G
A
R
Y
A
I
T
K
E
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“ p a i n t e r
paintpainted
p a i n t i n g ”
When we begin to talk about the artist and their practice we
ultimately refer to that elusive quality of creativity described
as being the phenomenon whereby a person creates
s o m e t h i n g n e w i n W e s t e r n s o c i e t y o r, i n t h e c a s e o f
t r a d i t i o n a l E a s t e r n s o c i e t y, r e d i s c o v e r s a n a s p e c t o f c r e a t i o n
(a product, a solution, an idea, a work of art etc.); of course
this creative ability resides within us all.
This creative phenomenon reveals itself through the tools of
the artist and their art to ultimately enrich the lives of
o t h e r s . S p e c i a l c r e a t i v e m o m e n t s o c c u r w i t h i n a n i n d i v i d u a l ’s
life that ultimately shapes their future. One such moment,
r e c a l l e d b y G a r y, i s o f h i s e a r l i e s t m e m o r y o f p a i n t i n g a t t h e
a g e o f fi v e .
“ C o n f r o n t e d w i t h p a i n t , b r u s h a n d p a p e r, I i m m e r s e d m y s e l f
in the creative activity of painting, like an apparition the
paint revealed before me a landscape of viridian green with a
cerulean/grey sky and a central single tree form, rendered
with expressive painterly brush strokes. The concept of a
s i n g l e c e n t r a l m o t i f s t i l l r e s o n a t e s w i t h i n m y p a i n t i n g s t o d a y.
The painting generated a great deal of interest and response
from my teachers and fellow students; I knew at that moment
I was to be an artist, a painter”.
Gary James Aitken was born in 1961 in Chatam England but is
now working as an artist from his home based studio in
G o l d e n B a y, W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a , w h e r e h e s p e n d s h i s t i m e
i m m e r s e d i n t h e c r e a t i v e a r d o r o f r e fi n i n g t h e p a i n t i n g
practice. Located on the coastal strip between the Indian
Ocean and the natural surrounding bush land of the west
coast, Golden Bay is indeed a golden place, which he shares
with his wife Zena, and their two boys Khail and Cohen. As
an immigrant from the UK some 35 years ago, the artist has
found himself, in his own words, in the “chosen land”.
A t t h e a g e o f fi f t e e n A i t k e n p u r s u e d h i s p a s s i o n f o r v i s u a l a r t s
b y c o m m e n c i n g s t u d i e s i n G r a p h i c d e s i g n a t P e r t h Te c h n i c a l
C o l l e g e f o r t h r e e y e a r s , t h e n t r a v e l e d e x t e n s i v e l y. O n
r e t u r n i n g t o P e r t h h e c o m p l e t e d a B A i n fi n e a r t a t C u r t i n
U n i v e r s i t y. A s e r i e s o f s o l o p a i n t i n g e x h i b i t i o n s w e r e t o
f o l l o w : fi r s t a t t h e i n f a m o u s B e a c h G a l l e r y i n N o r t h B r i d g e
titled “So Much Paint”, then “Paint Painter Painting” at the
Art Gallery of Western Australia, which was then followed by
t h e “ P i c t u r e S h o w ” a t t h e L a w r e n c e W i l s o n G a l l e r y, T h e
University of Western Australia.
Gary has a creative practice that encompasses many disciplines
within the visual arts spectrum including lecturing art,
c u r a t o r i a l , p u b l i c a r t a n d a fi n e a r t s p r a c t i c e , i s s u m m e d u p b y
Gary in these words:
“I feel lucky to be lecturing in a higher educational system that
provides a platform for the learning process for others and to
be working as a gallery curator that gives me the opportunity to
engage with other artists, community groups, corporations and
local government. The public art arena is an opportunity for me
to create art works through collaboration of ideas for a
c h a l l e n g i n g e n v i r o n m e n t , t h e a r e a o f fi n e a r t i s t h e m o s t
challenging and rewarding of the arts, a creative process that
challenges the perception of self, art and everything else”. “Art
is integrated into every aspect of my life” - “lifeisartartislife”.
