Playing with Light

Bruse and Kerr both celebrate an enthusiasm for light within this exhibition. Light is a source of creativity for both artists and shares a common inspira- tion within their work.

James Kerr graduated with a degree of fine art in Dunedin, New Zealand and is inspired through experiencing natural places during travels. Kerr utilises light as a tool which paints the mood of the natural Australasian landscape in his work and is used to portray an appreciation for natural places while ex- perimenting with heightened colours. Light creates a recipe for colour and tone and Kerr is drawn to shadows in his landscapes. These are defined by sunlight and the effect this has on the tone and colour of the natural sur- roundings which conjure an emotive experience within the viewer.

Elliot Bruse is an electrician as well as a musician, and both skills influence his creative approach when making art. Bruse’s sculptures utilise recycled musical instruments, electrical lighting and turned and polished West Aus- tralian red wood recycled from building sites. The sculptor celebrates the af- terlife of the instrument; utilising the absence of music helps us focus on the silent form, while breathing new life into the instrument through light. Using electricity, musical instruments are illuminated, with the sculptor utilising light and pattern through symmetrical holes within found objects.

Experiences within the artists environment have a profound influence on each of their practices, both with a unique use of light and shadow which form the exhibition ‘Playing with Light’.

Western Australia (James Kerr)

Residing in Perth for the last five years has enabled Kerr to explore the regions nearby, like Margaret River. Rural regions provide an inspirational outlet for the artist and drive him to reach for the paintbrush.

While hunting waves as a surfer, Kerr is drawn to majestic places like the Boranup forest and is influenced and inspired by the grandeur and light in the natural environment. Utilising colour to capture the sun rays spilling through the forest openings and onto gumtree bark, the artist highlights the light beaming through the trees, magnifying the magical feel of the forest.

Works like ‘Boranup Wanderer’ hint at a spiritual partnership with the landscape; a transparent and mysterious figure journey’s toward the forest down a open pathway made from splashes and drips of oil paint.

Other paintings such as ‘WA outing’ convey cultural significance towards the Western Australian lifestyle and ‘beachy' influence, with a family enjoying the surfing scene at the local surf break, “The Spot”.

Australian Outback (James Kerr)

Travelling to the wild Australian outback, the artist provides a glimpse into the sparse landscape. These are not void of beauty or colour as illustrated in his work. Kerr captures the sun reflecting against the red earth and the local flora like the birdwood grass, gumtrees and feathertop wiregrass, crafting a warm yet isolated silence through the landscape.

The artist plays with the social influences among the wild Australian landscape with works such as ’Pilbara Mining Cycle’ and ‘A Dongas Life’. These works hint at an insight into the Australian working FIFO lifestyle (Fly in fly out) and playfully allows the viewer to reflect on the boundary between the environment and human interaction.

New Zealand (James Kerr)

Growing up in remote New Zealand has shaped the artists work and provides us a glimpse into his inspirations. Kerr is influenced by the landscapes discovered on his way to the ocean and the atmosphere that is created with the way that light plays within nature.

Landscapes often include open spaces with dramatic colouring and nostalgic lighting found during the artists travels and excursions into natural settings.

Paint is applied with vivid selected colours, such as magentas and cadmium greens, transferring a sense of nostalgia and illustrating his love and celebration of the New Zealand landscape. Through this emotive response to the landscape; colour, light and tone are explored, enhanced and manipulated.

Figures are often included in works, giving a sense of human reflection and exploration within landscape spaces. In todays world where more people are living in an urban setting, Kerr’s paintings query the relationships people have with their natural environment today and how they choose to explore it.

Park Series (James Kerr)

Kerr is inspired by his local park environment within Perth that he seeks solace in. The work expresses an urbanised sanctuary that busy people can retreat to daily. He draws on this interaction of people within nature and the importance of accessing these places within a city environment.

Plein air painting (painting from life) is often utilised by Kerr to capture the immediate energy and light amongst the landscape. Many plein air works are included within the ‘Park Series’ exhibition and this emphasis is captured through the film art of Cheryl-Lynn Wee (The Makers Portrait). In this film, Wee illustrates Kerr’s inspiration and methodology, telling a story about the handmade work of the artist and capturing the essence of art making.

The Plein air practice allows the artist to explore a direct response to his environment, where the effect of the lighting is accentuated by the shade thrown by the trees and water reflections of sunlight on the surrounding lakes and hidden marsh land.

The painting outcome is unknown, and more spontaneous in comparison to working within the studio. The process begins by firstly choosing where to paint in that moment of wandering the landscape, making this a process of discovery and response to place.

During plein air, the artist is strongly influenced by being directly in the landscape with the ever-changing surrounding elements and fleeting light creating enthusiasm to quickly record the found landscape that has inspired the artist. This speeds up the painting process using sporadic quickly applied mark making, bright colour and impasto paint application interacting to capture the artists interpretation of the environment.

Special thanks to:

Cheryl-Lynn Wee (Film Art) www.themakersportrait.com

Beau Walsh (Handmade Frame Work) Beauwalshjoinery@gmail.com