Matt Jones - Portrait of the artist
opening at the Bega Valley Regional Gallery
on Friday 9th
March.
Matthew
Jones, self portrait as a pleasant young
man, watercolour and mixed media on calico.1200 x 1200 cm
The initiative of a
group of local individuals, the Far South Coast Living Artist Project
was set up as a professional
development scholarship, funded from within the community, aimed at providing 12 months mentorship and financial
support to an outstanding emerging visual artist living in the Bega Valley
Region. The scholarship, which specifically affords the recipient dedicated
studio time to develop a body of work, culminates in a public exhibition.
‘Matthew Jones is the third
recipient of the prize, and the second to show at the Regional Gallery,’ said
BVRG curator Megan Bottari. ‘His work is a wonderful melding of drawing and
watercolour. It’s at once familiar and intimate –
large canvases with a really satisfyingly deceptive simplicity.’
‘It’s beautiful work,
portraiture in the main, with a series of ‘soft-pop’ animal works with a
folkloric edge,’ said Ms Bottari.
The exhibition will be
launched at 6pm on Friday 9th March. Guest speaker for the occasion
is Andrew Sayers, the Director of the National Museum of Australia.
‘It’s a rather nice
dovetail,’ Ms Bottari noted. ‘Before his appointment to the NMA, Mr Sayers was,
of course, the long-time Director of the National Portrait Gallery. It’s a bit
of a thrill to have him officially open the show.’
Portraits, opens
in the evening of Friday 9th March and runs until April 14th.
Entry free, all welcome.
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