About the artists

Linda Fardoe. Artist Statement, 2019

“Metamorphosis, Myth and Metaphor”

My previous works shown at Turner Galleries in 2017 came from a period of personal loss. It was a time of sadness leading me to find solace in parks woodlands and wetlands. I used a restricted pallet of black, white and greys throughout these years.

In 2017 onwards I became aware of the massive land grab clearing wetlands and forests for development.  These wonderful spaces that had healed my soul were under threat.

I had experienced the tranquility and beauty of the Beeliar Wetlands and the Bayswater wetlands alongside the John Singleton Bird Sanctuary. My concerns led me to pay homage to these magical environments in paint. I could not believe that both places were under threat by the development of roads and real estate.

Eventually both these areas were given a reprieve. This brought great joy and led me to celebrate with colour and lifted spirits. The Bicton reserve with its windswept trees and Herdsman Lake, where I felt so privileged to observe tiny blue wrens, contributed to a shift of emotions. It was like leaping out of a black cloud into a rainbow.

In addition to this revelation was the gift of a residency at Donnelly River Village. Walking in the Karri forest immersed in nature has given me a sense of peace and calm.

My passion for trees motivated me to write “The Woodlands” a children’s book emphasising the need for all to protect and respect them. We cannot survive without trees.

Godfrey Blow was born in North Hykeham, Lincolnshire, England in 1948.

He is a prominent contemporary artist whose work has been exhibited in prestigious galleries in Australia and other venues thoroughout the world. He gained a BA Hons Degree in Fine Art from Sheffield Hallam University in 1971. From 1973-74 he attended Manchester Metro University where he qualified as a teacher. His first solo exhibition was held in London in 1976 and followed by another in 1980.

In 1982 he emigrated to Australia. Numerous solo and mixed exhibitions of his work have been held in Western Australia since 1982. He has also participated in a number of mixed shows in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, United Kingdom, India, China, Canada and the U.S.A. During 2015 he was the tour artist for HRH, The Prince of Wales. His work is represented in private and public collections in Australia and in the United Kingdom, including HRH The Prince of Wales, The Art Gallery of Western Australia, Artbank Australia, University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Sir Charles Gairdner, Holmes A’Court and the collections of the cities of Bunbury, Albany and Fremantle. In addition he has won several major art awards in Australia. In October of 2006 Godfrey was a finalist in Australia’s richest award for landscape painting, the Fleurieu Peninsula Biennale Art Prize, South Australia and again in 2013. Godfrey was one of 30 finalists in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2008 and was selected as Highly Commended, Runner-up. The exhibition was held in Sydney and travelled around Australia for the rest of 2008. During this year the artist was also a finalist in the Alice Bale Art Award in Victoria and the Tattersall’s Landscape Art Prize, Queensland. In 2011 his work was selected as highly commended in The City of Perth Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, Perth, W.A

Initially Blow started to look at the landscape around him, particularly the Dark Peak in Derbyshire. More recently Beauchief Abbey and the medieval ponds surrounding the Abbey in Sheffield have become central to his work. The ghosts of the Lady in White and a monk are said to haunt these places. For Blow the Abbey and its surrounds exude a spiritual and haunted spirit. Many other places in Derbyshire are in fact sacred sites and consequently he became interested in spiritual matters including Celtic Paganism and Christian iconography. These things became increasingly important over the years.

He decided to use figurative images with abstraction to convey a certain message that conveyed a unique vision of the world. Over the years his art has developed. He is constantly trying out new approaches, whether it be through colour, shape, concept, atmosphere or texture. Through the use of light and colour he is working towards a certain vision of the world. This is a vision that is transformative and reveals the magic and spirit of the land. Much of his work deals with landscape images from Australia, Ireland and the British Isles. The significance of the landscape is reflected in fairy tales, ghost stories and myths. Blow’s art links in with these and creates a symbolic and metaphorical language. The forests, fields, hedgerows, ruins, waterways and oceans feature strongly in his recent works. Figurative images are integrated into landscape forms which create works of imaginative power. The philosophy behind the artwork comes from the ancient pagan religions of the British Isles, combined with, and contrasting with Christian iconography. In many of the works there is an investigation into the part faith plays in our existence, whether it be religious or otherwise.

Cross becomes a tree, oil on Belgian linen, 71 x 41 cm