“Painterpaintpaintedpainting” is the title of a new body of
work created from 2009 to 2011. In these new painted works
Aitken performs an opera of gestural and painterly maneuvers
b y fl i n g i n g , d r i p p i n g , p o u r i n g a n d s p l a t t e r i n g o f p a i n t , t o c r e a t e
a manic optical feast for the eyes and mind. The character of
the painted skin is no accident - the results are calculated and
clinical - we see parallels between the paintings of Aitken and
Pollock in the physical act of painting. Indeed:
“When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It is
only after a sort of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have
been about. I have no fear of making changes, destroying the
image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let
it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting
t h a t t h e r e s u l t i s a m e s s . O t h e r w i s e t h e r e i s p u r e h a r m o n y, a n
easy give and take, and the painting comes out well”.
Jackson Pollock, My Painting, 1956.
A i t k e n ’s n e w s e r i e s o f p a i n t i n g s h a v e a c o r e f o c u s s i m i l a r t o
previous painted bodies of work and can be seen as part of the
a r t i s t ’s q u e s t , t h e o n e c o n t i n u o u s p a i n t i n g , a s e a r c h f o r
answers and questions related to person, place, process and
product through the creative activity of painting, in the pursuit
of understanding.
The creative process or creative activity of the artist is the
search within, the human pursuit, a search for truth, a religious
activity in the search of understanding of the ultimate question,
why? “My thoughts are intuitively expressed in the paint, I trust
art and it enables me to see the truth”.
To c o m m u n i c a t e t h e p e n c h a n t o f A i t k e n ’s w o r k i s p o s s i b l y a n
a t t e m p t o f p u r e f o l l y, a k i n t o t h e a c t o f p a i n t i n g i t s e l f .
N e v e r t h e l e s s w e a r e c o m p e l l e d a n d t r a n s fi x e d b y t h e s e
investigative paintings that mirror our own searching
desires for understanding.
The central motifs are not just an attempt to capture a
frozen moment in time. On the contrary they are a second
by second account of the passing of time in relation to
the elusive transforming motif and the immediate
thoughts of the artist; like a series of transparent time
l a p s e d i m a g e s l a y e r e d o n e o n t o p o f t h e o t h e r.
T h e s p e c i fi c h u m a n s c a l e o f t h e p a i n t i n g s i s a c r u c i a l
factor in establishing the relationship between painting
and viewer - a physical doorway into the painting beyond
t h e f a c a d e . T h e e y e s fl i c k e r a c r o s s t h e s u r f a c e r e s i d u e o f
opaque and transparent paint unable to focus or rest at
any point. The themes themselves are everyday for Aitken:
the studio, the horizon line, the land, the ocean, the sky
and self.
“I have achieved an ends when all that can be done has
been done and the quality of what has been achieved holds
m y a t t e n t i o n a n d w o n d e r, t h e n I c a n l i v e w i t h w h a t I h a v e
done”. “Artcanbeunderstoodwithanopenmind”.
A I T K E N on A I T K E N 2011 a third party perspective.
Abstractly Speaking – the work of Gary Aitken by Dr Phillip
McNamara
T h e fi r s t w o r k s I s a w o f G a r y A i t k e n w e r e l a n d s c a p e a n d
fi g u r a t i v e p a i n t i n g s i n v o l v i n g c o l l a g e e l e m e n t s w i t h
swaths of thick rich oil colour that celebrated the
s e n s u o u s n e s s a n d t a c t i l i t y o f t h e m e d i u m ' s v i s c o s i t y. I n
q u i c k s u c c e s s i o n i n t h e m i d 9 0 ’s h e h e l d a t r i u n e o f
impressive exhibitions at well known galleries, including
o u r s t a t e g a l l e r y. I f h e w a s c o n s i d e r i n g h o w h i s a r t c o u l d
g a i n a m o r e p r o m i n e n t p u b l i c p r o fi l e t h e n h e h a d l i t t l e
avenue for impressing, but since then, apart from
appearances in group shows and being granted a number
of public art commissions, he has largely painted for
himself and without further thought of exhibiting.
