Paintings Inspired by Poetry
Scott Whittingham
- Paintings Inspired by Poetry
23rd NOVEMBER 2012:
Opening celebration for
solo exhibition
Paintings Inspired by Poetry
on Friday at 7pm.
Opening night is a family
and community event
including
poetry readings,
music and
refreshments/nibbles.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
After completing a BA in Education and a Master of Art at New South Wales University's College
of Fine Arts, Scott Whittingham has been drawn to the lush and picturesque landscape of Lismore.
Artist Statement
"Inspired by my poetry and utilizing my knowledge of how specific inks, acrylics,
and mediums react with each other amongst resins and varying surfaces,
I have been on a journey, not only of an exploration from within, but one
of aesthetics, the sublime, and of iconographical and historical overtones.
I have also created a series of works that revolve around personal interactions
with the Australian Landscape. This has resulted in a somewhat
sculptural, abstract expressionistic style in oils.
Typically I try to achieve a translucency within some of my work to compliment the spiritual tension and movement amongst the elements, figures and creatures.
Initially I have utilized the memory of specific experiences and educational influences to incorporate underlying changes in individual perception and tolerance within the contemporary Australian multicultural setting.
My recent series of mixed media works extend into dream like states, that reside
within my psyche and has moved towards a more abstracted conceptualism.
There is a deliberate arrangement of line shape and form,
which helps to create, rhythmic, ebb and flow within some of my works.
My art has rised from the idea of spiritual, religious, cultural,
psychological, emotional, and physical inter connectivity
that people have with the natural landscape.
My practice ranges from a high degree of conceptuality
relating also to signs and symbols, mass media and universality."
- Scott Whittingham, 2012
Paintings Inspired by Poetry is on view from 20th November to 5th December 2012.
The poetry and the paintings
Mother Earth
Earth mother is united with all,
Creature’s great and small.
The divine mother looks over
The mountains that are our bosom.
With thirst we must suckle from grey sky.
Tricking through hands
Shall sprout above barren promising land.
From deep within nurturing dark richness,
Lay seeds that wait for an ideal situation.
We also wait with emotional and physical constraints.
For that moment where our thirst and hunger are quenched.
Some choose to lay dormant,
When conditions are plentiful.
Australian seedpods are opened in extreme temperatures.
New life arises from trees that have suffered the wrath of fire.
Through evolution they have been able to adapt,
To a variety of conditions.
Each species of plant life unique,
Are able to overcome harsh situations.
So must we overcome the hurt in our past.
Our wounds must be licked and healed,
Yet there will always be scarring deep within.
Like that of a felled tree,
We see the rings of distress and displeasure.
‘Transcendence’
Oil On Canvas
61 cm x 61 cm
Only if we let complications be free to settle,
Will richness be gently accepted.
Brushed ever so delicately.
Analyzed from all perceptions,
Into a previous existence,
With varying directions.
***
The love of life
Her very presence lifts my spirits,
As the wind lifts the maple leaf,
Slowly at first, thence wisped away,
Floating into the wild blue yonder.
The whispering of the trees,
In the evening wind.
The passing of the clouds,
Are in unison with her stride.
An inner strength seems to wisp her forward.
There is a driving force.
Wings are now spread,
Gliding through the valley of life.
There is a great continuum of warmth,
With every close encounter,
The eyes fixate like that of a cheetah and it’s prey.
There is an uncertainty,
Amidst a void and an empty space.
Are these feelings also shared?
The half moon stands high,
Amongst the twinkling twilight
Yellow white and grey slowly fade thence dissipate,
With the rising of the sun.
The moon is now hiding,
Behind clouds of entangled grey.
May true feelings be hiding?
Behind blistering clouds and thunderstorms.
‘Alternating Realities Collide’
Mixed Media and Resin On Canvas
60cm x 60 cm
***
Desires
The labyrinth of earthly desires,
It seems tonight that we will rejoice.
The loneliness is still embedded.
