They say that you can take an Australian out of Australia but you can't take the Australia out of and Australian.
I've always found - and definitely more recently as I've been continuing my studies of flora and plant life - that with artists we are going to have at least some influence from nature in our work. The environment where we live and work, where we come from is always going to be a part of us.
These artists all to an extent use a symbol of Australia in their work. The landscape of Australia is like no where else in the world, it can be harsh and almost alien.
Australiana, the celebration of the ironic...
Romance Was Born
SS15 Cooee Couture
SS15 Cooee Couture
SS15 Cooee Couture
Love them for their colourful designs and accentuating the ironic nature of Australian culture. Usually will collaborate with artists and illustrators to make unique textile designs. Often inspired by nature.
http://romancewasborn.com/
Del Katheryn Barton
Archibald Prize winner and second time finalist - super detailed mixed media artist. Barton has a strong style, with symbols of the female, birth, life and death in each of her artworks. She came from a drawing background, incorporating in watercolour and ink.
http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/channel/clip/462/
May Gibbs
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Wattle Babies
May Gibbs is like the Beatrix Potter of Australia. I grew up reading the fairytales and they now have the same soft spot in me as many others have of these images. What I love about Gibbs's work is that she created a world that was believable in her drawings. They are all very simple, the colours reminiscent of the Australian landscape - all washed out with pops of colour.
http://www.maygibbs.com.au/
Juan Ford
Form Follows Friction 2012
Ultrapilgrim 2012
Whitewash 2011
I was taken by the image Ford submitted to the Archibald Prize which, like the images above is hyper realist and anonymous. I have a real appreciation for the style in which he paints and the subject. For me this is Australian pop art at it's finest.
http://www.juanford.com/
Patricia Puccinini
Puccinini's sculptures and the entire worlds that she creates are known for being unsettling and grotesque. The forms of mutant alien babies and blobs of flesh are so realistic, I sometimes wonder if it's possible for them to come to life. She does make them come to life. The detail of design and care she puts into each of the sculptures is unbelievable. She is a mother to these life forms and they're bloody brilliant.
http://www.patriciapiccinini.net/
Bill Henson
Henson's use of light gives his photographs and immense sense of romanticism. The darkness highlights his subject, which compares to rich oil paintings of the Dutch Masters. I feel as though his photographs show a part of Australia that is hidden, but is there. Something sinister, that we know is happening but chose to ignore. Always shown to the world as such a sunny, happy place, Henson reminds his audience of the other side of things.
http://tolarnogalleries.com/artists/bill-henson/
Brodie Neill
Brodie comes from a wood working background although a lot of his work more recntly has focused on using more sustainable materials, he went back to his routes to create this Alpha chair. His designs are all inspired by nature, and when working with wood, he will make sure to put much detail into highlighting the beauty of the grain.
http://www.madeinratio.com/
Jeannie Petyarre
Yam Leaves
Petyarre is one of my favourite indigenous Australian artists, uses beautiful colours and creates stunning paintings which reminisce to the flowing forms in nature.
https://www.kateowengallery.com/artists/Jea27/artist-art-list1.htm
John Brack
5 O'Clock Collins Street
I adore the work of John Brack, whose style is very comparative to what I usually look to for inspiration. He captured a scene which put Melbourne on the map as a metropolitan fast paced city. One would think this painting is an illustration belonging to New York and an American artist. I like his work because of the line he uses, always very planned out, like an architects plan - exactly what this painting says about the structure within the city.
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/johnbrack/
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