The current works, though less reliant on the extravagance
of
abstract
expressionism,
demonstrate
that
same
understanding and appreciation of the paint medium
which was at the core of his early work. Aitkens’ early
fi g u r a t i v e w o r k - i n c l u d i n g l a n d s c a p e s , s t i l l l i f e s a n d
portraits - demonstrated an ability to blend Expressionism
a n d a b s t r a c t i o n . T h e p a l e t t e o f h i s fi r s t e x h i b i t i o n w a s
predominantly dark and brooding earth tones (blacks and
greys, muddy browns and reds) and the next couple a rich
riot of overabundance. What can be seen here is that over
several decades this has lifted to a considered palette and
a n i n t e r e s t i n u s i n g i n n u m e r a b l e s p l a s h e s a n d fi l a m e n t s o f
s h i m m e r i n g c o l o u r, r a t h e r t h a n c o a g u l a t e d m a s s e s , f o r
impact. Nevertheless though Aitkens‘ now employs a
greater range of marks, lush surfaces remain a signature
part of his style and expressiveness underlies their
enduring impact.
The current work is grounded in both an experience of
paint and on information of place as an awareness of
l i g h t . S u c h a w a r e n e s s w a s t h e b a s i s o f T u r n e r ’s E n g l i s h
landscapes,
R o t h k o ’s
nonobjective
compositions
of
indeterminate shapes, and is of course an integral part of
the
Australian
landscape
tradition
(from
the
Impressionists onwards).
Such an aesthetic is about
b a l a n c i n g d o t s , d a s h e s , l i n e s a n d p a t c h e s o f c o l o u r.
A i t k e n ’s p r e o c c u p a t i o n h a s a l w a y s b e e n w i t h a b s t r a c t i o n –
t h e b u i l d u p o f s u r f a c e s a n d l a y e r s o f c o l o u r. H i s c o m m a n d
of composition and colour has been honed over several
decades of continuing looking and making. Knowing some
of what he has looked at and enjoyed I can see patterns
and devices used by artists he has admired – a little of
M a r k R o t h k o , J a c k s o n P o l l o c k , M i c h a e l I w a n o f f , Tr e v o r
Woodward, Fred Williams, and others – however these
accruements’ he has made into his own.
Aitkens has always painted portraits (mainly self portraits
though friends and family have also been subjects). He
enjoys the exercise of creating a likeness and uses them as
a barometer for his skills. The early ones, one of which I
was gifted by Cliff Jones, were restless with an energy
that made the subject look existentially edgy and tightly
bristling
with
unanswerable
questions.
The
recent
self-portrait, where the artist gazes across the abstract
ground of one of his own abstractions, shows the subject
as perhaps wryly amused with his own formal control of
the painterly process and his passions. Judging by the
gaze and rhythmical broad brush strokes of the self
portrait he has become contented, almost indifferent,
s o m e w h a t s t a t e l y, c e r t a i n l y c o m p o s e d .
That his work is thoughtful – the qualities of the hues of
each elegant surface considered – is indicated by the
residues of his paint mixing evident in the metal bowls.
Some bowls indicate that they have been used for
splashing or sluicing on to the large canvases from the
s t e p s a l s o o n d i s p l a y. O t h e r s s p o r t p o l k a - d o t d e s i g n s
which indicate that the colour sat whilst waiting to be
sparingly used in jabs of brush marking. They indicate the
meticulous production and labored backdrop of art, not
often seen by the public, and are reminiscent of the
encrusted paint brushes and totems that Aitken has
previously shown. They also indicate his dedication to
always showing that art is an unfolding process and that
t h e s t u d i o w a l l a n d fl o o r a n d a p p a r a t u s b e c o m e w o r k s o f
art within this art making process.
There is the portrait and then there are the works which
suggest large landscapes. One of these is a Boyd like
S h o a l h a v e n b l u e , a n o t h e r a J o h n O l s e n d e s e r t y e l l o w,
another a Fred Williams nocturne blue; though I don’t
think Aitken would have consciously sought a connection.
