Lesley Vamos “the long and short”
exhibition 1-15 February 2016
Exhibition Catalogue
Lesley Vamos About the artist It’s been said the only time Vamos puts down her pencil is to eat (and even then her food can be the victim of artistic subjection - camp mates forever remember the attempt to carve the statue of David from mashed potatoes). A self-described creative problem solver, Vamos spends her time traveling, illustrating for books, magazines, comics, toys, games as well as designing for animation, all the while holding her pencil incorrectly.
Artist statement The long and short is a small selection of my daily personal practice. It began as a way to get back to drawing for myself and rediscover why I wanted to be a creator in the first place. This means there is no real theme as each piece comes about depending on what has inspired me that day, what I want to practice OR what story I have to tell. Having said that, most tend to lean toward a certain whimsy or wonder that maybe stems from left over childlike curiosities and a need to learn and discover. “Fortune favours the brave”
30x60 (artwork size) 40x70 mounted - 44x74 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘The title is pretty self explanatory, this wasn’t about love so much as it was about adventure’
“Blank Canvas”
40x40 (artwork size) 50x50 mounted - 54x54 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘The terror of facing a new start both creatively and in life and to jump into it instead of standing around’
“Ducky, you’re free”
30x60 (artwork size) 40x70 mounted - 44x74 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘I loved the way children (and sometimes adult) see their toys as alive - this is about a girl taking it one step further’
“Good Vibrations”
40x40 (artwork size) 50x50 mounted - 54x54 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘I love the idea that music can be experienced on so many levels - not just by people who can hear‘
“Joy Ride”
40x40 (artwork size) 50x50 mounted - 54x54 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘I had to ride home in the rain for a week in the pouring rain and this was a way to work through that‘
“Escape”
30x60 (artwork size) 40x70 mounted - 44x74 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘I wanted to try and create a sense of story and mystery in this piece whilst keeping tones and hues to a minimum’
“Ello Cocky”
40x40 (artwork size) 50x50 mounted - 54x54 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘I love birds and I wanted to do a feather study - using a bird that is mostly white was a challenging way to do that‘
“Splish Splash Splosh”
40x40 (artwork size) 50x50 mounted - 54x54 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘In truth this was a result from the fact I love drawing rain’
“Tall tree tiiiny pug”
30x60 (artwork size) 40x70 mounted - 44x74 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘When I can I love putting humorous things into my compositions - this was really all about the one joke’
“Spaaace”
30x60 (artwork size) 40x70 mounted - 44x74 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘Again I wanted to challenge myself by only using 2 tones - also big fan of painting space’
“Help! Lava”
40x40 (artwork size) 50x50 mounted - 54x54 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘I love the concept of play - especially as it’s something I do on a day to day basis’
“Dancing in the rain”
60x30 (artwork size) 70x40 mounted - 74x44 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘This was about allowing yourself to experience every situation with every part of you’
“Sinking”
30x60 (artwork size) 40x70 mounted - 44x74 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 Unframed: $250 ‘I wanted to explore something more graphic - especially as it fits the theme of this piece’
“Elmer”
‘I always related to Elmer - Except as a kid I relished being a bit different I’m hoping this inspires other to do the same’
All artworks on the following pages are: 60x30 (artwork size) 70x40 mounted 74x44 framed 20 limited edition prints available Framed: $400 - Unframed: $250
“Sputnik”
‘For the longest time I really did think it was Spudnic… The birth of a new level of exploration and conspiracy theories’
“Future adventure”
‘I needed to escape from the heat for a few hours… drawing helped’
“Night Light”
‘You can find friends in the strangest of places’
“Letters to Santa”
‘you can’t always trust the postman’- I think in some way this was inspired by ‘Journey home’ by Alison Lester’
“Zoom”
‘This is all about dreams aspirations and inspiration’
“Little Red”
‘I tried really hard to create a sinister feel in this without making it obvious - a challenge without music’
“Magic School Bus”
‘I still hope this happens to me one day - I love that the Magic School made science accesable’
“Morning before battle”
‘In this piece I was trying to capture a moment of deep thought and possibly regret in someones life someone dealing with a difficult decision’
“Rain rain”
‘I love watching people in the city rush about - I wanted to explore the idea of one person just stoping and enjoying the moment’
“Brave Lil Toaster”
‘Another favourite of mine - again it comes back to the idea of objects we create having a mind of their own ’
“Sky Gazing”
‘I tend to draw a lot of people in contemplation honestly not sure why’
3 Blackfriars St, Chippendale ph: 02 9698 9156 gallery@artshine.com.au
artshinegallery.com Concept & Design
impactandco.com Boutique Studio Creative Design