Artbank Collection

Artbanks recent road tour to WA gave me the opportunity to present my practice to the Curators they selected Sugar Loaf Road to collect. Sugar Loaf Road was one of the artworks from my exhibition at Sagra Art Gallery in Melbourne last year titled Reckless Romantics opened by Dr Chris McAuliffe pictured below in front of the painting. It depicts an area inland of the Tuross River NSW probably the end of the Blue Mountains where my husbands father Peter Darvall has rudimentary rock huts near an old gold mining village called Utopia this area and its stories became the basis for the exhibition and my investigation in our passion for the mountainous Australian Bush.

Exhibition Dates extended Singapore

All that is Changing is an installation of new work featuring large scale 2D paintings. The work has been undertaken by Australian painter and print maker Jo Darvall, and the exhibition will feature collaborations with Singaporean ink painter Shih Yun Yeo. 

The exhibition is inspired by two key pre-war artists: Australia’s Kathleen O’Connor and Chinese-born Singaporean, Georgette Chen. An homage to their work, the exhibition reflects both their painting styles and their stories and legacies, evoked in paint.

The project will be the focus of Jo Darvall’s month-long invitational residency in Singapore in February 2017. During this time a number of art works will be created by Jo, along with collaborations with Yeo Shih Yun. The residency will be spent undertaking further research into the Singaporean artist Georgette Chen at the National Gallery Singapore, to establish any similarities that exist between her and her Western Australian contemporary, Kathleen O’Connor.

Both artists painted and exhibited in Paris in the 1930s, bucking the expectations of the time to forge careers in art between the wars. The exhibition seeks to illuminate the histories and contributions of these two artists. It will also reflect on our attitude to change and our preoccupation with the new. In the midst of a disposable culture and a fast-paced world, the exhibition seeks to interrogate our willingness to honour the bodies of work that have come before. Celebrating the two artists in one place (Singapore) is a gesture of cultural connection between Australia and its near neighbour.

The exhibition had been extended until the 27th of April 2017 at the Australian High Commission Singapore.

 

 

 

 

 

The Lotus - new works

JO DARVALL Australia     YEO SHIH YUN  Singapore

Opening night will see a live performance by concert pianist Setsu Masuda and classical guitarist Duncan Gardner– a blend of original composition drawn from Chens love of the lotus and an artists internal struggle finding solace in the act of painting, defining great artists of Singapore and Western Australia.

RSVP https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/all-that-is-changing-tickets-31952178827

The inter-country collaboration is a homage to two artists who bucked expectations to work as artists in the early part of the 20th century. Australian Kathleen O’Connor and Chinese-born Singaporean Georgette Chen

Exhibtion to be opened by the High Commission, SingaporeFriday 3rd March  at 7pm 2017,Guest of honour, Marjorie Chu, Director, Art Forum (Opening 6-9pm)

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ALL THAT IS CHANGING

JO DARVALL Australia       SHIH YUN YEO Singapore
 

To be opened by the High Commission, Singapore
Friday 3rd March 2017, 6 - 9pm
Guest of honour, Marjorie Chu, Director Art Forum    

Artist talk & curatorial conversations
Monday 6th March 2017, 12 - 1.30pm

Exhibition 4th - 30th March 2017
Monday - Friday 9am - 4.30pm

Australian High Commission, 25 Napier Rd, Singapore 258507

rsvp@instinc.com    please bring Photo ID for entry

This exhibition seeks to illuminate the histories and contributions of these two artists who hailed from different worlds, yet bucked the expectations of the time to forge careers in art between the wars. It will also reflect on our attitude to change, and our preoccupation with the new, and what impact that has on our propensity to honour what has come before. 

The exhibition features a new body of work by Jo Darvall and Shi Yun Yeo. The collaboration will feature large scale 2D works, a soundscape and some video projection.

The artworks for the exhibition will be ephemeral in material. Large scale single acrylic painting will stretch for several metres across the sweeping wall, like a Chinese scroll. The works will feature the kinds of mark making and use of pigment observed in the work of both O’Connor and Chen.

 

Launch:Donnelly River Arts Residency 22 October

In 1909 two Wheatley brothers purchased a mill on the Donnelly River Western Australia operating until 1912 when the Bunnings bros took over during the post world war 2 building boom. The brothers created a community timber milling village... 35 workers cottages were built, Mill Club  (the first to allow women), boarding house, general store, butchers shop, school, sports oval and swimming dam. The Village now owned by a private a group have restored the area in its natural character will be launching the first Arts Residency Exhibition at EARLYWORK art gallery in Fremantle Western Australia 6-8 pm 22 October 2016 .

