Del Kathryn Barton- AGNSW Video

Another video of an artist explaining her entry into the Belnaves Contemporary painting exhibition - That I mIssed!!! How is that possible???

Julie Fragar - video : Art Gallery of New South Wales

Julie Fragar - video : Art Gallery of New South Wales

excellent interview with this artist that I have just decided is really something, about her entry in the Balnaves Contemporary Paintings show from AGNSa

Kevin Connor at Liverpool St

Image:Kevin Connor, "George St in the Time of the Empire" 2010, Oil on Canvas, 104 x 122cm

More great landscape shows in Sydney this week

Kevin Connor opened at Liverpool St Gallery last Thursday with an exhibition of Urban landscapes in glistening lines of expressionist paint and marks, designed to make even the most left - brained punter want to paint. The joy in the medium is evident, as is the understanding of the structure of the Sydney streets which are the subject, but which serve only to hold the paint and to give this tireless worker the scantest of reasons to pick up the brush. Previous exhibitions have revealed Kevin as a master drawer in paint, but not a colourist. However, this one sees him revel in a mastery of colour as well as line and is one of his best to date. He was looking extremely healthy at the opening -as hale as his portrayal in Anne Cape's, People's Choice winning entry for the Salon de Refusee Archibald selections at the SH Ervin Gallery. Which is great, because we can look seeming ly look forward to more excellent shows from the elder statesman of painting who is Kevin Connor.

Elizabeth Cummings -Landscape artist extraordinaire

More Sydney shows:

At Kings St Gallery is the wonderful Elizabeth Cummings, with an exhibition of her Works on paper covering a period of some thirty years. Drawings in ink and pencil (I especially loved the beautifully spare "Table Top 1", 2001 above and "Bess and Willa at Wedderburn, 2009"), Monotypes and Etchings ("Arakoola Morning, 2009") and small paintings on paper are included in a symphony of rhythm, line and materials which only a dedicated artist of the ilk of this grand lady of art can do. As Rob Linnegar, one of the Directors at King St said to me, "Elizabeth can really make a mark!"

Images: Elizabeth Cummings,L-R: "Bess & Willa at Wedderburn", 2009 Ink & Pencil on Paper, Table Top 1, 2009 Etching; and "Arakoola Morning" 2009, Etching.

Some great shows on in Sydney

Images: Euan McLeod "Oarless" and "Snow Storm" both 2010 and Oil on Canvas

Finally! My lament about the state of Landscape painting exhibitions in Sydney is no more! On show this week are a number of excellent exhibitions which have returned my faith in the state of art in Sydney

At Watters Gallery, Euan McLeod follows in the footsteps of the great Sydney Nolan in an extensive and also excellent exhibition of works, "Glacial" made in the Antarctic. Large emerald rocks drip with ice, snow and heavy, cold clouds; an abominable snow man/artist stares at his bare canvas in a snowy landscape with mittened, dumb hands ; hikers are chained together to summit a towering Iceberg; whilst a lonely, nude and tired ghost pulls his "not-quite there" rowboat ashore an impossible glacial edge only to be confronted by a huge mountain of white. Vintage McLeod which was an almost sold out exhibition although it only opened last Wednesday night.

Plein Air Painting with Euan McLeod, Imants Tillers, and Michelle Hiscock

A friend alerted me to this interesting video (also in vodpod selection at left) in which Euan McLeod, Imants Tillers and Michelle Hiscock give insights into the process of Plein Air Painting ie doing it tough with the flies, the sun and the ants on your back, whilst kneeling on the hard ground with an aching back, trying to paint something remotely worthwhile, before the light changes too dramatically!

Vale Jasper Legge

The sad news has spread quickly through the Sydney Art World ranks that Jasper Legge, Director of the newly merged Watters Legge Gallery in Darlinghurst has died of a heart attack whilst holidaying with his family in Italy. Jasper was 41 years old. His appointment to the Gallery followed the succession planning of those two eponymous Dealers Frank Watters and Geoffrey Legge (Jasper's dad) and the merging of Legge Gallery (Jasper's) with Watters in January this year.

His death will leave a huge hole in the Art World and he is no doubt mourned by all the staff and artists at Watters, as well as those in the wider community. My thoughts are with his family during this shocking time.