Exhibitions, Past, Present and in Planning
Andrew began his interest in painting in 1992 while living in Brisbane. He had been trying to be an author and was having a go at writing a very bad novel when his girlfriend said to him that he should be a painter. They parted a long time ago, but the first impression a few small tubes of oil paint, a couple of cheap canvass boards plus brushes she gave him as a gift dug itself deep into his soul.
Andrew has exhibited as a solo, with groups, and now that he has the time he intends to exhibit at least once a year locally and hopes to take some of his art on the road.
His next exhibition - Random - will be at Artemisia Gallery in Fitzroy, Melbourne, in November 2024.
Paintings vs person size for scale: Black Cat Gallery September 2022. Andrew loves working big, and sometimes the simply put message done on a large scale can make a powerful statement. Pictured - His wife Jo with ‘I am not a Robot’ and ‘Another One Last Time’
Random - With Special Guest ‘Kisho’
The last few years have been hectic and productive since throwing myself back into the layered depths of oil and Medium after a having lengthy break from the arts, and I feel that I am getting closer to completing my apprenticeship.
Random was a need for me to slow down before I take on my next project, and to wrap my head around how I am gong to tackle the very many different images I intend to create – and Random is those chance encounters with other artists who share the same type of artistic ideologies and ideas with whom you connect and resonate with.
Kisho was first in the door of SOL Gallery on the opening day of me Greenwater exhibition in October of 2023. I was second in the door, and from that random encounter I could see he was an accomplished visual artist in need of mentorship – so I offered.
Working with the young Kisho has been fun and educational. ‘Dirty MOFO’ was a vague idea that I wanted to explore, but it needed a street feel to it. Kisho had been working in my studio on Saturday afternoons for several months and I was privileged to be an observer and to offer minimal technical advice.
‘Repent-er’, painted during the week after we had completed Dirty MOFO, was a direct result of my influence, he told me, while I had painted ‘What Came First?’ from what I had garnished from him.
I am proud to be collaborating with Kisho, and I look forward to working on more images along the Dirty MOFO theme.
From Andrew for Greenwater October 2023
In May 2022 I had the honour to be invited into the lands of the Yolngu in east Arnhem Land.
Gapuwiyak is where the people who work In paradise would go to for their annual holidays, if they knew it was there. You can keep your tourist centres of the Kimberly and Kakadu - all good; please enjoy. Not everyone is built to drive the Central Arnhem Road, then four wheel drive two hours further than one thinks they can go, swim in and camp beside a crocodile infested river, and be stalked by a bull buffalo along the banks of that river - only to excel in that environment.
spending time in the Australian armed forces helped prepare me for that experience and I took away a deep admiration for the history of the country and its people. I almost expected some great lost fauna to wander out of the bush, pass by our camp and head down a well-trodden game path for a drink. Such was my child-like wonder that I felt, and continue to have for the place.
Greenwater is the bye-product of that trip. I had been exploring the theme of survival in an hostile environment, which is what being alive on planet earth is, and which also includes very real physical and emotional dangers - which will become more evident in future exhibitions.
Exhibition images provided by SOL Gallery
The Birth and Death of Dawn at the Gates of Hell
Everyone has their stories. some are great epic novels, while others are simple footnotes on the pages of history. His mother asked him to share this small part of her story, one month before the cancerous tragedy of her death.
Late 1950’s;
Two weeks after the birth of the first son, the domestic violence began in their house.
His father - always insecure - was jealous of the mother’s love for the boy, and fuelled by the overconsumption of alcohol, began to create a personal hell for a family that would eventually grow to 5 children.
When the second child was born, his father declared her to be ‘his’ daughter. and at the age of six months, took her to the pub to “Show her of!”- was what his mother told him.
It was winter. the child was returned home wet and almost frozen. Within days caught pneumonia, and died.
He can only assume that it broke his parent’s souls, but it did not stop his father from being a tyrant. He would go on to physically, emotionally and financially abused them all. And he failed to protect some of them from sexual abuse.
He wishes this was all fiction.
In September 2022 Andrew had his first solo exhibition in Melbourne at the Black Cat gallery (now SOL Gallery) in Fitzroy.
The exhibition showcased a number of Andrew’s works, and highlighted that he is a versatile artist and is not locked into one genre.
Andrew’s fans come in all shapes and sizes and he was ecstatic to see how much these two munchkins liked his work. There may be a couple of young budding artists here! (images used with permission)
