description

Miniature paintings and drawings in a variety of styles and acrylic painting techniques, using the motif of Australian, exotic and imagined birds, by Australian artist Christine Porter. Acrylic and pencil on board, 2.9 x 2.9cm (approx 1 inch square). Created over a two year period in the spaces between the other parts of Christine's practice: to date, more than 600 individual paintings created - a continuing exploration of the joy of playing with the small scale painted image.

artist statement 

I
My kind of short story has a strong affinity with the novel; its scale is different but its internal proportions, the relative parts played by dialogue, narrative, description, are alike and make the two read alike.
Kingsley Amis The Amis Story Anthology Hutchison London 1992 P1

II
I’m sitting on the verandah of the shearers’ quarters on a sheep and cattle property just west of Tenterfield. I’m here to prepare for my next exhibition of rural paintings due to be exhibited June 2010. As well as beginning paintings and drawings of the shearing shed and quarters, I’ve also been photographing some fairy wrens in the pepper tree near the old tobacco barns, and magpies in the sheep yards, for use as source material for a series of bird paintings that I’ve been experimenting with this last six months.

My oldest friend had asked me to create an artwork for someone who was important to her. We decided on a picture of a tree, with some small drawings of the birds that were to symbolize the people flying in and out of her friend’s home. I enjoyed making those small drawings so much, I kept making more.

My art practice is one of precision: the site specific accuracy of the rural paintings that I’ve been exhibiting since 1984; the breed specific detail in the British sheep breeds series shown in Edinburgh last year; the precision of the printmaking techniques I use; the importance of each loaded word of theory associated with a university degree in visual arts. The small paintings and drawings of birds, evolving like a series of postcards became an exploration of The Picture. I used the scientific illustrations of Peter Slater as a source initially, then my own photos, but in each case, from the beginning I was led by both my imagination and how the picture was changing in front of me. It’s been a wonderful adventure.

I look up from my drawing: my eye caught by a movement above me. A bird has just stepped from the verandah roof and swooped off between the trees towards the shed. I wonder what it would be like to be able to fly. I imagine joy and freedom. I realize that’s how I feel when I paint. The bird images I’ve  been using to explore pictorial variety have become themselves a symbol for the creative moment that turns a blank page into a work of art. Then I realize that I’ve been flying all along, even while attending to the visual truths of place and the convolutions of truth academised. 

I’ve  remembered  how to fly.

Christine Porter
Roseneath Station, Tenterfield, August  2009

presentation

 
The paintings are presented unframed: mounted on painted 3mm board backing. Overall size: 9.5 x 9.5 x 1.4 cm including the artwork.
A unique hanging system has been developed which lets the work hang flat on the wall, and allows for easy framing should the collector so wish it.
Some of the work is framed in a small box frame behind glass. A few have been collected together and framed in series, at the time of writing however, there are none available presented this way.

exhibitions and sales 

2011: Currently available at Fairway Studios, Goondiwindi (0746 713 101) and at Christine's studio/gallery (by appointment 02 66225733). Contact us for details of current availability or location of individual artworks.
In 2010 work from this series was shown at Christine's solo exhibition  a box of horseshoes  at The Moree Gallery, Moree New South Wales
Likewise in 2009 at  remembering how to fly Barebones Artspace, Bangalow New South Wales: remembering how to fly + unframed Fairway Studios, Goondiwindi, Queensland

prices
Prices from $80AUD unframed. Buy paintings from this series.

copyright, reproductions and licensing

• The copyright of all content on this website - all pictures and words - is owned by the artist. It is illegal to copy or transmit any image from this site. Please contact us if you wish to see a larger file of any image.
• At the present time Christine is concentrating on selling only original paintings from this series, however please contact us if there is an image you are particularly taken with as this situation may change.
• Christine and Full Moon Publications are happy to discuss appropriate licencing of Christine's images.

available artwork

These works are all for sale. Contact us to buy artwork from this series. These are small artworks in real life, so the web-designer has decided to keep the image size small to reinforce this element of these miniature views of the world. Contact us if you would like to see a larger file of any of the images or to buy paintings from this series. Hold your cursor over the image to find its number.

	four other in a similar style to left image
	several more in the same style as image right

return to top

selected archive

These paintings have all sold. This is only a selection of the paintings that have sold from this series.

return to top