Gordon Carmichael

"I want to re-present my world/s as pure visual sensation through painting".

Gordon R Carmichael's painting technique evolved spontaneously from the layering of multiple elements creating these high key and richly textured painted worlds.

Using this technique, the artist invites the viewer to consider precisely what influence we encounter in these detailed works. There is the random and serendipitous; there are gaps and windows to what lies beneath. The empathetic with animated Jewell like life forms or familiar narratives also explores our relationship with our surroundings and reinforces the human connection to the natural world.

Carmichael believes the magic in creativity is the right mixture of rules, experimenting or exploring and intuition. His colour pallet expresses joy and freedom. The form is natural and full of life, fundamental to his expression. He says it feels intuitive that the painting already exists, like he's the conduit summoning the composition's components, eventually forming a dynamic relationship that guides the work. This experience inspires Carmichael's creative process and output of the artwork.

"I lived alone in an isolated rustic shack on a bush property in Australia without electricity for seven years. I was reliant on candlelight at nighttime and mostly painted during daylight hours. The only sounds I heard came from nature. There were no lights, devices, screens or mobiles to constantly strain my retinas. In the moments between sunset and twilight, flowers - both white and coloured, glowed with fluorescent vibrancy under the gradation of the deep blue sky, buzzing with ultraviolet light. The night clear appeared as a ghostly grey between stars rather than black. My colour pallet shifted towards the higher frequency tones of blue. The landscape became internalised and contemplative; all my senses felt sharper and heightened; I was utterly emersed in nature. During this period, the observations and insights had a profound psychological effect and still inform and present themselves through my work today." G R Carmichael.