Eagles Nest: Morning and Noon, by Phil Henshall By Catherine Watson
SOME people would call it beachcombing or paddling but Phil Henshall refers to it as his research.
For the past year, the artist has been exploring Gippsland’s southern coastline between the Nobbies and the Prom, and all in the name of art.
Based near Noojee, but with a holiday house at Kilcunda, he’s completed 10 big works for his exhibition, Coastal Aspective.
SOME people would call it beachcombing or paddling but Phil Henshall refers to it as his research.
For the past year, the artist has been exploring Gippsland’s southern coastline between the Nobbies and the Prom, and all in the name of art.
Based near Noojee, but with a holiday house at Kilcunda, he’s completed 10 big works for his exhibition, Coastal Aspective.
For the new works, Henshall explored the variety of coastal geology from the red headland at Smiths Beach and the basalts of the Nobbies to the siltstone erosions of Shack Bay.
He says his research gave him an excuse to play with waves at Cape Paterson and Waratah Bay and even tempted him to consider unblocking the sand-dammed mouth of the Powlett River.
“Aspective” is his own word, which he has registered with IP Australia. The title harks back to a five-piece work called Icy Creek Aspective that is now in the Baw Baw Council’s permanent collection.
“I first used the word with that Icy Creek work, which I felt at the time was a significant expression of what I was trying to convey with my art.”
He says aspectivism is an attempt to bridge the gap between three-dimensional reality and a momentary static two-dimensional depiction.
“It tries to convey a moving viewpoint, not only at a single time but also over longer and disjointed periods eg. summer, winter; morning, noon, etc. By manipulating perspective, by presenting abnormal aspects, by continuing the story across multiple canvases, you try to immerse the viewer into a landscape or story.”
He is thrilled to be using the Wonthaggi Artspace for his new exhibition. “What attracted me was the location – it’s part of the CBD and central to the whole coastline. With all the skylights It feels like a gallery. The first time I walked in I loved it. I said immediately, ‘I want that wall!’”
Coastal Aspective: Paintings by Phil Henshall. Wonthaggi Artspace Gallery, until November 18.
He says his research gave him an excuse to play with waves at Cape Paterson and Waratah Bay and even tempted him to consider unblocking the sand-dammed mouth of the Powlett River.
“Aspective” is his own word, which he has registered with IP Australia. The title harks back to a five-piece work called Icy Creek Aspective that is now in the Baw Baw Council’s permanent collection.
“I first used the word with that Icy Creek work, which I felt at the time was a significant expression of what I was trying to convey with my art.”
He says aspectivism is an attempt to bridge the gap between three-dimensional reality and a momentary static two-dimensional depiction.
“It tries to convey a moving viewpoint, not only at a single time but also over longer and disjointed periods eg. summer, winter; morning, noon, etc. By manipulating perspective, by presenting abnormal aspects, by continuing the story across multiple canvases, you try to immerse the viewer into a landscape or story.”
He is thrilled to be using the Wonthaggi Artspace for his new exhibition. “What attracted me was the location – it’s part of the CBD and central to the whole coastline. With all the skylights It feels like a gallery. The first time I walked in I loved it. I said immediately, ‘I want that wall!’”
Coastal Aspective: Paintings by Phil Henshall. Wonthaggi Artspace Gallery, until November 18.