artists

The subject matter of my realist paintings is sourced from my immediate environment: the home and garden, and my local rural, vernacular landscape. In my painting practice I am trying to capture an essence of the familiar Australian landscape.

I have always been fascinated by other people’s houses. I am inspired by people who don’t particularly see themselves as artistic. Though outwardly many houses are generic, I am intrigued by the way people, in creative and resourceful ways, express themselves within the boundaries of their own environments. I am drawn to a subtle and quirky aesthetic: that which combines design elements of colour, symmetry, pattern and balance. Many of the homes and streetscapes I have painted are similar to those we have either lived in ourselves or have visited. They are distinctly Australian, with a familiarity and ordinariness, evoking strong feelings of place and memory. This unspectacular subject matter can be seen as mundane, yet is compelling.

"I first saw Robyn Sweaney's exquisite paintings when I was invited to a curatorial panel event by the Visual Arts Network and Arts Northern Rivers in 2006. What immediately enthralled me was Robyn's attention to detail and obsessive capturing of the scene's she surrounds herself with. The stillness of the works and the contemplation on these uniquely Australian dwellings work strongly on many levels. Firstly the paintings and drawings are aesthetically beautiful and incredibly evocative. Secondly, I'm increasingly fascinated by the subjects of these works, these wonderful houses, soon to be lost to the collective consciousness, superceded by the 'McMansions' of the new millenia. Robyn's works are a link to our heritage, our collective nostalgia for a simpler, less flashy world."

Iain Dawson, December 2008