Ferny Hills artist Bill Dean’s first exhibition Bush Scenes at the Gallerette at Arana Library is well-worth attending.
It is showing for the month of March 2012.
Bill played with water colours pre-teens and then did nothing more for many years but always wanted to try landscapes.
In 2006 he started fulfilling this dream and he is self-taught. Which makes all the more remarkable the terrific work he is producing.
One thing that set Bill free is realising that he doesn’t have to use a brush. Bill doesn’t use a brush if he can help it. His favorite painting tool is ‘the green bristly pad you wash up saucepans with screwed up’. And for blobs – watery paint in an eye dropper.
He uses acrylic and water colours on MDF board.
The paintings working from photos are of favorite bush places: the bush and rivers down south the Pilbara.. Bill’s command of details and light on water evoke an extraordinary ‘being there’ feel.He captures the Australian bush as well as any artist I have seen.
The paintings do take a long time to paint and Bill spends hours thinking about how he is going to do each one. He even knows each tree in a painting by name! A crucial part is to get the sequence right for putting down colours. He has done repetitions of some of the favorite paintings.
Are his paintings for sale? Bill says: While he has sold some this part of his development as an artist ‘is evolving slowly’.
Bill can be contacted on 3351 2133. or billnoela@ yahoo.com.au