Local artist Wayne Elliott’s 40-year creative journey has led him to many places across Australia and the globe.
He has recently been gaining recognition, winning the Flanagan Art Prize Panel Award last month in Ballarat and being named a finalist in a number of international naive painting awards.
But one thing Elliott has learned over the years is that the final product is rarely the important thing.
“I think there’s an innate thing inside you that wants to create a story, or a response to a feeling,” he said.
“And when you first go in, you want to paint a painting, right? But the reality is, the most important thing is all the process behind that; physically walking through a landscape, taking photos, doing mini sketches and then bringing that to the canvas.
“That’s the most fun, that’s the best part of it, because it’s really a problem-solving exercise. I’ve always pushed this value for young people being involved in the arts, because it sort of tricks your brain into thinking about things.”
Elliott paints stories, with his latest exhibition focusing on the urban environment. From Geelong to Melbourne, Montreal to Krakow, he captures his subjective experience of traversing a place.
“Mine’s not a perfect, exact representation of what is,” he said.
“It’s about catching the essence of what’s there. Everyone will walk through a landscape and see something different… this is my interpretation.”
In ‘Urban’, which runs from May 2 to 25, Elliott’s works are joined by those of Melbourne ceramicist Ian Hodge at The Hive Gallery.
Matt Hewson
