Parnell Gallery 2-16 August 2016 | Opening Preview 2nd August 5.30pm

 

An exciting new show of works by Anna Stichbury opens at Parnell Gallery in August. This artist has been painting and exhibiting her vibrant work for over two decades. She finds her inspiration in the colours and textures of the world, which she brings back to her studio in “great armfuls”, her practice comprising the “delicious” task of revealing the feeling of a place using these elements.

 

Stichbury’s latest works reveal a departure in terms of palette, which was previously dominated by deep reds and earthy ochres. In Night Swimming, ocean-inspired inky blues take their place in a “collection of memories and places”. A circular format is utilised in many pieces, emphasising the infinite, ever-changing nature of the ocean. The artist speaks of the feeling of gazing out across compelling yet unknown depths: “Like when you are at the water’s edge at night and it’s all dark navy and oily and you want to fall in but it’s too deep, just a little too big, dark and restless.”

 

Stichbury’s bold, gestural brushwork skilfully abstracts vast swathes of sea and sky. Areas of luminosity and dripping paint suggest details of place and time as well as highlighting elemental and emotional textures. Allowing the media its full range of expression returns the viewer to the picture plane through the viscosity of the paint, and to their own experience of the proffered work.

 

Born in 1974 and with a background in textiles and design, Stichbury has been successfully exhibiting with Parnell Gallery for more than 15 years. She has held solo exhibitions throughout New Zealand and Australia and her work is held in collections both here and internationally.

 

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Parnell Gallery
263 Parnell Road, Auckland | 09 377 3133
parnellgallery.co.nz