At this time of feeling true.
Those long cold nights alone,
A shortcoming, mind and body, belligerent blue.
What shall be done with time?
Stuck in a mould that restricts a momentous cue.
When shall overusing numbness chime?
‘Desires’
Oil On Canvas
61 cm x 76 cm
'Welcoming Wings'
Mixed media and resin on canvas
50cm x 50cm
The great grandfather clock signals,
As sharp edged internal youth join forces.
Left, right, left advances,
From bellowing subconscious.
Take a chance, and do what thou wish.
Follow dreams and ambitions.
Shall inner desires become clear,
Free as a wedge tailed eagle.
Burning desires from deep within.
No hidden truths, no inner secrets.
Bodily warmth radiates from deep within internal chambers.
Don’t just talk about it!
Take that first step,
Slow at first, then with ease.
***
Directions
From dust we rise,
Like dust we may drift.
Thence settle,
Until the next wind blows.
The wind may be soft,
With gentle intentions.
But the day will come,
When gale is overpowered
By a stronger entity.
Must we tread on thin ice?
Be weary of mother natures',
Beauty and destruction?
Is it the survival of the fittest?
Or does brain conquer brawn?
We must learn to adapt.
Be ready, plan ahead and incorporate buffers.
Can innocence prevail?
Like dust we may drift
Thence settle,
Until the next wind blows.
The wind may be soft,
With gentle intentions.
But the day will come,
When gale is overpowered
By a stronger entity.
Must we always have our guard up?
Like that of the elk, with radar ears.
Sentries posted from all directions.
The young play yet practice for a day of reckoning.
‘Heavenly Gate’
Mixed Media and Resin On Board
60 cm x 63 cm
***
Ulterior demise
Gentle moths fooled by fatal engulfing light,
Head towards warmth and steady falling scales.
Peering lights stand erect in rows of fatalistic glory.
Dominating the pathway to the stars.
Blinded fragile creatures of night and day.
Break rest for warmth and direction.
This light at the end of the tunnel,
A new ideal beginning for some indeed!
These poor moths are destined for the funnel.
Such shortness of life for this fragile creature!
Don’t shed a tear for those that have fallen.
Will they not fill empty benevolent bellies?
Welcoming wings at the crack of dawn.
Put an end to those that warm on gravel.
They may indeed wish they had not been born?
Death has become a glorified act.
Flee ignorant glowing light,
Towards yon dancing and rejoicing star.
‘Ulterior Demise’
Oil On Canvas
76 cm x 76 cm
***
Peering Through The Mist
There is an extreme uncertainty,
As if the mist has thickened,
Only seeing what is directly in front.
The mood has changed,
As does the essence of time.
Always a temptation to peer beyond.
Far beyond the cold conglomeration.
There is a temptation to peer beyond,
The uncertainty of temptation.
Why if only the unknown could be foreseen,
Such splendours could be overwhelming.
The mist is slowly thinning,
Yet there is a driving force,
From deep within to achieve.
To conquer, an infinite conquest.
Along with this will come rewards.
The ultimate pride of all humanity.
Love, success, peace of mind.
Of man, of woman, of nature.
Things do not merely appear in front of eyes,
Like the passing of the clouds.
An internal heroic effort smeared with fulfilment.
Let yourself be free!
Free as a bird, wings spread across the sky.
Beyond where any bird attempts to fly.
Take a chance with your dreams,
Fly higher than the clouds,
To the point of uneasy breathing.
The decent will be easier,
And the pressure will ease.
Warmer sensations, sweet smelling sun daisies.
The rains will come with the blowing of the wind.
Mother Nature has taken over the senses,
And with this the essence of time.
A state of certainty fills the air.
A new horizon, the setting of the sun.
‘Peering Through The Mist’
Mixed Media on Canvas
101.5 cm x 101.5 cm
***
Wrinkles From Within
Gazing into the reflection and beyond.
From a fast moving train.
