TRAFFIC JAM GALLERIES SEPTEMBER 2021 : SIMONE READ and REBECCA PIERCE

SIMONE READ: REMEMBER THE WILD

Simone Read’s REMEMBER THE WILD is one of two exhibitions currently online to view at the Traffic Jam Galleries.

In her work Read celebrates the glory of Australian trees, their beauty, colour and texture. Some of the works are also accompanied by a poem/quote of a song from for example Judith Wright, John Williamson and Peter Allen.

Read uses a variety of materials to produce some stunning works. First we see ink and gouache on canvas – Snowgum is exquisitely, delicately textured in hushed pinks and greys.The swirling mass of the bark is controlled by the strong diagonal line. 

Old Euc in its neutral greys and browns is a delightful portrait in a strong vertical composition of a tree that is in Read’s back yard.

Scribbly Gum celebrates the mysterious link between tree and moth, with delicate flourishes of  the ‘scribbles’. Read says the moth is sort of like an anonymous graffiti artist.

Spotted Gum in its muted tones appears heavily layered and looks a bit like a strata of rocks.

This is followed by a quartet of works produced in ink on paint swatches. The predominant background colour is turquoise and it is as if they are viewed in a rockpool or a fishing net? They are aerial views of, for example, Mona Vale and Avalon Beach.  Aqua motion, focuses on Mona Vale.  and defines the two pool spaces  there, diagonally framed.

A triptych of three works created by using ink on Victorian ash timber, varnished, is next – the series called Primary Connections in Blue, Red and Yellow. They are abstract and dynamic.

New to the Galleries, and launching with Read’s exhibition, is a series of fine art prints on photo rag paper. Australian Blue Gum has a strong vertical composition and is vibrant. In some ways it looks like an aerial view of the coast and water. Australian Spotted Gum is a seething mass of grey lines in its diagonal composition. Australian River Red Gum with its robust verticality is spiky – wesee the various layers of the bark – at times it looks like the tree has split open.

The final work in Read’s display is Australian Angophora Gum, painted in subdued tones of pinks and greys with the texture predominating.

Simone Read ‘Old Euc’
Simone Read  ‘Snow Gum’
Simone Read  ‘Australian Angophora Gum’
Simone Read ‘Aqua Motion’

SIMONE READ Exhibition online

https://trafficjamgalleries.com/exhibition/remember-the-wild/

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REBECCA PIERCE: SOMERSAULTS AND CARTWHEELS

In this delightful exhibition we see Peirce’s trademark explosively bright bold and colourful, thickly textured works. The title of the exhibition is intended to convey the ups and downs of trying to  juggle family life and work, and the craziness of the current Covid situation. 

Happy is an explosion of a large bouquet of flowers in a purple pot against a purple and yellow striped background. 

Travelling Without Moving to Quote Jamiroquai is constructed of flurries of discarded and recycled mixed media and resin, spilling onto the floor, that cover a found chair. (In some ways it looks like a dog waiting to be taken for a walk). The different textures and colours are tangled and meshed.

Voyager has a bright, bold, colourful interlocking pattern.

Narcissus’ Swamp is a comment on climate change and environmental pollution – Narcisuss’ clear reflective pool has become a curved, oozing, bubbling, coagulated, opaque, many layered mass.

Rainbow Symphony is a joyous, agitated, scampering explosion of mostly blues and yellows.

There is a strong vertical feel to Jumped Ship to a Better Place with its greens and reds against a grey background.  

Turkish Delight is a huge ice cream with an eruption of what appears to be strawberries on top, like a bouquet. Falling petals are dripping.

Blossoms 2 depicts beautiful pink and white blossoms cascading to the bottom of the work.

Mixed media Puddle, with its defined, sharp lines, and bright red blues and greens also catches the idea of reflection and jumping across a puddle. 

Next there is the Symphony 1-12 series, in lots of blues and yellows – vivid, abstract, full of movement and thickly textured.

Blossoms 1 is curved and brimming with the movement of the sinuous pink blossoms. Also look out for the blue butterflies.

The diptych Dam Full of Galahs is loose, abstract and sprawling, featuring lots of pinks and reds, with some blue or grey feathers. You can feel the birds wheeling and calling.

The final work is the dynamic Somersault 1-10 series which again is abstract and thickly textured and contains plenty of reds, yellows and greens.

An exhibition to admire and enjoy online and hopefully relieve some of the stress of living in Covid lockdown. 

Rebecca Pierce ‘Blossoms’
Rebecca Pierce ‘Somersault’
Rebecca Pierce ‘Turkish Delight and Rose Water’
Rebecca Pierce ‘Jumped Ship To A Better Life’
Rebecca Pierce

REBECCA PIERCE Exhibition online

https://trafficjamgalleries.com/exhibition/somersaults-cartwheels/

Simone Read and Rebecca Pierce’s exhibitions are at the Traffic Jam Galleries runs until 15 September 2021