Consequences - Kelli Mac
Showcasing a series of works inspired by our changing natural world. Its beauty and its cruelty. Its hostility and its hospitality….and the consequences of our actions.
After the devastating bushfires across the entire country more and more people now agree that the climate is changing and that we all have a responsibility to take action.
The balance of our planet’s ecology has been severely compromised, and Kelli feels strongly that each of us must use the tools at our disposal to preserve and restore the natural world.
Kelli is hoping that those who cannot be reached by depressing media news may be reached by images of nature’s beauty and the threat imposed on it.
Rather than re-creating a landscape on a canvas, Kelli is aiming to express its essence. Obviously, no single work can hope to distil the complex spirit of a landscape, much less the infinitely sophisticated ecology that sustains it. So, in order to capture this richness, Kelli works on a number of paintings concurrently.
This allows her to transport strong elements and effective techniques from one piece to the next. Each multi-layered rendering shares some details with the other works in the series. The overlap of elements enriches each individual expression and deepens the cohesion within the series
*Image: 'Roo Ted', Acrylic on Canvas by Kelli Mac
About the Artist
Kelli McGregor is a professional artist who began her artistic career later in life than most, her experience in architectural design heightened her awareness of space and negative shapes and of the compositional dynamic they create. Kelli combines training in design with an unerring sense of the aesthetic to produce her striking figurative paintings. While they are essentially studies in composition and colour, her images convey a feeling of the warmth and energy that is evocative of the Australian lifestyle. Her landscape paintings not only encapsulate the essential elements, colours and features of the Australian landscape, but also recreate the ambience and the 'feel' of being there. Typically, her work is exuberant, vibrant, confident and eye-catching. Most pieces are charged with positive energy, and overflow with dazzling colour.
Born in country Victoria Kelli later lived in a number of places including Perth and Alice Springs and Darwin before finally moving to settle in the Fraser Coast QLD, where she is based.
I'm fascinated to see how people react to both their environment and with each other, so I try to express body language and mood rather than a realistic image. I didn't set out to be an environmental artist or to create artwork relating to social commentary but I do want to capture the relationship we have with our natural environment. During developmental stages I experiment with many techniques and colours, seeking materials and textures that might express my emotional response to the research I’m gathering. I create a series of pen and ink studies, feeling my way into the series, assessing my emotions and the story I want to tell.
Exhibition Opening
This exhibition will officially open on Friday 16 June, 2023.
Doors open at 6pm for 6.30pm start.
Please RSVP your attendance by registering below.
Artist in conversation
Join Kelli as she takes you through the stories behind her works.