Introduction to Exhibition Painting the Light

1. Beyond Post Modernism
What we needtodayisNewWork,Original Work.People are tiredof the derivativeartof Post
Modernism, of the art that iscalculatedto shockand undermine our inheritedwisdom, of the art
that isproducedto fitintothe market place,of art that isledbyInstitutions.The PostModernart of
the last thirtyyearshas engenderedablasé attitude,acynical attitude andhasdebasedArtandby
consequence hasdebasedusall.
A lie,cookedupbyintellectual theorists hasbeenfoisteduponusthat ‘paintingisdead’andthat
there isno longeranyoriginality. Thatall experience isinsome waymediatedandthatour sense of
self isconstructedfromthe ‘blandishmentsof massmediaandadvertising’
I too hadbeenlabouringunderthe delusionthatsaideverythinghadbeendone andthatall that
was leftforpainterstodo waspickoverthe bonesof previousdiscoveriesandthe work of artists
nowdeceased.Thatthere wasno longeranythingNew inpainting.
Well,Ihave seenthe Light. The truthis almostthe complete opposite.ThereisNew Art…there is
NewPainting.The source of inspirationandexperience coming fromwithinourselves.
I beganmy careeras a painterinthe 70’s full of enthusiasmforModernArt…inspired by the
romanticstoriesof the Impressionists, Cezanne, VanGogh,Picasso,Kandinsky …artistsforging
towarda brave NewWorld,havingbrokenwith the figurative traditionthatextendedbackwardsto
Giottoor indeed the Greeks. Itseemedtome thenthatAlfredBarr’sversionof historywas
reasonable andthe theoriesof ClementGreenburg were interesting. Asayoungman I believedIhad
‘something’andindeedasanArt student inAustraliastudyingatSwinburnUniversityunderJeffrey
Makin andRoger KempIwas ‘goingplaces’.
Thensomethinginterestinghappenedtome.Anacquaintance,whowastotallyimmersedin the
culture of Drugs Sex andRock’n Roll and was infact a drugaddict hadgone to Indiainsearch of
cheapdrugs.This same personwasfound,overdosedinagutterinCalcutta byBuddhistMonkswho
carriedhimback to theirmonastery and,intime,restoredhim.He returnedtoAustraliaand came
by mystudioa completelytransformedperson, glowinginhealth, drugfree and atpeace.
On hisinsistence Iaccompaniedhimtomeetthe monksandthe now deceasedand famousLama
Yeshe.Iwentto the Buddhistmonasteryintendingtostayfor twoweeksandfinishedupstayingsix
months,meditatingtenhoursaday.All that happenedatthe monasteryisanotherstory.
I returnedtoMelbourne where itseemedthingshadchanged…Ihadchanged…the artworldit
seemedtome wasin chaos…Pop, Feminism, Minimalism, Post –Minimalism,Conceptualism, Land
art, Bodyart, Performance art and “Bad Painting”.…andthe general consensusthatPaintingwas
Dead. Was thisthe inevitable conclusionof the ModernProject? Isuppose,unconsciously,I
became a Post-Modernist.All Ihadeverwantedtobecome wasa great painter.Disillusioned,I
thoughtof the heroesof the past…Leonardo,Botticelli,Titian…Theyhad ‘something’.Maybe Ihad
lostmy nerve…the meditationhadcertainlyopenedme uptoeverypossibility… Idecidedto
increase myknowledgeandskill andsetaboutstudyingthe OldMasters.Thisiswhatbroughtme to
England.
In Englandthere wasFrancisBacon and LucienFreud,twogreatPost Modernistswhorejectedthe
ideal of ModernArt or neverunderstoodit.Forthe nextthirtyyearsIstudied tomasterthe intense
attentiontodetail of the mediaevalartistslike VanEyckto the broad brushstrokingexpressionism
of Goya andto some extentdevelopedmyownfigurative style,winningthe DiscerningEye with

2. Portraitof the Artistas a Fool and enjoyingamoderatelysuccessful careerasa figurative painter.
My personal projectculminatedinaseries of twenty6’x5’paintingsonthe Passionof Christ
Almostat the endof thisseriesanotherinterestingthinghappened. Whilstpaintingthe Resurrection
episode, infree, broad,colourfulstrokesrepresentingthe transcendental light emanatingfromthe
ResurrectedChrist…IhadanEpiphany that tookme back to the beginning andIrealized once more
that the Modern Movementwasbegunbythe influenceof the HolySpirit,the Zeitgeist, andthatthe
purpose of Art isto ’glorifyGod’,tobe transcendent, toinspire people,tobringjoyand peace and
connectthe viewerwiththeirdeepermind(self) andlead tocontemplationof the great questions
like “Whatis Reality?”Where dowe come from?Where are we going?And that Art, Paintingshould
reveal Beauty,and(withthe Modernideal) beautythathasnot beenseenbefore. InamomentI saw
it all.
An artistonlyreallycontributeswhenthe artiscomingfromthe deepestpart,fromthe spirit, from
the soul. Notfrom the ego.
The NewWork is original… the inspiration comingfrompersonalexperience inmeditation …no
longeremulatingotherartistsorworkingina derivative style. There isahuge untappedpotential
for painting withthe imagesfromthe electronmicroscope,the Hubbletelescope,the Ligaproject…
the advancesof science are mirroringthe innerexperience andthe timeless wisdomof the sages.
AdvancesinNeuroscience are revealingthe correlationbetweenourperceptionsof the structures
and patternsof the outside world andourminds.
Realityisspiritual.The New ArtisSpiritual andleadstothe realizationof the onenessof all creation,
of ourdeepconnectionwith the cosmos/natureandtoeach other.
I am veryhappyto be showingthisNewWork.