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Landing Strip,
oil on canvas
137 x 112 cm
price guide
painting
price range:
$480 to $5,500
contact
Byron Fine Art Gallery
tel: 02 6680 8433
Newtown Fine Art
tel: 02 9550 1580
curator's choice: introduction to selected works
In these paintings from 2005, Paula Bannan’s twenty year career as an artist and traveller yields diverse inspiration – drawn from the Iraqi war, time spent working with indigenous artists in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, research on war propaganda, and her early training as a printmaker. These influences coalesce into particular images of experience and observation, and tie wit to overarching pattern and shape. They combine strong colour and tight composition, and an appreciation of the machinery they portray – flattened patterns from land or city, infilled by planes, tanks, caravans, cars, and the recurring star symbol. With surfaces as densely textured as their multitudinous sources, these paintings build a lively aesthetic around concepts both personal and political. (Louise Martin-Chew, 11 March 2008) Photo by Patrick McKenna.biography
Born New Zealand, 1964.
education & training
| 1986-89 | B.A. Fine Art, Major Printmaking - Queensland College of Arts |
| 1991-93 | Traveled and worked in U.K., Europe, North and Central America |
| 1993-95 | Traveled and worked Western Australia, mainly Kimberly Region |
| 1995-2005 | Lived and worked in Byron Shire, N.S.W. |
solo exhibitions
| 2008 | Newtown Fine Art, Sydney |
| 2005 | continuous, frequent and faithful, Byron Fine Art Gallery |
| 2003 | Road Rage Solo – Brian Moore Gallery, Paddington NSW |
| 2001 | First Show Exhibition, Piece Gallery, Mullumbimby NSW 1999 |
selected group exhibitions
| 2004 | Artist Collections, Piece Gallery NSW |
| 2003 | Loose Threads Solo - Byron Fine Art Gallery NSW |
| 2002 | Womens Group Exhibition, Byron Fine Art Gallery NSW |
| Group Show, Brian Moore Gallery, Paddington NSW | |
| Christmas Exhibition, Piece Gallery NSW | |
| 2001 | Suburban Saints Exhibition, Cape Gallery, Byron Bay |
| Group Exhibition, Corporate Art Centre, Gold Coast QLD | |
| 1989 | Churchie Exhibition, Brisbane |
awards & residencies
| 2004 | Blake Prize, finalist |
| 2001 | Bangalow Printmaking and Drawing Prize, Bangalow NSW |
| 1999 | 1st Prize Drawing Section, Bangalow Art Show, Bangalow |
collections
| National Art Gallery, Canberra; many private and corporate collection throughout Australia, UK, New Zealand, United States and Europe. |
artist profile
Paula’s work represents a multi-layered visual statement which can be read on various levels. From purely aesthetic, dealing with simple composition and color, to a more complex interpretation using symbols that represent her everyday life as a mother and professional artist.
Her use of color is both seductive and emotive, blended with simplified forms, she entices the viewer to observe the work, revealing richly textured layers that form a personal narrative. Paula’s figurative forms are simple in construction but physically robust creating a sense of strength and courage.
