Posts tagged: canvas painting

MEET THE ARTIST: TANIA BLANCHARD

MEET THE ARTIST: TANIA BLANCHARD

It is our pleasure to introduce you to our new artist Tania Blanchard! Tania is an Australian artist based in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. Her artwork is known for her own signature style, building layers of “impasto dots” reminiscent of a minimalistic and impressionistic scene. This unique method of application gives her paintings a mesmerising effect and an indulgent texture you almost want to reach out and touch. 

“I’ve always been obsessed with colour, colour theory and combining it with texture. Texture is something I am very drawn to”

Tania grew up in Adelaide where she obtained a degree in Visual Arts and a diploma in Graphic Design. She has developed and evolved her style over the last decade, practicing her skills and learning to trust her intuition.

In early 2020, Tania made the decision to move from her old studio space and build a large studio at her home that she now works from. Her typical day begins with a Chai Tea, or three, her paint spatula in hand and her dog Millie by her side.

 

Working with acrylic on canvas, she hand mixes her paints with a thickener to get the consistency she desires. His helps achieve the lush texture in her paintings that she applies in layers with her palette knife. Tania also records every colour she uses in each artwork, which can sometimes be more than 100 different hues in a single work!

   

“I’ll explore anything and everything. The only thing that stops me doing more work on a piece is time. My technique takes time and can’t be rushed. If I didn’t spend so much time with each painting I truly believe the “Wow” factor would not be there.”

Her inspirations include greats such as Matisse, Mark Rothko and Josef Albers whom she admires for their use of colour and their compositions.

 

'Gravitation' - 1400 x 1400mm

Tania’s work has been described as hypnotic and emotional. She likes to push colour variants using colour to provoke emotion. Anyone viewing her incredible artwork in person could not deny the effect. You can shop her work here or visit our gallery to experience it in person.

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MEET THE ARTIST: AUDREY KEARNS

MEET THE ARTIST: AUDREY KEARNS

 We love local artists and are very excited to introduce you to Audrey Kearns who is a local emerging visual artist based in Hawthorn East. Audrey is currently completing her master’s degree from The University of Melbourne. She grew up in North Carlton, with sojourns in Darwin, Brisbane and Echuca. The external surroundings from her childhood have significantly informed her artistic practice.

Left: 'Tangerine Kitchen' - 430 x 530mm Right: 'Early Fall' - 340 x 440mm  

Audrey works in acrylics and oils on canvas exploring colour and shape. Her paintings use texture and organic shapes to imbue everyday objects with a life beyond the ordinary. Showing a deep understanding of colour in her works, she is very methodical in her choice of colours and how she applies them.
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“I often mix them myself or use specialists such as Porter’s Paints to achieve the pigment I desire. This helps me convey certain styles or eras that I aim to communicate.”
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Using bold palettes that often favour oriental hues, she forms tonal relationships in her compositions. Her style is known for using clean lines and colour-blocking giving her artworks a retro edge.

 

While creating her artworks, she reflects on her own experience of the Australian landscape and uses everyday objects as reference points. Like all artist, Audrey has many artists that inspire her both Australian and international, from throughout history to the present day. These include Cuban American artist Carmen Herrera and Ukrainian-American artist Janet Sobel.
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“Among Australian artists, I particularly admire Margaret Preston and have had an affinity since childhood for both Vincent van Gogh and Henri Matisse and their dedicated quest for expression through colour and form.”

 

Audrey’s creative process is very labour intensive, it often takes weeks for her artworks to reach their final form.
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“I prime my own canvases by using a thick texture paste with a palette knife before applying several layers of liquid primer. This creates smooth yet textured details and adds a dimension to the space of the painting. I build further upon their texture by underpainting, often in bold colours.”
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Audrey has developed a style that is inherently her own, full of texture, clean lines, beautiful colour and retro vibes. You can shop her artworks here.

  

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