Shirley Ploog - Quiet Conversations

Wednesday 10 - Saturday 27 May 2023

Click here for artwork by Shirley Ploog

My coastal wonderland is my spiritual space providing my sense of connection.

It is the place where I find peace and solace. I give voice to the landscape through my daily walking ritual immersing myself in her presence. Nature alerts my senses; the roar of the ocean, the smell of the Moonah trees, the twitter of birds, the trickling of water in the rock pools, all nurture my soul and feed my creative spirit.

I observe her changes and experience her seasons in a time when our world is full of noise, chaos and stress. I feel so very grateful I am able to find tranquility in the beauty of my local surroundings.

Using mental images I have collected in my personal ‘image library’ through observations, experiences, immersion and then memory I create an emotional connection in my painting. Colours, textures, patterns and nature’s minutiae all have their part to play within my quiet landscapes.

I explore my visual language in oil paint transferring my drawing techniques to the canvas. My use of thin layers of oil in combination with solvents assist in creating a translucent matrix of natural elements evoking a sense of fragility and gentle delicacy. I transition between focussed details and blurred ambiguity. There is a calm energy to the work, almost a feeling of the essence of nature creating a quiet conversation. I invite the viewer to look closer at the delicate mark making to reveal the subtle nuances within my world. Delicate details with a monochromatic palette demonstrate a love and sensitive appreciation of my local landscape.

My wish is that the viewer can take the time to search and explore my work, discovering a feeling, a memory or an experience that they have had whilst out enjoying nature.