Jenny Blake
This body of work captures the extraordinary sensory experience that can be felt on any given day on Dunstan street, Curtin. Dunstan Street could be any street in Canberra.
Walking along Dunstan Street, you cannot avoid the fresh aroma of eucalyptus and the dappled warm sunlight that hits you walking under gum tree canopies. For me, the colours are arresting and are exacerbated by afternoon sunlight.
Canberra’s weather can spin four seasons in a day. It could start with a thick frost, lifting to brilliant sunshine, clear blue skies, followed by a spectacular afternoon thunderstorm. Dunstan Street has the perfect aspect to capture nature’s greatest show.
These large abstract paintings reflect the change in colours and seasons, dappled light to brilliant blue skies and moody horizons.
My work has been influenced by the New York mid-century artist, Mark Rothko. His work is very fitting as his iconic style of large scale colourful paintings were created during the 1950’s and 60’s when many Canberra suburbs, like Curtin, were being planned and built.
My abstract landscapes are painted with non-traditional tools and methods. Painting large works enables me to be very physical, using large movements to get the desired effect.
The work emulates what I feel when walking on Dunstan Street.
Curriculum vitae
2017 - Diploma of Visual Art Student, CIT Canberra Institute of Technology
Solo Exhibitions
2019 Block by Block - Strathnairn Arts Holt ACT
2019 Sea Series - Splatter Gallery, Belconnen ACT
2018 Sea Series - Niugini Arabica Duffy, Canberra ACT
2018 Block by Block – M16 Art Space, Canberra ACT
2015 Beyond our Hot Horizon - Strathnairn Gallery Canberra ACT
2008 Skylines - All Bar Nun Gallery Space, Canberra ACT
2006 Earth -Yarralumla Woolshed, Canberra ACT
Group Exhibitions
2018 Craft ACT -2018 Emerging Contemporaries
2017 CIT Diploma of Visual Arts Graduation Exhibition
2016 Illumi NOIR - Design Studio, CIT REID Campus Canberra ACT
2015 Balance - The National Botanic Gardens Gallery, Canberra ACT
2010 COM.PULSIVE - The Q Gallery, Queanbeyan NSW
2008 Secrets - Tuggeranong Arts Centre, Canberra ACT
2007 Autumn Spectrum - Old Milk Factory Gallery, Bowral NSW
2006 Milk Factory Gallery Bowral Annual Artists Show
Prize & Art Award Entries
2019 Archibald prize entry. Coralie, portrait of Coralie Wood
2018 Archibald prize entry. Front Page, portrait of Bree Winchester
2018 Winner graduation prize, to exhibit work in the 2018 Craft ACT Emerging Contemporaries
2016 Canberra Contemporary Art Space members show
2014 Tuggeranong Art Centres Environmentally Art Prize
2013 Strathnairn Gallery Squares Show
2006 Radford Art Prize
Teaching
Spatter Gallery – Portrait Painting for Beginners
Belconnen Arts Centre – Portrait Painting
Belconnen Arts Centre – Upcycling, Assemblage
Other Commercial Activates
2008 Bus Depot Markets
2006 Art on Sunday - Forrest Fire Station Museum, Pop up Gallery