The colours suggest the landscape and elements of earth,
w a t e r, s k y. I n e a c h o f t h e l a n d s c a p e s t h e r e i s a s u b t l e
horizon or feature line which suggest one is looking
t h r o u g h m i s t , w a t e r, e v a p o r a t i o n , a w a v e , o r a t s h a d o w s
a n d r e fl e c t e d l i g h t a s t h e s u n w a r m s t h e g r o u n d d o w n o n
a f o r e s t fl o o r . T h e r e i s a k i n e t i c q u a l i t y t o t h e s e w o r k s ,
yet though full of movement there are also somehow
relaxing;
the
contemplative
nature
of
their
origin
foregrounded.
The application and layering of marks and hues is
mesmerizing. Sketchy lines hover over patches of mottled
planes of paint to form undulating meanders.
Delicate
swirls and coils of paint, along with dots and dashes and
layered runs from multiple directions, show that Aitken
spins his canvas rather than work from a single side. There
i s a fl u i d i t y a n d o v e r a l l w e a v i n g o f t h e m a r k s a n d p l a n e s
o f l i g h t w h i c h i s b o t h fi r m l y s t r u c t u r e d a n d l o o s e l y l y r i c a l .
There are many risks with such abstraction. It can be
overdone and as such look a hectic or disorientating mess.
Or it can be underdone and hold no focal interest or
o v e r a l l d e s i g n . To b e s u c c e s s f u l , a l o n g w i t h a s e n s e o f
placement whereby the colour looks considered rather
t h a n a r b i t r a r y, t h e r e m u s t b e a c e r t a i n r e p e t i t i o n t o h o l d
t h e v i e w e r ’s i n t e r e s t . S u c h s e n s i t i v i t y t o m a t e r i a l r e q u i r e s
a f o c u s a n d m o n i t o r i n g o f t h e p a i n t e r l y fi e l d w h i c h
incorporates understanding of aesthetic choices such as
proportion, texture, brush loading and transmission,
m i x i n g o f t o n e a n d h u e , v a r i e t y a n d l a y e r i n g . E v e n t u a l l y,
over many years, an artist learns how to accrue such works
that exude the presence of the timeless and the sublime.
T h i s i s w h a t A i t k e n h a s a c h i e v e d i n t h e w o r k s o n s h o w.
Standing before each of his current works one enters the
energy pathways that sustain their presence.
S t y l i s t i c a l l y t h e r e a r e e c h o e s o f m o v e m e n t a n d c o l o u r,
k n o w i n g l y t h e r e t o b r i n g t h a t s w i r l a n d fl o w , a f o r m a l
shifting or poetic song, that all living beings, all
landscapes, the planet itself, brings into space. Within
each there is an allegiance to the detritus of both soil and
glistening sunlight, yet also the toil of painterly process.
The works are thus more than product. Their point appears
to be a vehicle of contact with the real world, real self –
a burrowing through dialogue into presence. In this way
each work is a self portrait and a textural shadow of the
w o r l d ’s a p p e a r a n c e v i a t h e a r t i s t s ’ e y e . T h e y a r e s u p e r b
expressive works epitomizing both his lyrical ability and
concentration. I’m pleased that he decided to share them.
“drawingforpainterlypaintingofself”
2010-2011 charcoal 77cmx57cm
“painterlypaintingofself”
2010-2011 oil on canvas 240cmx166cm
“immersedinaplaceofawe”
2010 oil on canvas 240cmx166cm
“awitnesstothepassingoftimetheunchangingline”
2009 oil on canvas 240cmx166cm
“hallelujahhallelujahhallelujah”
2009-2010 oil on canvas 240cmx166cm
“donotfearthenightseeonlybeautywithoutlight”
2010 oil on canvas 240cmx166cm
“painterlyreceptacle”
2009-2011 oil paint and stainless steel 35 x 23cmx10cm
“shrineforpainting” & “paintedpalette”
2009-2011 oil on mixed media (studio installation)
“paintingprocessrevealed”
2010-2011 oil on aluminum 15cmx166cm
garyaitken.com