After an absence of nearly a decade, Criss Canning’s ‘Arranging and Reflecting’ will be held at Savill Galleries in Sydney on 13 November.
In this exhibition, meticulously detailed paintings reflect Canning’s love of beauty, in richly woven textiles, ceramics, flowers and fruit. Vibrant use of colour and an exquisite attention to textures and surfaces is combined with technical brilliance to achieve stunning results.
Canning is one of Australia’s leading still life artists with her works being highly sought after. Canning constantly seeks out beautiful objects such as richly woven textiles, ceramics, flowers and fruit. The artist lives in a painter’s paradise, constantly inspired by the exotic produce grown in the highly prized garden surrounding the beautiful early Australian home she shares with her husband David Glenn of Lambley Nursery farm. The meticulously composed arrangements are woven together with her vibrant use of colour. The works are further characterised by her exquisite attention to textures and surfaces together with her technical brilliance in combining all these elements, with balance and harmony entwined.
A book tracing the career of the artist, ‘The Pursuit of Beauty: A Monograph by David Thomas’ (2007), featuring Canning’s paintings from this exhibition, and others, not reproduced before, will be launched at the gallery.
David Thomas writes: “There is something much deeper at work in her art; and the impact it has on others is extraordinary. By exploring the verities of the spirit through the beauty of flowers, she communicates deeply. There are many instances, both spoken and written, of how her art touches and nourishes people – all treasured by Canning. While many ‘adore’ the colour and are moved by the beauty of her paintings, others have found them uplifting, and easing the pain of grief.”
Canning has exhibited widely for 25 years and in 2007, a major retrospective of her work toured the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery and Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery attracting 40,000 people and breaking attendance records at Ballarat.
Savill Galleries
13 November to 7 December, 2013
Sydney
Pink Glass and Persimmon, oil on board, 40.5 x 43cm
Courtesy the artist and Savill Galleries, Sydney