Residency Invited Artists 2016

Jacinda Bayne, Jon Challen, Jo Darvall, Jane Martin, George Haynes, Ken Wadrop

Exhibition:  22 October to 6 November 2016

Beastly Fairy Tales - Reckless Romantics

On a recent search I found Eugene Von Guerard's engraving 1865 which has a remarkable similar feel to my new work Beastly Fairy Tales 1 -5  pictured below No 5 "And the beasts from the wild will be led by a Child" 2016 the works can be viewed at Sagra Art Gallery Malvern until July 30th 2016.

DARVALL-5 Beastly Fairy Tales %22And The Beasts from the Wild will be led by Child%22.jpg

Art Book Collected by the Victorian State Library

"The Rose  the Butterfly the Bee and the Moth" self -published book has been collected by the Victorian State Library Rare Books ! Designed by Fremantle designer Kim Vu Salamosen , photography Eva Fernandez and printed here locally on recycled paper. It was really important that we could ride our bikes to where ever we needed to source materials in order to have the book made here in Fremantle WA. We wanted to leave the smallest foot print in the making and production of it we also wanted to work with people we liked and had a laugh with... enjoying the whole process. Jane Harrison the author is an award winning indigenous writer her fable that drops its delicate petal has has given all of us working on the project the conviction of beauty and simplicity to pursue this unique project. Mimi Duo Setsu Masuda and Duncan Gardner have extended the visual experience into a musical score. 

To buy a book and or CDs they are available at my exhibition Reckless Romantics at Sagra Art Gallery in Malvern - Melbourne and here in WA at the Fremantle Art Centres Gallery book shop and also in New Editions Book Shop WA. There is a limited edition of 260.

Exhibition Highlights from Paris Bled into the Indian Ocean

Thank you to everyone that made it to the opening night of Paris Bled into the the Indian Ocean!

The evening was a success and it exceeded all of my expectations. Merenda Contemporary was in full swing, with guests, buyers, collectors and most importantly - good cheer!

Although the novels by Amanda sold out on the night and the cultural tour has been booked out, there are still a few fantastic works available.

The exhibition runs until next Saturday the 21st of November at Merenda Contemporary on High Street Fremantle - open from Tuesday to Sunday.

Photo: Bo Wong

Photo: Bo Wong

It was also so wonderful to meet the new proud owner of my portrait of Kathleen O'Connor. We were able to connect together in our admiration of the great woman and artist.

Photos: Bo Wong and Kim-Vu Salamonsen

You can also catch my works in the Artist Open House Fremantle which opens tomorrow night and runs for 3 days only.  Photographer and writer, Bo Wong covers a number of talented artists in this stylish-design makers event, including myself in her blog Design Satellite.  

Contemplating a time in history.

Last year Dr. Nien Schwarz, senior lecturer at ECU had visited my exhibition 'Walking the Pipeline to the Water's End' and she was excited with the collection that she saw.  I invited Nien to visit me at the studio and look at the work for the new show in the hope that she'd like to write some words in response. I was thrilled that she took that time to spend with me and create such an eloquent piece of text. Nien quotes 'I enjoyed writing about your project.  I swam alongside your paintings for many delicious hours'.

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Paris Bled into the Indian Ocean

A Fremantle Festival exhibition ‘Paris bled into the Indian Ocean’ is taking place at Merenda Contemporary takes up
Kathleen O’Connor’s story from her return home to Western Australia from France in 1955. After immersing herself in the vigorous and exciting art scene in Paris between the wars - and exhibiting with notable artists such as Dufy, De Chirico and Bonnard
- she throws the majority of her treasured work into the Indian Ocean before disembarking at Fremantle.

 In working to comprehend why one of Australia’s most accomplished painters would feel compelled to do this Darvall established collaborations with Mike and Joy Lefroy (O’Connor family members) and Western Australian writer, Amanda Curtin.

This exhibition is an opportunity to represent and celebrate the determination of creative women in the early to mid 1900s who forged on with brilliant careers that were little celebrated in their own lifetime.

EXHIBITION OPEN NIGHT: FRIDAY 23RD OCTOBER, 6-9PM
EXHIBITING: FRIDAY 23RD OCTOBER THROUGH 21 NOVEMBER 2015, TUES - SUN.

(Credit: ‘Paris bled into the Indian Ocean’ Title courtesy of arts writer, Amanda Curtin.) 

Collected and New Commissions

2 paintings from the last exhibition Walking the Pipeline to the waters end have been collected by Janet Holmes a'Court Collection another proud moment in my working art practice. The Western Australian Water Commission have commissioned the largest painting I will have ever painted 4 x 2 meters! 

"Susans Fire" (Burning of the letters) 2014 oil on canvas 112 x112 cm Collected  

"Susans Fire" (Burning of the letters) 2014

oil on canvas

112 x112 cm

Collected

 


Exhibition Opening Photos

Walking the pipeline to the waters end was a big success in many ways members of the O'Connor family had a great time and conversation was flowing an engaging epic legend.. enjoy the following photos by Jean-Paul Horre