Please be Seated

Renata Pari-Lewis, untitled, mixed media on board

Chairs are part of modern civilisation and maybe we are sitting too much but we all love a good seat.  I know my house is full of them, one person lives here yet I  could find seating for 25.  Yes, lots of chairs but I continue to be interested to see more, always testing them. Does it support the back? Is it the right height? Is it stylish? etc etc.
 Artists have been including chairs in their imagery as long as we have been gotten off the floor.  I saw an exhibition at the Defiance Gallery in Newtown (Sydney, Australia) today called "Please be Seated" and it features works showing chairs from a variety of contemporary painters and sculptors. These artists happen to include chairs as part of their visual imagery.
Renata Pari-Lewis's mixed media work (above) is a colourful jewel.  I have a painting by this artist from a previous exhibition and it is always great to see more of her work.
Below is a painting by Carole Griffin, one of two in the show.  She has shown at the Defiance before and I enjoy seeing her beautiful dogs as well as how she explores the effects of light.



Carole Griffin, Chooky's Compostella,, oil on canvas

Helen Gauchat, Light in the Courtyard, acrylic on canvas

This painting by Helen Gauchat has the viewer standing inside, outside seducing us with the promise of warmth, perhaps food and comfy seating.  It's interesting to see the full spectrum of bright white to completely black in one picture.

Ulvi Haagensen, 

There is a handful of works by this artist in the show.  It is good to see craftsmanship in drawing.  Those swift ink lines  have to be right, and are, as there is no way to fix them up later.  I enjoy seeing the addition of collage in drawing too.

There are many other interesting paintings as well as quite a few sculptures in this exhibition.  I particularly love the actual chair by Anita Larkin which she has made from collected objects and of course, the gorgeous Peter Godwin paintings.
If you are enjoying the great food and fascinating shops in Newtown, it is worth heading up Enmore Road for a look at this gallery, there is always a good show on.  You could also check out their website at  www.defiancegallery.com