While the paintings in ‘Departure Lounge’ refer to travel and faraway lands, they were created during periods of isolation and lockdown. The result of artist Nigel Sense’s itchy feet is a series of dynamic and energetic paintings; a collection of souvenirs for travel yet to occur.
‘They say, ‘Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom’, and I miss that freedom. The 5am over-priced Heineken at an airport bar. That excitement and nervous energy about what will be next, always moving to the next.
‘Departure Lounge’ is about looking with less movement, being still and seeing the beauty that surrounds us with time. The new work is an extension of myself being grounded in the scene, being part of the landscape.
Not just seeing but feeling what I’m going to paint. The longer I look at the landscape the more it changes, colours shift and patterns start to repeat. It’s meditation for paintings, a stillness I’m still struggling to expect or even like.’
– Nigel Sense, 2021

Nigel Sense, Sydney to Darwin, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 140 × 160cm. Courtesy the artist and Fox Galleries, Melbourne
Fox Galleries
18 September to 13 November 2021
Melbourne