This slow mysterious ageing.
The mysterious movement of the train.
Thoughts are often racing,
With alternating moonlight glow.
Transcending through darkness with constant pacing.
With steady breathe and silver smirking smile,
Air vents hum from yon tender crown.
Send cold shivers through I’ll thin gown.
Let’s stretch the legs with staggering steps.
Carriage by carriage, noisy vents alternate.
A subconscious, satisfaction of senses.
A Set co-coordinated internal reckoning.
This swaying moving mass comes alive.
This uniqueness and aura of travel.
Voices from down below,
Break the serenity of the night.
‘Wrinkles From Within’
Oil and Resin On Canvas
30cm x 40cm
***
United Rest
Seagulls randomly clustered.
Stand mesmerized by gentle spray.
There is no sound from afar that can be heard.
In unison, a still but swaying mass of white and grey.
Together they rest with stinging breath and swirling white wash.
Facing the completeness of the rising tide.
Gaze over waves that end their journey with a mighty crash.
The twinge of light unites feathers that glide.
Adapted plundering heroes,
Quietly quiver with trickling tears.
Scouting above bobbing feeding trios,
For tasty morsels, who do as they please.
With a gesture of hand,
Brown eyes and squawking beak.
Battle with contortioned head and salt gland.
With piercing, squelching, regurgitating intention.
Feeds his hungry hindering queen,
Around the shrilled innocence of impatient adolescent.
Necks that bulge with gasping convulsive delusion,
Majestically glide and plunge with repetitious swiftness and grace.
A short-term physical solution.
Easing swirls of internal beckoning move them onto another place.
‘United Rest’
Oil On Canvas
80 cm x 80 cm
***
Silencity
Searching through corridors of cold conglomeration.
The wind slowly sweeping through nose twinging tightness.
Revealing the smells of ocean splendour and dissipating toxicity.
Amongst masses of shivering Greys and blundering clouds.
How can such immensity be moved, let alone toppled?
Mother Nature waves her wicked wand without warning.
Her ruling hand topples the tips that communicate with clustering clouds.
'Dance Of Life’
Oil On Canvas
70cm x 60cm
We cannot possess a magical wand to undo drastic doings!
It is a mere awakening of sheer immensities,
Radiating beneath unveiled distorted surfaces.
That shivers with the trickling of days.
Reflections sway to inner thoughts and desires,
That is only too well known.
Clouds that rage like thunderstorms of the eeriest nights.
Flashing thoughts conquer and overcome.
A spilling of freshness on seeds of spring.
Four seasons alternate at varying levels of complexities.
Within a newly evolved facade.
There is an ultimate calmness, like an eye of a hurricane.
***
Tides of Discontent
Walking with the mystique of the night,
The freshness of the gentle spray.
Familiar sounds of the shore.
This is always a place for me,
Amongst the gulls of the night.
Wandering the sands,
The tides of discontent.
The loneliness and lasting tranquility,
Revealing a long lost love.
Is this the perfect woman for me?
Her memory is impregnated.
Like that of deepened footprints,
Slowly fading with the rising of the tide.
As the waves roll endlessly, effortlessly,
Slowly moving the sands of time.
The sea whispering and majestically calling.
The peacefulness and tranquility of the shores,
Elevate hypnotic transitional forces.
This natural beauty unites mind, body and soul.
Can such a wonderful experience,
Be fully appreciated in all conditions?
Strolling the endless shores,
Listening to the familiar sounds of the sea.
Refreshing motions creep slowly to knees,
Amongst the swirling, cool waters.
A sudden tingling of feet,
Indeed a moment in time and surreal hesitation.
Gazing over troubled crashing waves.
To the calmer waters, revealing a splendor.
‘Tides Of Discontent’
Mixed Media on Canvas
65cm x 80cm
Here we find stability, steadiness and peace of mind.
Where the gulls rest, and sway with the easing breeze.
It is time to move on once more.
But alas, stranded by the sands.
