an artist out the cocoon: shea peterson

If you were to take the techniques and vision of Max Ernst, the poetry of late Miro, and the playfulnes of Paul Klee we would begin to understand the paintings of Shea Peterson. Add a core of Primitivist aesthetic and an eye that straddles the boundaries between the nonfigurative and semifigurative and you come a little closer to understanding Shea’s work. He’s an artist that seeks no more than to continuously create. His paintings lure you in with depth unfolding freely and the viewer realises there’s story upon story being told in each work.

As his wife and friend of mine, Xanthe, explains “He's prolific and free. Living with him I've become used to his compulsion to make art. It's not a choice to paint or create a piece it's a necessity. His process is crucial to his expression in context to the world around him and within him. I can see this in his pieces and I wonder if others can too.” After spending almost 3 years hidden in his cocoon. Shea is finally ready to showcase his work to the Sydney art scene and I am delighted to support his work.

“I feel like I've been true to my creative instinct and have not sold out to the dominant white wall aesthetic” explains Shea. Having moved to Sydney from Hawaii as an established artist three years ago his work offers something truly unique and testimony to the impressions of the life he’s led overseas.

Most of his work is acrylic and mixed media. He’s unashamed to experiment with college, frottage, automatism, aerography, and decalcomania. An abundance of works on paper, canvas, and found objects will be on display.

If you would like to also enjoy Shea's works, you are invited to have a conversation with him during his weeklong exhibit opening in Sydney on March 20th 6-9pm at M2 Art Gallery, Surry Hills, Sydney. Here is the facebook event and some really inspiring examples of his work.

'twiggy' - when dreams & art combine.

Some things and people blow my mind in this world and I feel blessed to have the pleasure in meeting them, their work and inspiration. Whether they create, write, talk or think - I have such admiration for those who can articulate an idea and see it through to fruition no matter how bold or controversial with the adage 'If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it' (Einstein).

Meghan Byrne, known as Twiggy is one of those people. She's a Sydney based artist who creates a breadth of wonderful dreamlike images, using old traditional oil/acrylic painting techniques to create interesting colourful canvases. She doesn't conform and yet has such attention to detail and quality (I know for a fact that she makes her own canvases and sources the best and most premium quality oil paints for example) that shows how much respect she has for art and her work. The effect is one that reminds you to dream. To question. To open up somehow.

So I invested in a piece I couldn't resist.

Here are some other beauties.

How hard it is being good...

I tell you what, cutting out certain food groups (albeit unhealthy) along with alcohol and caffeine does suddenly dawn upon the realisation that without them you are practically a social outcast.

Obviously this statement is exaggerated, however let me put this in to perspective.

Every morning quite ceremoniously, my colleague and I would head out to our local favourite cafe where the baristas know our names and always make us smile (Single Origin) to get our super strong coffees to wake our minds and start our day. This is no more.

Friday night, a friends birthday. I paid a visit, stayed sober although surrounded by chocolate cake and cheese plates the experience was incredibly tortuous. That said, I still enjoyed the company and being the only sober person there - had the privilege of driving my friends new BMW home at the end of the night.

Saturday night. This was harder, much harder. A group of us, mostly from the UK (which tends to = Trouble) went for dinner at Dragons Den in Darlinghurst for a delectable meal, well at least it would've been delectable if I didn't have to resist certain elements of the banquet i.e. red meat. Then comes tip toeing the alcohol issue when the bottles get passed round and I have to hide my wine glass. As a consequence, I had numerous people coming up to me saying "So you're not drinking" which translates to "What the hell is wrong with you?" and "Well done" which translates to "Ha, you're missing out!" Not that anyone had issues with me not drinking but it certainly did mean that nearly every conversation I had with people circled around that decision and although I was happy, I did start to realise that my state of mind was getting further and further away from everybody else's.

Anyway, so far physical changes I've noticed following the first week:

1. I no longer crave caffeine: my addiction may have been curbed(!)
2. Using the bathroom more regularly
3. More spots: apparently this is the toxins leaving the body
4. More energy: this could be part of the lifestyle
5. Slimmer around the hips!
   

I guess as a distraction for me, I am managing to focus my energies in an old rekindled hobby, painting. I'm currently working on my first conceptual piece using acrylics on canvas. Its quite exciting for me and I am enjoying it much more than I expected.

Anyway, watch this space. More more exciting news to follow.