a random arrangement of cut-out shapes then added new layers with transparent paint. Next I think I’ll add some drippy sections as a contrast.

Experimenting with fluoro paint

I was using fluoro pink paint in the studio yesterday and reflecting on the start of my fascination with fluorescent paint… my first big pink fluoro painting was completed in 2012 while studying art at Victoria University…

Might be time to break out the fluoros and glitter again 😀

#throwbackMonday

My first very large painting (168 x 173 cm), Psychedelic Pink Coral, is finished and stretched. I was inspired by Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Infinity Net’ paintings I saw at Brisbane GOMA earlier this year, and experimenting with patterns and abstract forms. I painted a fluoro pink background and the organic shapes just grew out of the small cells. Then I added some fluoro lime dots and dabs.


The others are much smaller (50 x 50 cm) and the poured/dripped painting (This painting clashes with everything) was another experiment. I love my new fluoro acrylic paints, and they fluoresce under black light! Can’t wait to test that.

New studio with a view!

My studio has moved! To cut a long story short, a student dropped out of our art studios, then I swapped studios with another student, then a third student swapped with me… now I’ve got a studio with a window view looking down onto Melbourne city from the 17th floor… Sweet!

Kicked out of Kick Gallery

http://jewelsstevens.com/artworks.html

Last week I went to the Collingwood Arts Precinct open night, a fun gallery crawl where you can visit several Collingwood galleries within walking distance of each other. My favourite was Kick Gallery, which was showing beautiful abstract colourful paintings by Jewels Stevens. But the best part was, Kick was serving Domaine Chandon. Now in my intensive research of the Melbourne art scene over the past 2 and a half years, Chandon is the best quality wine I have experienced, so of course I had to make the most of free Chandon.

But maybe I took it a bit too far… I left Kick, did a circuit of a couple of other galleries (noted that Catherine Asquith was serving Gossips wine… bleeuuggh!) and returned to Kick. I met the lovely Jewels and asked her about her work. Then went inside to get another glass of bubbles… but the barperson politely told me he thought I’d had enough champagne. Which was actually true, I had probably guzzled down a whole bottle by this time. I was standing at the bar having what I thought was a friendly conversation with the bar person, but Jake the gallery owner thought I was ‘hassling’ him, so he came over and asked me to leave. I went quietly, and thanked him for the great night, and the Chandon.

Last week I went to the Collingwood Arts Precinct open night, a fun gallery crawl where you can visit several Collingwood galleries within walking distance of each other. My favourite was Kick Gallery, which was showing beautiful abstract colourful paintings by Jewels Stevens. But the best part was, Kick was serving Domaine Chandon. Now in my intensive research of the Melbourne art scene over the past 2 and a half years, Chandon is the best quality wine I have experienced, so of course I had to make the most of free Chandon.

But maybe I took it a bit too far… I left Kick, did a circuit of a couple of other galleries (noted that Catherine Asquith was serving Gossips wine… bleeuuggh!) and returned to Kick. I met the lovely Jewels and asked her about her work. Then went inside to get another glass of bubbles… but the barperson politely told me he thought I’d had enough champagne. Which was actually true, I had probably guzzled down a whole bottle by this time. I was standing at the bar having what I thought was a friendly conversation with the bar person, but Jake the gallery owner thought I was ‘hassling’ him, and came over and politely asked me to leave. Reader, I went quietly, thanked him for the great night, and all the Chandon, and stumbled out into Peel Street, feeling happy.