Nature has indeed captured the spirit,
As does life with its twists and turns.
Returning back to that Mystical World.
A world of inner peace, happiness, joy and tranquility.
This is the sublime ennoble awakening!
***
Imprints
An Imprint in a day of minute imprints.
It is a brief impression in the sands of time.
As happiness rises and subsides,
So does the cyclical exterior nature of Oceans of entirety.
Uneasy oceans move with hot and cold intentions.
El Nino will inevitably cause variations in weather across the globe.
Waves crash enlessly into islands amongst the elements.
Human Kind alters the oceans of displeasure.
Here we see moments of darkness and grief,
Whilst on the flip side, we see beauty and majestic symbiosis.
The oceans reveal humanistic results.
The tear, a single drop, that eases with brief revealance.
‘Island’
Polymer Paint On Canvas
62cm x 62 cm
A stream,
A body of water,
A drifting,
Changing,
Ulterior demise.
‘Surreal Dream’
Mixed media on Board
72 cm x 38 cm
‘Australiana’
Mixed Media and Resin on Art Board
61 cm x 51 cm
***
Beyond the Lismore Show
People of all ages gather near ‘The Heart’ for the spectacle.
Standing united intently gaze at the bucked bull rider.
Various signs erected in plain sight.
‘Don’t frack our water’ and ‘water is life’.
How is it that economics is put before community health?
Hefty fines apply to others for environmental strife.
Dollars flash in the forefront of their lobes.
How is it ethical to poison our water supply?
When is enough, enough!
Water is our lifeline in the absence of desalination plant.
Children pound the pavement with conviction.
A commitment and insight for The Northern Rivers.
Ingrained environmental ideologies of adolescence flood the mind,
Whilst an idle protester stands erect with yellow sign.
The Lismore Show is a weekend of celebration for most.
Our minds are temporarily detached,
To reside with the land, sky, and of the spectacle.
Drawn in the direction of music caressed by the wind,
Hypnotised by the verse of Banjo Paterson.
Amongst the smell of beer, manure and corn dog,
Denis ‘Dingo’ Dryden performs his original solo bush ballads.
The mind, body and soul is encapsulated,
Beyond the previous days of CSG rallies, and discontentment.
‘Beyond The Lismore Show - Denis 'Dingo' Dryden'
Oil on Canvas
60 cm x 50 cm
***
All rights reserved. © scott whittingham 2012.
'Falling from Grace'
Resin, paper and screenprint
'Byron Bay Emotions'
Oil on canvas
'Alternative Reality'
Mixed media on board
'Chrysalis'
Mixed media on board
'Collective'
Ceramic
'Crest of Femininity'
Sandstone and concrete carving
'Anxiety'
Mixed media & resin on board
'After Long'
Mixed media on board
'Dreamscape'
Mixed media & resin on board
'Garey Beach Sunrise'
Mixed media on canvas
'Hooked'
Mixed media on board
'Journey'
Mixed media and resin on canvas
'Lismore Mist'
Oil on canvas
'Nature's Uncertainty'
Oil on canvas
'Sublime Awakening'
Mixed media and resin on board
'Sustainable Futures'
Photography
'Tropism'
Sandstone
Untitled
Sandstone
'Wattamolla'
Mixed media and resin on board
'Sustainable Collectiveness'
Ceramic and glass
'Tranquility'
Framed print
The opening celebration
An artfully attired early-bird arrives at the opening
Exhibiting artist Scott Whittingham is on hand to greet all with a smile and warm words of welcome.
‘Alternating Realities Collide’ draws interest
Scott Whittingham and fellow artist Jackson Gooch
Visitors move slowly around the gallery,
as they explore and discuss the works
A moment to relax, chat and/or listen gallery front, as Janelle Buckley performs
SERPENTINE COMMUNITY GALLERY
17 Bridge St, North Lismore, NSW, 2480.
Contact (02) 6621 6845 or serpentineartsgallery@gmail.com