Earlier this year I introduced you to textile artist Ailsinn Mckinnis, a talented neighbour of ours. Our bricks and mortar store is situated in a little enclave of Ballarat housing a number of artists and creative people.
It's time to introduce another neighbour, Brock Sibley, one of my favourite painters I just can't get enough of his work!
Because I own and run an art gallery, it's sometimes expected to be a bit... well... wanky about art. You know, talk about the juxtaposition of the subject matter versus the blah, blah, blah.
It's not that I don't see the value in analysing artwork in this manner, far from it. I think the ability art has to really make you think about the big questions is inspiring... But I also think it's ok to assess art in terms of how much you LIKE it.
If a painting, or sculpture or drawing or piece of ceramics, makes you feel something, makes you want to look at it every day and have it in your home, then I'm sure that's all it's creator could ever wish for.
Brock Sibleys work ticks both of those boxes for me. Not only does Brock think pretty hard about the world around him but his painting are so beautiful to me that I want to hug them tight and put them in my pocket and give them pet names.
I want one BAD. No, scrub that, I want 10 of them!
Brock paints from his studio in our building but I first saw his work in a local university exhibition. A review by local arts reviewer Kent Wilson (curator of Golden Art Net arts website) said it better than I ever could...
"It takes a certain talent to be able to paint this badly, and still make it interesting. And I mean that in a truly complimentary way. After all, Picasso said it took him years of effort to finally be able to paint like a child again.... Sibley’s overlays of scribbles, paint patches, lines and blobs really managed to hold their own, on the precipice of falling into a chaotic mess – not unlike life itself really."
As I'm crafty like a fox I have done a nifty little swap with Brock recently... a website for a painting, lucky me. You can see it here. Introducing Mr Brock Sibley.... man, can he paint!
X Steph
Because I own and run an art gallery, it's sometimes expected to be a bit... well... wanky about art. You know, talk about the juxtaposition of the subject matter versus the blah, blah, blah.
It's not that I don't see the value in analysing artwork in this manner, far from it. I think the ability art has to really make you think about the big questions is inspiring... But I also think it's ok to assess art in terms of how much you LIKE it.
If a painting, or sculpture or drawing or piece of ceramics, makes you feel something, makes you want to look at it every day and have it in your home, then I'm sure that's all it's creator could ever wish for.
Brock Sibleys work ticks both of those boxes for me. Not only does Brock think pretty hard about the world around him but his painting are so beautiful to me that I want to hug them tight and put them in my pocket and give them pet names.
I want one BAD. No, scrub that, I want 10 of them!
Brock paints from his studio in our building but I first saw his work in a local university exhibition. A review by local arts reviewer Kent Wilson (curator of Golden Art Net arts website) said it better than I ever could...
"It takes a certain talent to be able to paint this badly, and still make it interesting. And I mean that in a truly complimentary way. After all, Picasso said it took him years of effort to finally be able to paint like a child again.... Sibley’s overlays of scribbles, paint patches, lines and blobs really managed to hold their own, on the precipice of falling into a chaotic mess – not unlike life itself really."
As I'm crafty like a fox I have done a nifty little swap with Brock recently... a website for a painting, lucky me. You can see it here. Introducing Mr Brock Sibley.... man, can he paint!
X Steph