Fiona Barrett-Clark

Fiona’s ultra modern landscapes appeal to the contemporary viewer. And yet, there is something traditional, crafted and conventional about her work. Her keen eye and skilled craft transposes a sublime landscape into just a few productive lines. The simplicity of the end result is the true reward. Fiona creates distinctively Australian, contemporary landscape paintings, which capture the ever-changing mood of the sky, sea and land, in an attempt to awaken people to the magnificence that passes us by every day. Her paintings reflect the beauty of an uncomplicated, understated, Australian landscape, void of people, but not always human presence. In particular her focus is often on the sky, its kaleidoscope of colours, the clouds formations and the transformative effect it has on the land and sea. Timelessness and mood appear idealised in late afternoons with soft magenta skies, which tinge the land pink; the grey-blue clouds that reflect upon the ocean; or the blurring of the landscape during a soft drizzle. Fiona’s aim is not always to produce a representational view of the landscape; it’s about memory, fleeting moments and sometimes a conglomeration of memories. It is about breathing that air, feeling the cool of the night settling in and smelling the rain that is on the horizon, it’s about igniting memory to create a visceral response in the viewer. Her use of plywood instead of board or canvas gives a grainy texture to the works and imbues them with the feel of old slides and photographs, further adding to the reminiscent nature of the works.