John Smith and Chris Johnston celebrated the opening of their new exhibition Earthwork – a first together after many years of friendship.
The materiality of earth and place is a motivating force for both, well expressed in this joint exhibition that celebrates the art of John Smith, painter, and Chris Johnston, potter.
Earthwork celebrates the evocation of place through a series of paintings by Smith juxtaposed with Johnston’s ceramics. Both use the earth as the foundation for their art.
Smith uses found and gathered materials to inscribe his paintings with the colours and textures of place, each being a map to, and an expression of the nature of specific locations. Each painting starts with being in place, with final refinements happening in the studio.
“My paintings are highly textured abstract landscapes inspired by the places where the work is constructed. This attempts to prove a map or a legend by creating symbols which characterise the place they came from,” Smith said.
“My aim is to invite the viewer to experience a psychological connection to the landscape.”
Johnston combines the techniques of hand-building and throwing to create forms, surfaces and textures that engage with places or stories.
She often works with multiple forms created as a series to express relationships or add to the potency of an idea.
“I work in earth materials – clay, both local and purchased – slips, terra sigillata and occasionally glazes to form fired clay works that reflect place connections,” Johnston said.
“This body of work extends from 2008 to today. Over that time, my experiences of the colour, land and stories of central Australia and our flinty goldfields region have featured, often through a series of thematic works.”
Open 10am to 4pm, Saturdays and Sundays until December 18 at the Newstead Arts Hub, 8A Tivey Street, Newstead.
