CLOSE TO HOME
CLOSE TO HOME | margaret river gallery 2017 | Melissa Boughey & Andy Quilty |
I am constantly in awe of the natural environment, held enthralled by the way the light changes, the long shadows of autumn into winter, the play between scratchy, shrubby bush, and warm fields of colour. The shape of things. Waterways, creeklines, heading up a mountain, a vista or just the humble feeling of being but a speck in the universe (but somehow deeply connected to the earth) may all imbue the work.
Although Close to Home, we are sometimes far-away in thought. The new work references this experience and the quandary of sometimes being in 2 places at once; a physical presence with emotional space elsewhere.
Painting then becomes an extension of my thought process to evoke a feeling, a sensory memory of place, the vehicle for exploring my own internal psychological landscape. The act of painting (or later reflection) often uncovers a train-of-thought or a phrase that informs the title; a lyrical response to the work or a playful interpretation coding the experience.