Exhibition Reviews
'The View From Here ' Art on Yabba Gallery
Artist’s “guts” helps darkness boost light at Imbil art exhibition
A thought-provoking and stunning art exhibition is underway at the Art on Yabba gallery at Imbil,
featuring works that might also just remind us about some of the truths about life.
‘The View from Here’ is an exhibition by Flaxton artist Glenis Gray, and features a range of
landscapes and nudes created by an uncommon mix of watercolours and ink – strikingly, the dark
colours are deeply dark while the colours are bright and vibrant.
Ms Gray is mindfully aware and inspired by the rolling hills of hinterland regions like Blackhall
Ranges, for example, and its reflection in the human form, women in particular.
“Really, it’s a summary of my work involving the human landscape – that is, the human form – and
landscapes that I’ve noticed as I’m travelling past or taken drawings of,” Ms Gray says of the
exhibition.
“I love the water colour and ink particularly because it’s very loose, it gives you a really free-flowing
medium and it allows you extra flexibility; with some of these nudes I’ve used pen and ink, and in
some I’ve used the wash effect and the sepia tones.
“The water colour I’m using is particularly bright, particularly fluid because it comes in a liquid form
rather than a tube form… it’s straight onto the paper and I love that, because you’ve got little
control but then again you don’t need that control half the time. It’s that spontaneity that creates
the result.
“I can identify with some of the landscapes that you see around in the hills of Maleny, and if you
look at the human figure, in particularly the female nudes, you can actually see the same curves and
rolling hills and folds in the female figure.”
The exhibition was formally opened recently by good friend and fellow artist, Elli Schlunke, who
described Ms Gray as “having the guts” to place the darkness and light together in her works, with
wonderful effect – and a good reminder about the experiences of life.
“The light is almost meaningless without the dark bits; you just can’t, you don’t, appreciate the light
bits unless there’s some darkness for it to contrast with,” Ms Schlunke explained.
“One reason I’ve never appreciated water colours is that people say it’s transparent and it’s all very
pretty and pale and, occasionally, I’ll see a water colour and I can’t believe it is water colour because
there’s real depth in the shadows and light in the light.”
‘The View from Here’ exhibition ends on October 29.
Richard Bruinsma
