Last week I went to see an exhibition of Martine Emdur's latest work at the Tim Olsen Gallery in Woollahra. I have always been a fan of Martine's paintings and in person her large scale pieces are breathtaking. Her subject matter - the ocean - is quinessentially Australian without the cliches. The way she manages to capture the refracted light as it breaks through the water and the cold of the dark depths below is absolutely mesmerising. The paintings are so tranquil, they envelop you and make you feel calm and relaxed.
Image Source: Martine EmdurHere is an insight into Martine's thinking from a recent interview in The Sydney Morning Herald:
"The scale is key to me," she says. "I want people to stand in front of my paintings and get the feeling of being immersed. And I think about the temperature of the water even more than the light. The temperature is everything in my paintings. I love a warm-blooded body in a cool body of water. I love the light and warmth from the sun streaming through the top of the picture where the body has pierced the surface and then all the shadows give the sensation of the cold, more mysterious water below."
If you can get to the exhibition I'd highly recommend it. The photos just don't do these amazing paintings justice.
