Barebones Artspace

Byron St, Bangalow, NSW
ph 02 6687 1393
Friday 16 October – Sunday 8 November 2009
official launch  Friday 16 October 6-8pm

exhibition description 

365 miniature paintings and drawings - 29 x 29mm - acrylic and pencil on board, of native and imagined birds in a variety of styles. Most of the paintings are unframed but mounted onto square blocks - eighteen were framed. Exhibition included nine of the collective works a small flock (now dismantled).

artist statement

Christine uses the bird motif as a vehicle for pictorial experimentation. “It’s a rich collection of shapes and colours to draw from,” she said from her studio in Lismore. “The opportunity to develop narratives and exaggerate characteristics was made easier by the size - 29mm square. Working so small, and in series, meant I could take the subject and play in a way that I can’t in my normal art-making practice. I’m a watercolourist and printmaker, specializing in site-specific representations of the sheep and wool industries in rural Australia and the UK. This particular project evolved from a chance request from an old friend. I enjoyed making the small images so much I kept painting.”

“The title describes how I recognized  a connection between the imagery and the process of creating it. Watching a bird fly one day, I was aware of the effortlessness with which it moved; I imagined joy and freedom. It’s how I feel when I paint. The result of these 365 paintings is that I feel like I’ve remembered how to fly".

Read more about this journey: remembering how to fly

installation

The individually framed works were interspersed with the unframed pieces that were installed around the gallery room in a "flock". The larger pieces were hung at either end of the space and in the main gallery area.

artwork

for the full range go to remembering how to fly
image: remembering how to fly # 275, 30, 326, 459,49, 416, 98, 63, 377, 211 2009 acrylic and pencil on board, 29 x 29mm

image: a small flock #8 2009 acrylic and pencil on board 98 x 98mm (now dismantled)

post exhibition availability/sales

Much of the artwork that was on display is still available at various galleries, including Barebones Artspace and Christine's studio/gallery in Lismore ( by appointment. 02 66225733) . Contact us to find out the current whereabouts, availability and or pricing of any of the artwork mentioned.