Jenny Blake

This body of work captures the extraordinary sensory experience that can be felt on any given day on Dunstan street, Curtin. Dunstan Street could be any street in Canberra.

Walking along Dunstan Street, you cannot avoid the fresh aroma of eucalyptus and the dappled warm sunlight that hits you walking under gum tree canopies.  For me, the colours are arresting and are exacerbated by afternoon sunlight.

Canberra’s weather can spin four seasons in a day. It could start with a thick frost, lifting to brilliant sunshine, clear blue skies, followed by a spectacular afternoon thunderstorm. Dunstan Street has the perfect aspect to capture nature’s greatest show.

These large abstract paintings reflect the change in colours and seasons, dappled light to brilliant blue skies and moody horizons.

My work has been influenced by the New York mid-century artist, Mark Rothko. His work is very fitting as his iconic style of large scale colourful paintings were created during the 1950’s and 60’s when many Canberra suburbs, like Curtin, were being planned and built.

My abstract landscapes are painted with non-traditional tools and methods. Painting large works enables me to be very physical, using large movements to get the desired effect.

The work emulates what I feel when walking on Dunstan Street.

Curriculum vitae 

2017 - Diploma of Visual Art Student, CIT Canberra Institute of Technology

Solo Exhibitions

2019     Block by Block - Strathnairn Arts Holt ACT

2019     Sea Series - Splatter Gallery, Belconnen ACT

2018     Sea Series - Niugini Arabica Duffy, Canberra ACT

2018     Block by Block – M16 Art Space, Canberra ACT

2015     Beyond our Hot Horizon - Strathnairn Gallery Canberra ACT

2008     Skylines - All Bar Nun Gallery Space, Canberra ACT

2006      Earth -Yarralumla Woolshed, Canberra ACT

Group Exhibitions

2018     Craft ACT -2018 Emerging Contemporaries

2017     CIT Diploma of Visual Arts Graduation Exhibition

2016     Illumi NOIR - Design Studio, CIT REID Campus Canberra ACT

2015     Balance - The National Botanic Gardens Gallery, Canberra ACT

2010     COM.PULSIVE - The Q Gallery, Queanbeyan NSW

2008     Secrets - Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Canberra ACT

2007     Autumn Spectrum - Old Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral NSW

2006     Milk Factory Gallery Bowral Annual Artists Show

Prize & Art Award Entries

2019      Archibald prize entry. Coralie, portrait of Coralie Wood

2018     Archibald prize entry. Front Page, portrait of  Bree Winchester

2018     Winner graduation prize, to exhibit work in the 2018 Craft ACT Emerging Contemporaries 

2016     Canberra Contemporary Art Space members show

2014     Tuggeranong Art Centres Environmentally Art Prize

2013     Strathnairn Gallery Squares Show

2006     Radford Art Prize

Teaching

Spatter Gallery – Portrait Painting for Beginners

Belconnen Arts Centre – Portrait Painting  

Belconnen Arts Centre – Upcycling, Assemblage 

Other Commercial Activates

2008      Bus Depot Markets

2006     Art on Sunday - Forrest Fire Station Museum, Pop up Gallery

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