UPDATE: Sam Blanch responds to this article:
I would just like to say that the content of the show is quite varied, there are sixty paintings in all and people bring a lot to specific paintings and not much to others. It is these kind of serendipitous moments I am interested in, I love that people find favourites and find paintings they want to bring into their lives. Its like playing a giant game of snap.
I've just added photos to the descriptions of the artworks below. Even if you're reading this after the exhibition closes, if you like what you see you can buy the art by calling Sam on 0409 630 923 - or (+61 409) 630 923 from overseas. His email address is Sammablan800@hiptop.com.au
I went to the opening of Sam Blanch's exhibition "Bridges To Elsewhere" at the Circle Gallery last night. There were six paintings that stood out for me.
First of all, "Chocolate delight. Kiss of a Frog", a painting of a chocolate Freddo Frog on a dark background.
Next, "Flight of Freedom. Freedom dares to float". This work is has a dark blue sky as the background, with a yellow sun and smallish white clouds. Most of the panel is taken up by four yellow curves that make up the shape of a flying creature, maybe a large bird or a dragon. There's no details at all: the shape of the lines has to do all the work of telling you what this figure might be.
"Arc Angel Michael" wears a bright flourescent reddy-pink robe, and above his greenish head are a dark orange halo and translucent wings. He holds a broadsword whose pommel comes up to his chest, and a green snake is wrapped around the blade.
Across the room, "Angel" is in a very different style to "Arc Angel Michael". "Angel" is another figure with almost no details - the lines have to do the work of meaning again. I quite liked this one - it's the sort of work you might find at, say, a "progressive" Anglican or Uniting Church.
A smaller room off the main exhibition room has nine paintings in it, called "The Origins of Nine (expanded version)", one to nine. I liked 4 and 9.
4 is the white moon looking down on a white yacht, on the ocean at night. The painting is mostly dark blue - the sky is untouched with paint, while the sea is marked with black and white swirls.
9 shows two faces looking directly at each other, between them taking up three-quarters of the panel. Among the mess of colours that cover each face, a single eye in each face stands out in stark black and white. Hand painted words fill the space between the faces:
nine ways to say i love you nine ways to say i am sorry nine ways to say anything you please then there is silence
The face on the left is mainly purple and green, the one on the right is purple and orange.
There's a booklet on sale for three dollars, which has poems by Sam, each linked to an artwork. In the introduction he explains that his art is part of his reaction to his struggle with his subconscious, and that "looking at each painting is like crossing a bridge to my unconscious mind".
You can look at Sam Blanch's paintings for free from 10am to 5pm today until this Wednesday, January 14th 2009, at the Circle Gallery, 274 Montague Rd, West End. It's on the corner of Scott St and Montague Rd, one block south of the Vulture St/Montague Rd intersection, above the Art Shed. Click here for a Google Map.
The paintings are also for sale, at $70 each. You can buy from Circle Gallery or call Sam Blanch on 0409 630 923 - or (+61 409) 630 923 from overseas. His email address is Sammablan800@hiptop.com.au
By the way, artists can hire the Circle Gallery for DIY exhibitions and don't get charged commission.
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