Art Talk | Stephen Ormandy

Stephen Ormandy has a way with colour. His bold and graphic paintings are strongly influenced by the natural world with a focus on colour and organic forms. His large scale oil paintings and cultural work are a synergy of line, shape and surface all working beautifully in harmony. For Stephen, colour is ''pure joy'' and his latest exhibition at the Olsen Gruin gallery is no exception.

Stephen Ormandy

OLSEN GRUIN NEW YORK 

Six hard-edged paintings of curvy forms by the Australian artist and designer, who is making his New York solo début, evoke otherworldly figures and landscapes.

Wesley Martin Berg and Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri

The sad-clown painting functions as a sort of postmodern joke: an ironic gesture that dives into bad taste while subtly nodding to art history—the clown’s origins can be traced back to the stock character Pierrot of the commedia dell’arte, after all. Wesley Martin Berg’s paintings of clowns are informed by this tradition, but he also imbues his subjects with a solemn grace.

Sharing Country

Olsen Gruin is pleased to present “Sharing Country” curated by Adam Knight. "Sharing Country" show cases works by leading contemporary Aboriginal artists from the most remote desert communities. Featured artists include Sandy Brumby, Tommy Watson, Joseph Jurra Tjapaltjarri, Iluwanti Ken, Puna Yanima, Tuppy Ngintja Goodwin, Womens Collaborative, Barbara Moore, Tiger Palpatja, Witjiti George, Minnie Pwerle, Kudditji Kngwarreye, Kathy Maringka and Liddy Napanangka Walker.

Art Break: A Down Under Group Show at Olsen Gruin Gallery

This weekâ??s Art Break takes groups as its theme. Group shows are a great way to learn about a culture, an art movement, a topic, or a new way to bring art to people. Our downtown pick this week is the full experience in one place: a brilliant display of Australian modern art created by Aboriginal artists. Visit this and our other picks for free â?? youâ??ll have a great time and come away with a new understanding of the power of art.

The 30 Hottest Group Shows to see in New York this Summer

Group show season is upon us. That annual rite of summer, the group exhibition, has hit galleries all over New York. If the wide selection seems overwhelming, rest easy. We’ve scoured shows across the city to provide this helpful guide to the best of the bunch. Enjoy! 
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STEPHEN BIRD | TOYING WITH CONVENTION

Stephen Bird’s upcoming exhibition Bastard Son of Royal Doulton is currently featured in the MAY/JUNE issue of the Ceramic Review. Inga Walton reviews the launch of of the show in Australia before it heads to the UK.

“Bastard Son of Royal Doulton represents the wry, irreverent and sometimes pugnacious output of Stephen Bird.”

TV Moore at Olsen Gruin Gallery, New York

Olsen Gruin Gallery in New York is hosting an exhibition “April Fools” by artist TV Moore that will be on view through May 7, 2017.

Julian Meagher - There is Hope to the Last Flower

Today we highlight the latest exhibition by Sydney artist Julian Meagher, which opens tomorrow at Olsen Gallery.

‘There is Hope to the Last Flower' confronts poignant issues, from the global to the personal, through unique compositions and unexpected, yet somehow beautiful symbols. Though they are depicted in a cool, muted palette, Julian's artworks are underpinned with luminous optimism.

John Olsen retrospective: Brimming with life and love

If painting is dead, as some art critics say, nobody told John Olsen. "I'd like to know the time of death," he says with the brightest of glints in his eye. "I'm alive. So painting isn't dead."

At 88 years old and widely considered Australia's greatest living painter, Olsen is about to launch his largest ever retrospective at the National Gallery of Victoria.

The Sun King

John Olsen's second major retrospective, 25 years after the first, is a landmark for our greatest living artist

German Expressionist Prints: haunting images of war and decay

One of the best exhibitions in Sydney at the moment is to be found not in the big museums but at the Olsen/Irwin Gallery in a quiet street in Woollahra. It is the work of Rex Irwin and reminds us of the loss his imminent retirement will represent: apart from anything else, he has been one of the only Sydney dealers with the expertise and contacts to present fine prints and drawings from the baroque to the modernist periods....

Guy Warren at 95: Genesis of an artist

Guy Warren has inspired many other artists with his inventive and curious approach to the landscape and human form. An Archibald Prize winner, educator and respected painter, his contribution to Australia’s visual culture has been enormous. At 95, Guy Warren is about to have a much awaited special focus survey curated by Barry Pearce.

Julian Meagher - Drinking with the other Sun

On the back of a sell out show at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles, Julian Meagher returns to his hometime of Sydney for his debut exhibition at Olsen Irwin, Drinking with the other Sun.
The exhibition extends on notions of ritual, identity and masculinity from previous bodies of work, exploring Australian identity and its emergence from imperial roots. A suite of still lifes feature robust native fauna juxtaposed by delicate images of the English rose - pointing to the British influence of our national identity- set in intricate compositions of meticulously arranged, reclaimed glass bottles.
The still lives are couples with portraits of the decedents of key figures in Australian history. Meagher’s soft, intimate approach to these works probes notions of personal versus collecting history and inheritance.
Meagher originally trained as a doctor, choosing to leave the world of medicine to pursue a career in art following a period of study in Florence. His unique watercolour- esque style somewhat reflects the traditional oil portraiture techniques he learned at this time; he applied multiple thin glazes over many sittings. One can see elements of his original training too, in his precise execution and a careful, specimen-like treatment of his subjects.

About Face

‘I have never feared failure,” says Anh Do, glancing up at one of his thick-layered paintings in his studio on the NSW south coast. “My father took us from Vietnam across to Australia — 40 people on a 9m-long fishing boat — and if he failed, 40 people including his wife and two baby children are dead. So I ask myself: if I fail at painting, are 40 people going to die? No? Then just move ­forward and have a go.”

Scents, sights, sounds as artwork nurtures natural instincts

Visual Art - The Planner

Stephen Ormandy's spatial and tonal sensibilities play out in a series of paintings and small digitally generated acrylic sculptures which are a three-dimensional expression of his works on canvas. Pictured is Unsquare Dance

Art News

Natural Geometry
Bold colour, intuitive composition and playful design are the hallmark elements of Stephen Ormandy's work. A collection of his new paintings, including Look Both Ways (2014), right, shows at Olsen Irwin gallery in Sydney from 18 November - 7 December. olsenirwin.com

Previews - Stephen Ormandy

As a descriptive term, abstract painting is a bit vague. After all, both Joan Miro and Jackson Pollock were abstractionists.  But Miro expresses an exuberant joie de vivre, while Pollock seems driven by a seething inner angst. If you had to place Australian artist Stephen Ormandy on Team Miro or Team Pollock, the choice would be clear. Ormandy’s abstraction is uplifting. His colourful canvasses are full to bursting with an almost irrepressible cheer.

Claudia Karvan steps in as Noah Taylor acts up

With his new film Edge of Tomorrow screened across Sydney this week, and his art exhibition opening yesterday in Woollahra, all that’s missing of Noah Taylor is the man himself.