Sitting on Nikky Morgan-Smith’s back deck overlooking the hinterland of Northern NSW, it’s hard not to imagine yourself taking flight and soaring out over this beautiful part of the world. Tucked down a bumpy old goat track in an area west of Byron Bay, the home is a bohemian hideaway situated in one of Australia’s most pristine regions. Veiled by the bush on all sides, it is typical of the bush retreats in the area. It has its quirks, as most places in Northern NSW do. Real estate agents would describe it as a renovator’s dream or as having a … Continue reading Take a Running Jump, Nikky Morgan-Smith!

There’s been a proliferation of ‘blink and you’ll miss them’ art shows in Brisbane over the last month, all of them adding to the buzz and vitality of the city’s art scene at the moment.  For three days only, the Hold Artspace in West End was given over to the work of local artist Christian Flynn, whose geometric abstractions are a study in colour, form and intent. A Heiser Gallery off-sight exhibition, ‘An Index of Possibilities’ continued Flynn’s exploration of abstract and non-objective painting, inspired by his interest in science fiction and the function of life. There is a friction … Continue reading Christian Flynn: An Index of Possibilities

It was short and sweet and over so quickly I almost missed seeing it altogether, but fate intervened and thus it came about that I made it in to Jugglers Art Space for Through a Glass Darkly just before the show began bumping out. A joint show by local artists Belinda Sinclair and Clairy Laurence, walking in to Through a Glass Darkly was a little like stepping in to Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, which was a bit weird given I’d been writing about it not half an hour earlier. With the monochromatic intaglio prints of Sinclair providing the perfect relief for the … Continue reading Through a Glass Darkly: the art of Belinda Sinclair and Clairy Laurence

“It turns out that an eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a facade of order – and yet, deep inside the chaos, lurks an even eerier type of order.” Douglas Hofstadter Let’s talk about chaos and control. Specifically, let’s talk about the chaos and control currently on display in the Amber Wallis/Ari Athans joint show at Edwina Corlette Gallery. At first glance, the respective art practices of Wallis and Athans don’t appear to have a great deal in common. Wallis, based in Byron Bay, is a free-spirited painter of busy, emotional compositions full of bright colour and expansive brushstrokes. … Continue reading Controlled Chaos