Over the last few weeks I have been working away steadily on art work for both shows this year. In four weeks I open the exhibition at Warburton at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre. This is the first show in the second group of exhibitions on this theme. We will be starting as close to the source of the Yarra River as possible (within a conventional exhibition space that is!) This show will be mostly works on paper; the drawing show of this group of three. I am currently working on a major multi-piece work that will take up most of the length of one wall. It will map the whole river from the Upper Yarra Damn and catchment area (where Melbourne gets it's beautiful water), all the way to the bay. These works on paper are from the whole series so far and will include some selected works from previous exhibitions as well as many more recent explorations.
As this is a works on paper show I will again be playing with the format, curating and presentation to allow the quality of the paper to be a major feature of the exhibition. The paper's surface, texture and tone will not be overwhelmed by heavy mediums, but will be complimented with subtle lines and shades and marks of graphite. I envision the work will appear to float in the space - like some ghost of forgotten places, reminding us of the temporal nature of all things, especially the human made.
The location is stunning, the 'studio' space at the rear of the arts centre has a huge glass face opening onto a deck and the clear young Yarra River babbles just beyond. The Yarra here is in a beautiful place and I hope be able to work with it's qualities and create a serene exhibition.
Opening 1-3pm Sunday 18th October 2009 at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre, Warburton.