The brightness of being....Ken Done and Rosie Deacon.

Ken Done reef paintings

Where to even start with this exhibition. Lets just say if you can’t get there you are missing out, so I will do you the favour of showing you some of it’s joy RIGHT HERE. I’m looking at you Pamela Bates, as I know you are a lover, and i’m looking at you too Kate Pittas. Now one of the special things (among many) about this exhibition was that some of Ken Done’s work was from THIS YEAR!!

You heard me, brand new joyful free work. Ken Done art and Rosie Deacon art. Work that encourages me to loosen up and not get too concerned about how to tell the tale - but just to tell it.

Reef detail - Ken Done

What I loved most about these pieces of Ken’s was how visible everything is, the techniques, the brushwork, the material changes. There is nothing hidden, it’s all there to discover, to learn from. The little paint dashes that are reef fish, the vibrant coral, or is it seaweed. The wash and fluidity, the dashes of oil pastel, paints repelling other paints and others merging. I’ve got a tonne more photos to show you….

But wait— I haven’t shown you Rosie’ Deacon’s work yet. The perfect accompaniment to Ken’s work, like the floral arrangement with the fruit salad. A riot of reef in one room, and oversize jewellry in the other. Get a load of this fabulousness. Even the shadows were incredible, actually, especially the shadows were incredible, with their own curious life, like shadows from a 1980’s fantasy movie. Beads, and bath scrunchies, knitting and cut foam, plasticine? maybe, and who knows what else. I have to confess my overwhelm factor was high…I wanted to stay all day!

We are so spoilt, so privileged to be able to enjoy such work. To delve into work that takes us places, to the hot days of an Aussie beach, where a beach goer, burning red on the sand is described in 4, maybe 5 lines. Or to the 80’s (or perhaps a certain Melbournite’s living room — I’m looking at you Natasha Webb) to dangly fluro bird earings and big chunky bead necklaces. Or maybe it’s not even the 80’s, maybe it’s now, and i’m just not with the trend.

This detail, from that panoramic, fish eye like view, should have it’s own title “Yeah you wish this was your studio'“, because lets face it, who doesn’t want a studio view like this from their studio. Hello

My biggest takeaway from this exhibition, is how important JOY is, and of finding the brightness of being alive. It’s so refreshing, especially amongst our midwinter, and the drearyness of the endless rain that has been this years climate nightmare.

I used to paint with all the vibrant colours, inspired by the tropical landscape I was living in. Whilst I don’t think I could paint that way again anytime soon - at least not until spring (lets face it i’m fickle that way), I am encouraged to be free’er…but more importantly, to take my own advice and paint a little every day.

If only my body would cooperate.

That aside — head on down to Ngununggula and see the exhibition if you can.

Ciao kiddos. :)