Moments and Memories

by Kate Marek

This work is very powerful. The assemblage of nine separate paintings in a single composition makes a strong immediate impression on the viewer.⁠
The various views of the river at different times of the day make it very evocative of our Queensland capital (Brisbane is called the River City, after all). That the work has been executed en plein air is important and evident in the varying moods of each painting. All are distinct but linked together by beautiful colour harmonies.

Voir

by Julie Purcell

‘Voir’ is the French verb meaning ‘to see’, but also (as in English) to ‘experience’ or ‘understand’. It is an intriguing title and totally right for a work into which the viewer is drawn by a sense of quiet contemplation. The painting is of a local spot in Brisbane where families gather for picnics and a cooling swim, and it uses colour harmonies very redolent of southeast Queensland. Figures, swimming or just relaxing on the river-bank, are well integrated in an excellent composition of simple shapes and interesting silhouettes, enhanced by the rhythmic phrasing of black forms of birds across the foreground. As the title suggests, one sees but also almost feels the cool breeze and relaxing atmosphere the picture evokes.

Tropical Dome

by Beverley Tainton F.R.Q.A.S

Dramatic perspective is used very effectively in a work that engulfs the viewer in lushly colourful tropical foliage. Bright light filters down to the foliage in the foreground and then back up again via the circularity of the dome, creating a well thought out and unusual composition that is aesthetically very interesting and satisfying.