DAVID MANKS
These paintings, like the majority of my work, are based primarily on my local environment within the Illawarra region. Although my work is regional in character and subject matter, it has been my intention to express and explore a variety of issues that go beyond a localised context. The human presence in relation to nature is a common thread in my work. For me painting is often about questioning my conscience regarding regional and global issues concerning humanity, identity and the environment. I explore the landscape often focusing on the sublime in an attempt to discover truth with respect to location and an ethereal interpretation of place rather than just a pictorial representation.
Painting on location provides an opportunity to observe the landscape and at the same time experience the physicality and ‘feeling’ of a specific place.
Tone is the principal structure in the art making process for most of my work. When working tonally an attempt is made to reduce the subject matter to its basic formal structure in order to place emphasis on the atmospheric rather than just the physical aspects of the environment.
The movement between lightness and darkness, the contrasts and the zone between these is a theme frequently explored. The event of daylight diminishing into night has emerged as a recurring theme in my art making. It is this phenomenon that highlights so dramatically our existence and awareness of place.
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