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I have 2 works in the above show curated by the enigmatic Professor Peter Pinson.  It runs from 14th January to 8th February, with drinks next Saturday 17th January from 3-5pm. In Peter's catalogue essay he refers to my work using the pop imagery of the '50's. "Rosemary Valadon, a highly accomplished figurative painter who had won both the Blake Prize for religious art and the Portia Geach Memorial Award for portraiture, used the cover illustrations of mid-20th century pulp detective fiction publications as the templates for portraits of prominent Australian women writers and actors. Her paintings engage issues of homage, role-playing, and filmic drama, together with complex feminist subtexts. These “Wicked Women” Popist paintings of Rosemary Valadon demonstrate how fertile the field of popular visual culture continues to be for artists, and how adaptive and enduring the continuing legacy of Pop art has proved to be." Peter Pinson

Equiries about this exhibition can be made with peter@peterpinsonartdealer.com or

 Gallery Director Michelle Perry - info@spot81.com

   

This wonderful, peaceful exhibition is still open, closing in a few days time on the 11th January. It features work by Bill Moseley, Genevieve Carroll, Luke Sciberras, Euan McLeod, Guy Maestri, among others. My work - "Rosemary's Garden, Autumn Harvest" sits on the end wall. Here is an extract from the catalogue by Gavin Wilson, the Curator.

The artist’s mastery of chiaroscuro creates the effect of anointing each subject chosen for the table with a sense of purpose, reminiscent of the great 17th century Flemish painters such as Pieter Claesz and Frans Snyders. The horizontal format allows the viewer to leisurely peruse the tableau, contemplating the weight, shape, tone and texture of each object in this intriguing assembly. As Valadon points out: ‘… the subjects are what I regularly grow in my garden (with the pumpkin, corn, chillies and persimmon supplied by neighbours) …the yabbies cooked and uncooked are from my dam …and I have made very successful quince paste from the quinces.’ The one sombre note in the composition is the figure of a dead rabbit tucked up beside a bowl of produce at the centre of the table. Yet, it too will enter the food chain as a tasty morsel from the artist’s kitchen. Rosemary’s Garden – Autumn Harvest, speaks of time passing – as Hill End’s long, frosty winter is about to take hold. Gavin Wilson -  Exhibition Curator

Please join us at the Orange Regional Gallery for the Wicked Women exhibition, featuring portraits of contemporary Australian Women influenced by pulp fiction covers and film noir imagery.  Subjects include Margaret Cunneen SC, crime writer Tara Moss, actor and director Rachel Ward, Professor Larissa Behrent, World queen of Burlesque Imogen Kelly, amongst others.  Margaret Cunneen will be the guest speaker.  Available at the exhibition are Wicked Women postcards, a DVD showing the process of creation, and a limited edition catalogue.  

I have some works on display in this exhibition opening at Bathurst Regional Gallery on the 1st August.  These are from my residency at the Haefliger cottage, Hill End, in 2003.  Which started my love affair with Hill End. This work titled " Jean Bellette's Bed" was inspired by the bed in Haefligers  cottage, and surrounding landscape, in particular a scene I experienced when passing through Sallys Flat one evening around sunset. Burning off had taken place, and the darkening sky was misted with smoke.  The evenings are so spectacular in Hill End with streams of golds and reds, against the darkening land, and you become aware of the very spiritual and ghostly presences around you.  Hence the disturbed and tousled bed as though the sleeper could not rest. 'Into the Dark' is a landscape from the rear of Haefligers cottage looking towards the East as sunset occurs.  There is a small running figure - on closer observation you can see it is a nun.  In 2003 a performance troupe led by Julie-Anne Long, reinacted the Jeffrey Smart painting of the Nun's Picnic - my quick homage is below.  For a period of 4 weeks,  nuns would appear in different places around Hill End, and in this case one of them was seen running towards the town.      

I have a work in this group show which is open to artists living within a 50 km radius of Orange.  The show opens on the 6th December and closes 2nd February 2014.  Its a beautiful gallery and well worth visiting.  I have one of the tea cups - Lily of the Valley - in this show.

Lovely surprise on Saturday to read the online Guardian and Larissa Behrendt's choice of my work above: Germaine Greer as Artemis   Also had a special day on Sunday with the Open Studios in Hill End - weather perfect, interesting visitors to the studio, a string quartet in the local park, and flowing champagne!  What a great weekend!

I am opening my studio to the public for the first time on Sunday 22nd Sept.  This is part of the Hill End Open Day and other artists participating are Luke Sciberras, curator Gavin Wilson, Rebecca Wilson, Bill and Genevieve Moseley.  Come to beautiful Hill End and visit us - there will be music in the park and good food at the store, the pub and Hosies.  This day is a fund raiser to renovate the old Catholic Church and you can buy tickets at the Royal Hall from 9am, from where you will get directions to the studios (which will the close at 3.30pm.)    For more information check out the website for the Hill End Arts Council. Looking forward to seeing you, and here are a couple of pictures of my studio.

Last year my dear friend, Danelle Bergstrom, while doing a year long residency in Sweden, found a very special cup and saucer which combined both of my recent themes:  decorative tea cups and pulp fiction women.  She posted it to me and just recently I have been able to do a portrait of it.  So here is Swedish Delights 2013, oil on canvas 56 x 61cm. Here is a detail of the bathing beauties - a great antidote to the freezing weather and strong winds currently experienced in Hill  End.  

Please join us in the Blackett Court of the Justice & Police Museum, Sydney, for the final viewing of the Wicked Women exhibition hosted by the Historic Houses Trust.  This exhibition, which has run for a fabulous seven months, is the culmination of four years of Rosemary's work and  has been met with wide public and critical interest.  This is a special opportunity to not only see the exhibition before it closes, but to purchase work and have the opportunity to talk to Rosemary  about the series, as she will be present on the day.  Sales enquiries - valadonart1@gmail.com

Examples of new works are below: