Stephen Trebilcock’s fifth solo exhibition with Francis Keevil Gallery, Sydney opens soon with a suite of new paintings adding to the canon of this uniquely Australian practice.
Stephen Trebilcock, Lemon Alcove, oil on canvas, 95 x 75cm. Courtesy the artist and Francis Keevil Gallery, Sydney
Born in Montacute in the Adelaide Hills, Trebilcock’s childhood, growing up on a fruit block amongst luscious wildlife and gardens, instilled in him a lifelong respect for the natural world. This much is clear in his works which favour warm earthy tones and plant life. Compositions such as Lemon Alcove demonstrate the artist’s ability to create images that are rooted in Australiana yet have a distinctly European appeal. The ‘foreign accent’ in his work can be traced back to a journey Trebilcock took to Venice, Italy, which he cites as having a profound impact on his studio practice. Along with a short stint studying at the Slade School of Art in London, the artist has been able to combine the aesthetics of Europe and Australia to great effect. Another work of note in the upcoming exhibition is Dilly Bag, which pictures a traditional Indigenous woven bag nestled in berries and rendered in a painterly style that harks back to the late European masters of the still life genre.
Stephen Trebilcock, Dilly Bag, oil on canvas, 150 x 120cm. Courtesy the artist and Francis Keevil Gallery, Sydney
Trebilcock’s artistic practice has been recognised by many prestigious awards, such as the Salon des Refusés, his most recent achievement given in 2015, and countless solo exhibitions in Australia and around the world.
Despite his many accolades, the artist prefers a quiet life surrounded by nature. By keeping his studio nestled in the quiet alcove of Adelaide Hills, Trebilcock is always at the precipice of artistic inspiration due to the magnificent wildlife that surrounds the area. His lifestyle has enabled a consistency of vision and these new paintings focused on the natural environment avoid the clichés that have become synonymous with the almost tired genre of still-life paintings. Instead, Trebilcock’s close connection to his subject allows him to produce works that look to nature with an exciting and fresh perspective.
Frances Keevil Gallery
30 August to 17 September, 2017
Sydney
