Eastern Suburbs Art Group

I hadn’t been on O’Brien Street for a long time when I ventured with Sophie down to Twenty Twenty Six Gallery’s premises for a show opening. We found a park nearby and strolled in when not many people had arrived. The space is large so even later when more people were there it wasn’t crowded. ‘Mandala I’ by Minka Gillian caught my eye partly because I knew this artist from social media, but it was good to see her work again, I remember seeing one of her paintings at the National Art School once. Sophie and I and a tall man with a hat on stood talking for a while about HENRYK’s concrete splodges (see below). I asked the gallerist about them and she said they each weigh about five kilos, so not excessive, though they look much heavier. We were self-consciously surprised by how much conversation we were able to extract from looking at these sculptures, with their subtle colour gradations and rough texture. Among other works were paintings of Bondi in a delicate realistic manner reminiscen...

Last meeting of the year at Petersham Bowlo meant that a group shot was called for (see below, photographer was a stranger named Benjamin). That was at the end of the evening, before which people got up to read their creations, some of which was expressive of dissatisfaction with the status quo. Like mine, ‘Sixpence’, a sonnet about Donald Trump written initially in September 2020 before the storming of the Bastille. Thanks for the photo to Devina who read out an autobiographical poem about her year, a year of various illnesses including Covid.  One of the people who read out on this night had just popped into the Bowlo by chance and later asked about future events. Danny Gardner who organises Don Bank Museum readings told me a little about next year’s schedule. And I spoke with Chris and John about probability in science. In all it was a night productive of thought.

These colourful paintings have a retro feel that is complemented by strong brushwork, making them feel both old and new. I was reminded of David Salle on account of the intricate design, framing, and also because of the raw application of paint. Above is gallerist Damien Minton (right) and me in front of one of Oscar Sulich’s paintings. Below I’m talking with Virginia as we are surrounded by the artworks. The crowd (see pic below) spilled out into the street and was made up mainly of young people, presumably the artist’s friends and fans.

I went back to the Grad Show at the National Art School but this time at an off-peak hour and with a different friend. I snapped a few photos of favourites, but didn’t include here all the artists I like. Above are Amy Wei Na’s paintings, they’re delightful done in a hyper-realist style and with a limited palette. Above is Camille Olsen-Ormandy’s ‘The Dog Lover’ which is small and precise but with a great sense of humour. Above is Luis Greene’s ‘Pop Candy’ which has a title that says it all, loved the contrast between the coloured sections and the sections in black and white. Above is Shelley Bowles’ ‘Diaphanous in flight’ which is striking not only because of xthe design but because of the colours. It’s a Day-Glo world. Above is Adele Warner’s ‘241humanhair’ done in oil on canvas, a striking and inventive way to approach a series of complex subjects. I thought that a lot went into this painting, and not only in terms of the time spent at work.

The crowds were ginormous possibly for the first time in years (see pic below) and the art was entertaining. With Devina and Sophie and Peter I walked around the school taking in all the successes, the failures, and the plain ordinary. What a feast for tired eyes! Here’s Devina in front of a photo that caught her attention. I took a selfie in front of another photo by the same artist (see below). Like these, some of the works on display pushed the boundaries in a topical sense. It’s not every day you see a photo on TV or in the street that resembles these, although drag queens seem to be getting more play in recent years (see the Smiths Crisps ad with the bear). In the photo above that Devina took with her phone I’m talking with animation about a landscape painting in front of which we met Chris, who reads poetry as well as studying how to make art. In the above photo Sophie and I are in front of a gorgeous orange work that (I think) was titled ‘The Races’ and which shows the feet of p...

As you can see from the photo below there was a massive gathering for the first showing of paintings by this artist since he died this year. Very high prices but for the smaller items (see pic below) manageable. I went with Yianni and after we spent some time in the crowd we headed over to Saint Cloche (also in Paddington) to see a show by young artist Evi O. These abstract canvases did more for me, though I didn’t take a photo. We rushed in and I looked at the colourful paintings on the walls then we headed back to our respective homes. As for what's on later I'll be heading today to a lunchtime talk at the Sydney Modern then this evening there's the Grad Show at the National Art School.

Stunned and a little dazed I left Sydney Modern after touring the facilities on Saturday 3 Dec. It’s so enormous it’s a bit like being in the new Istanbul Airport. Room after room of big, beautiful works. I’m astonished at the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ collection, parts of which of course have been in storage unseen. When I got to the gallery to check in with the ticket in my phone I was sure I’d be told to wait as my allocated time hadn’t yet been reached, but the place is soooooo big they could’ve held twice as many patrons concurrently without trouble. With a nod to the Japanese architects we even saw people (see above) who seemed to be dressed as Buddhist monks. The new building reminds me of nothing so much as the National Library of Australia with its Internationalist style, or else a good bit of mimicry in that vein. The clean lines and minimal detail said “1960s” to my eye. And what could be more Sydney (see above) than a view of the water? I popped back inside when artis...

My old neighbour Adam Courtenay was talking about his new book at the Maritime Museum. It’s called ‘Three Sheets to the Wind’ but it’s not about drunkenness it’s about an historical trek made by a band of sailors who’d come from India to Sydney. Some of them made it to Sydney from Ninety-mile Beach in what is now known as Victoria. The year was 1797. Adam used to work as a journalist so I’m sure the book will be entertaining and the tale it’s based on is certainly remarkable. As he pointed out during the hour we spent in the same room, if this was the United States William Clark would be part of folklore. This is New South Wales as understood by the British at the time, with Tasmania connected to the mainland. Clark was the first European to understand that the island is in fact an island. After the event I caught the light rail to Central then the train to Kings Cross, did shopping and had a haircut and a cup of coffee, then walked down to Rushcutters Bay to see the late-opening galle...

I jumped on the bus at Railway Square and was deposited in north Newtown so I could walk to Laerk Space to see the Christmas show. Outside on a street sign I already saw some art, and I took it as an omen. Inside, I didn’t have much time to look around but nevertheless took everything in, particularly savouring a pair of little collages by Wayne Hutchins (see pic below). I then got on a bus and scooted down to Broadway to Shepherd Street where in a small bar on the corner of Knox Street a poetry reading supported by Macquarie University was held. Gareth Jenkins (see pic below) opened proceedings but it was a diverse set of performers who delivered fun and fascination for all. There was even an open mic when Devina Bedford read out a funny (can it be?) Covid poem. Well worth the $27 door fee. To keep body and soul together I had a Diet Coke from the bar but others were drinking alcohol (which I gave up 3 years ago) and the vibe was effervescent.