Story behind the work: The ACM panels series

In early 2021 I created a series of mini paintings after purchasing about a dozen Artefex panels to experiment with.

Artefex is an American brand that supplies supports for painting: ACM panels, Copper panels etc. I was interested in trying their ACM panels with oil primed Linen adhered as this is something I would love to do myself but is tricky in our little Sydney home with cats that insist on climbing on everything.

Essentially the ACM panel is a hard but light aluminium that provides rigid support to the canvas glued to it and protects the artwork better than stretched canvas as stretch canvas is more susceptible to damage from heat warping the frame and therefore canvas, insect damage, and objects piercing the canvas from behind. I was happy with the product but alas they’re not supplied in Australia and shipping is costly.

In this series I created a few stream of consciousness contemporary paintings and a couple of portraits: one of myself on copper, and another as a gift to my friend and actor Joe Klocek.

It’s interesting to see what works resonate with different people. Most adored Joe’s portrait. Joe Klocek is both an acting talent starring last year in ‘The Dry’ and a stand up human being who was a lovely support when my father was ill, so it’s no surprise that his portrait was so loved. I also suspect that many love portraiture because painting and drawing realistically is a respected skill that not everyone has and there’s something life confirming about having ones likeness captured in pigment. In 2021 most of my commissions were portraits.

On the other hand some were really drawn to the more edgy of the stream of consciousness works such as ‘Maleficient’ and ‘Astronaut’ (Above bottom left, and Above middle left respectively). One of these is now sold, the other adorns my hallway and I have become so fond of its company I don’t mind if it never sells.

My favourite of the works was the third below: ‘Underwater’. I like the soft twisting lines of her hair and it reminds me of a scene from the film ‘The Piano’ (1993, Directed by Jane Campion) where the main character played by Holly Hunter is under the ocean, suspended above her sunken piano, except in this imagining I feel the figure is in a peaceful place with no fear of drowning, almost mermaid like. When I shared ‘Underwater’ on social media the response wasn’t as strong and when that happens I do wonder if it’s me still trying to find more people that connect with my work, if it’s the actual quality of the work, is it the algorithm, or is it how I’m showing up on social media and whether I need to translate my artwork into whatever is trending: be it reels, trending sounds, #inspo worthy photographs etc.

On one hand social media is a free way to connect and build community. On the other hand I regularly need to remind myself that it’s just a tool to connect with others, and as tempting as it is to make work that’s trendy on Instagram, that would be Instagram using me and not the artist using it. And in a long career (which I hope to have - fingers crossed), trends fade, authenticity wins.

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT: ‘Portrait of Joe Klocek’; Self portrait on Copper with painting on linen I created for our bedroom behind; ‘Underwater’; ‘Maleficient’.