Liam Waldie - Banks

Wednesday 31 July - Sunday 18 August 2024

Click here for artwork by Liam Waldie

Banks is a series of oil paintings that capture the allure and serenity of rivers and their surrounding bushland. Inspired by my travels across Victoria from the Yarra River in the city to Mansfield along the Goulburn River and the Ovens River near Bright, these works reflect various moments in nature. When I’m in nature I seek the tranquil stillness of a misty bushscape, the flickering, dappled sunlight, illumination of delicate dew-kissed spider webs – it’s these ethereal moments that stay with me and inspire my practice.

Reflections in these paintings are central, embodying layers of meaning from literal light reflections to philosophical introspection. The works merge these interpretations, with detailed focal points that faded into layered washes of colour, mimicking the ebb and flow of memories. A riverbank acts as a memory bank, with water as a permeating symbol. The monochromatic treatment explores the degradation of memory over time, highlighting what is retained and what is lost. Like sediments accumulating along a riverbank, these paintings capture fleeting moments and fragmented memories that shape our narratives.