Everlastings and Kangaroo Paw by Andy Sumner

Artist Statement

I felt the need for a change of pace from landscapes – everlasting paper daisies grow wild on many of Canberra’s hillsides, and as I had a bunch of them and kangaroo paw in a vase, the choice was obvious.

In the background I wanted the feeling of filtered light from above, as if through a canopy of leaves overhead, and a brighter more direct shaft of light from the lower right. The idea was that there’d be plenty of deep shadow and lots of subtlety but with the everlastings lit up as if the light was touching them creating strong contrast.

The vase was originally solid and a light colour, but it looked out of place, so I covered it with a blue ink and happily discovered that it looked like glass.

About the Artist

Andy is a self-taught modern impressionist artist based in Canberra, Australia. Most of his works are landscapes inspired by the hills and wild places surrounding the city and the local region, though occasionally he paints scenes from memories or imagination.

He paints to intuitively express thoughts and emotions through his works, so his landscapes are notable for dramatic skies and intense use of colour. They often convey a conservationist theme, illustrating the damage done to nature yet seeking beauty and hope in what remains.

Andy also looks to explore light in all its nuances; his paintings are typically filled with brilliant ambient light and deep rich shadows. The scenes he creates are what he imagines them to be – landscapes as viewed through the prism of his soul.

His works are created with acrylic paints and inks, as his paintings are built up quickly through countless layers which necessitates a fast drying time, and acrylics allow the freedom to apply washes and tinted glazes over thicker impasto paint.

This exhibition, The Colours I Feel, is mostly inspired by Andy’s ventures into the wilds of Canberra during the autumn and winter of 2022 and 2023. He wanted to paint, not the scenes that the city is famous for, but rather the out of the way places where he found peace and inspiration.