Melanie Vugich at The Corner Store Gallery
Still Life artist Melanie Vugich’s first Australian solo show, Familiarity, launches at The Corner Store Gallery in Orange, NSW.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Madeline Young
A Quiet Moment with Matisse by Melanie Vugich. Photo: Madeline Young.
‘I have an absolute passion for colour, so I love to go off on my own tangent,’ says Melanie Vugich. Photo: Madeline Young.
Still life artist Melanie Vugich brings a wealth of knowledge collected from around the world that she imparts into her paintings. Though they only seem to capture a moment, the artworks invite inspiration from Broken Hill in the depths of Australia to the creative, cosmopolitan airs of Florence in Italy.
Now based in Sydney’s Bronte, growing up in the remote town of Broken Hill allowed her imagination to run wild—the vastness of Australia providing an endless sense of colour and form. Nature and its seasons were the first artists she learnt from.
‘I think the vast and empty terrain made me really focus on the beautiful aspects of the outback—the distinct hues, the wide-open skies, the wonder of coming across a crop of Sturt desert peas in the middle of nowhere, the wildlife, the joy of rain after long periods of drought,’ says Melanie.
Even though today her primary focus is still life painting, Melanie has a background in fabric design that she learnt from one of the best, Susan Nevelson. Susan took the young Australian under her wing and mentored her, leading to so much inspiration that still influences her practice today—especially the confidence boost of seeing her designs on the Milan catwalks.
‘For over 20 years, we spent endless hours in Susan’s beautiful Florentine studio, where she taught me everything there is to know about colour, light, shadow, composition, fabric design and friendship,’ shares Melanie. ‘Italian’s love using bold colours, so I had the freedom to be as experimental as I liked, which is an approach I still take with my paintings.
This mentorship with Susan influenced Melanie in more than just her practice but also her worldview, travelling all across France and Spain visiting art galleries. ‘It was during this period that I fell in love with many of the Fauve artists, especially Matisse and Raoul Dufy,’ the artist thoughtfully considers. ‘Susan died in 2015 at the age of 91 but remains my greatest inspiration.’
‘Art was the only subject I was completely committed to at school, and it’s all I remember ever wanting to do. I knew that somehow I was going to make it happen,’ says Melanie Vugich. Photo: Madeline Young.
Hinchinbrook Banksias & Sunshiny Days by Melanie Vugich. Photo: Madeline Young.
Daydreamy Afternoons at Alfred Street by Melanie Vugich. Photo: Madeline Young
“Living in such a remote part of the country without many external influences allowed my imagination to run wild, and all of the early childhood paintings my Mum stashed away are a bright and happy reflection of this.”
Daydreamy Afternoons at Alfred Street by Melanie Vugich. Photo: Madeline Young.
Bright Days & Ripe Pears by Melanie Vugich. Photo: Madeline Young.
Twelve years ago, Melanie moved back to Australia with her Italian partner and son, settling in the picturesque Bronte where the artist was ‘instantly inspired by the beauty of the ocean, the bright light, the beautiful native flora.’ Here, Melanie began teaching after-school art classes and painting in her spare time. After slowly building up an audience and selling her work, last year, Melanie decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a full-time artist.
Working in her small studio, her compositions are compact yet full of colour and life. And like her early days in Broken Hill, Melanie uses the seasons in her art practice today, working from fresh flowers and their colour palettes. As does the fabric designing era, searching through her collection of fabrics to find something new.
For Melanie’s upcoming show at The Corner Store Gallery, she is responding to the distance we’ve all been feeling and seeking out the beauty in simple things. ‘I called it Familiarity and wanted to focus on things that are used in my everyday life but have special meaning, and rooms I have spent time in with loved ones.’
We can expect banksias and proteas, plus familiar iconography from Melanie’s works, such as her old Italian jug, vintage teapots, bud vases, coloured glassware, seed pods, printed pieces of cloth and art books. The artist wanted to also create an ode to her old mentor, including several of Susan’s designs.
Melanie concludes, ‘The Corner Store Gallery isn’t a huge space, but it’s lovely and light-filled, so I seized the opportunity to fill it with as much colour and beauty as it could hold.’