Morgan Allender
Exhibitions
Landscape Lost - 2007
Morgan Allender Landscape Lost August 30 - 29 September 2007 At a time when Humankind's relationship to the natural world is a topic of increasing concern and debate, Allender's paintings draw on ancient ways of understanding that relationship. These paintings are a rendering of Spirit of Place and evoke the ominous quality of Nature. The idea that natural elements such as trees, stones and rivers contain animal spirits is one that has spanned centuries and continents in various guises. These animistic forces are to be both feared and feared for, as cities grow and forest lines retreat. The domesticated cats eyes and shadowy beings that hover in these paintings suggest an observing presence. The beings that emerge from her paintings are at once an embodiment of Nature itself, and Nature's guardians, keeping vigil over their leafy surrounds. While strongly influenced by the Romantic and Picturesque landscape traditions, Allender avoids pure nostalgia to create a darker atmosphere of melancholy and loss. A loss of connection with our surrounds coupled with a melancholic longing for it; a remembrance of a landscape lost. These paintings are accomplished and formally beautiful. There is no doubting her love of painting and the intelligence with which she approaches her work. Allender is interested in the "stuff" of paint; the reactions as it meets the canvas, as pigments combine and layers are hidden and revealed. Allender is the 2006 recipient of the Fleurieu Peninsula Youth Scholarship, a prestigious travel grant. Landscape Lost will be Allender's second solo exhibition at Helen Gory Galerie. Her inaugural show last year was a critical and commercial success with a number of works going to premier Australian collections including Artbank. For further information, please contact the gallery.
Realm - 2008
Wildwood Bower - 2009
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