Fiona Barrett-Clark
Fiona Barrett-Clark invites us to look up at the world around us for her new show, Nightfall at Saint Cloche — perfectly fitting for a lockdown Australian audience.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson
‘I’ve always been more comfortable with oils, the slow drying time and the fluidity of the paint. As I paint with no real texture, this is where the grain of the plywood comes in, says Fiona Barrett-Clark. Photo: Samantha Mackie.
Rosy Dusk by Fiona Barrett-Clark from her exhibition NIGHTFALL at Saint Cloche.
Sydney-based artist Fiona Barrett-Clark’s paintings are quite fitting for our current world of domesticity, roaming the suburban landscape — noticing the way the natural environment touches our human one on the horizon.
For the artist, these are not the works of lockdown, but everyday life with children in the suburbs. They reveal her intimacy with both the landscape and that magical hour of the day as the sun dips low, lighting up the sky.
‘I often walk in the late afternoon/early evening, I take lots of photos, but I also really love absorbing the energy of that time,’ Fiona muses. ‘Everything’s calming down, the air is cooling, and the colour of the sky against the black silhouette is sublime.’
After documenting her dusky walks, the artist returns to the studio to craft an image out of her inspiration, often working on multiple versions and layers. The paintings resist the truth; instead, they allure to the dreamy state of lockdown where nothing really looks like it seems anymore.
Using oil paints, Fiona works on plywood which offers texture to the otherwise pictorially flat works. Here, she draws on the colours of the sky that reveal a sense of depth akin to nature’s paintbrush.
“I want my works to remind people to look up, take notice of the world around us; it can leave you awe-inspired on what was an ordinary day”
‘I used to paint more tradition Australian landscape paintings, mostly of the NSW Central West and coastal views, but my subject matter in the last few years has become my local environment,’ says Fiona Barrett-Clark. Photo: Samantha Mackie.
‘The transition from pink to blue, a deep navy or the light from a window, I find the black silhouette of trees and houses heighten the intensity of the colour,’ Fiona adds.
The artist finds ample inspiration in her surrounding landscape of Sydney’s suburbs. ‘It means that I am inspired every day, and that is incredibly motivating,’ she adds. Another factor is motherhood, one that almost forced her to look locally but also pushed her to pursue her practice and make every opportunity worth it.
‘I used to paint more rural landscapes, but road trips on the weekends aren’t as practical with school-age kids,’ Fiona reflects. ‘When I think about it, my kids have made me take more risks, which is so important in art.’
Today, Fiona is able to practice her art full-time after Kitty Clark at Saint Cloche spotted her work in the Little Thing Art Prize in 2016. ‘The subject was a departure for me, cars travelling over a bridge,’ she shares. ‘It eventually led me to my current themes, exhibiting and Saint Cloche, which was a dream and now being represented by them.’
Due to lockdown, Fiona’s upcoming show, Nightfall will feature on the Saint Cloche website — yet it serves an essential reminder. ‘I want my works to remind people to look up, take notice of the world around us; it can leave you awe-inspired on what was an ordinary day.’
In the Pale Sky by Fiona Barrett-Clark.
Evening Sky by Fiona Barrett-Clark.
VISIT
NIGHTFALL AT SAINT CLOCHE
Virtual Exhibition 11th - 22nd August 2021