Matt Arbuckle, Eyeshots
MATT ARBUCKLE
EYESHOTS
8-30 JANUARY 2016
Behind Matt Arbuckle’s prolific application of paint to surface, lies the photograph.
When he leaves the house most days, the painter takes his film camera, and documents what he sees. While photos are nowhere to be seen on the works’ surface, they serve as a foundation to the artist’s practice. Taped to the walls of his studio are current developed photos - evidence of his daily observations. Some photos have ruled gridlines, some have areas distressed with sandpaper, and others are untouched, collectively functioning as an alternative process to Drawing. For Arbuckle, these photos serve as a tool to explore the relationships of space, line, form, and to navigate the use of light.
Arbuckle’s layers of bold brushwork are established through this exploration. In each artwork, scenes of distorted fore- and backgrounds enforce a deviation from trusted perception cues. Arbuckle’s painting envelope you into a distorted space; the individual denied the footholds of formal representation. The direct application of paint to surface echoes a history of mark making. The scenes created are a playful exploration of the formal elements of painting; a celebration of composition space, form, colour, and line.
Matt Arbuckle is a painter from Auckland, NZ. He currently resides in Melbourne where he has a studio. He has shown his work in both solo and group shows locally and internationally. His work is held public and private collections including the Chartwell Collection and the James Wallace Trust Collections.
PAULNACHE has represented Matt's work since 2012. This will be the artists 3rd solo exhibition with the Gisborne Gallery.
Photographs by Christo Crocker (Melbourne) & Tom Teutenberg, @2TEN Studios (Gisborne).