A life of it's own

JAMES ROBERTSON

STORY BY MAHMOOD FAZAL

PHOTOS BY CHRIS TURNER

Pale aqua ripples blend with waves of sky blue clouds. The painting is titled Fortitude by artist James Robertson. In the distance, an obscure mashing of sky and waves, a man in a paddle boat wrestles with his fate as a curl of colour slowly sinks him.

“I worked in industrial design so I could always draw. I was an engineer at the time.”

One afternoon, a friend asked James to paint something as a housewarming present. “She asked me to paint something abstract,because I was good with colours,” remembers James. “I picked up a brush and started painting. I ended up painting a sort of a desert landscape with clouds and sort of freaked myself out. And I couldn't stop. That was the beginning of it. I loved it.”

He reflects on that desert landscape he first painted. “It was a feeling, really…like I’ve been doing it my whole life but I’d never painted before.”

James would paint after work every night. He began selling more and more paintings until he decided to quit his day job. The desert is a motif that runs through his body of work.

“I just attack a blank canvas, pick a colour and start to see what happens,” laughs James. “It just really flows and I never know what I'm gonna get it. It has a life of its own.”

In James’ arresting, vast, landscapes - the sky dominates the scene, the clouds erupt, everything is subordinate to nature reaching for the sublime. When James is asked about the sky, he quips, “There’s something about the serenity of it. It’s like a theatre. An empty scene. I love looking at cloud formations. And they’re always changing. That’s the beauty…the freedom.”

He reflects on his favourite painting, The Carbon Trader, “I gave it to my mum to hang on to because I knew I would sell it so it hangs on her wall.” In the painting, a man stands tall with a gas mask on. In the distance a coal fired power station protrudes from the earth. James adds, “we’re all concerned about the environment.”

Pollution and the environment was a subject that one of James’ favourite painters, J.M.W. Turner, thought about on the canvas. “Steam, rain and wind it’s called,” reflects James. “It’s very atmospheric and dramatic.” He cites two other artists work as inspirations; Blue Poles by Jackson Pollock and a photograph by Ansel Adams titled Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico.

James describes his inspirations as “sensational.” They’re expressive works that exploit dramatic environments in order to carve an emotional landscape into the hearts of the audience.

While peering into the sky, after being absorbed by its immensity in James’ work, the lines from Hegel come to mind, “Art has the task to reveal the truth in its sensuos form.

James Robertson

jamesrobertson.com.au

@james_robertson_artist

Relaxed cosmopolitan style dining by day and fresh modern restaurant by night, The Virgin Kitchen marries cultures and unites taste buds. A pristine, simple, unadulterated showcase of local produce.

The visionary civil and human rights leader, Harvey Milk, once said, “hope will never be silent."

In Daylesford, every year the community comes together for ChillOut Festival; to celebrate queer country pride through a series of events and parties that light up venues across town.

Emma Westerbeek, the festival’s director, says that at the heart of the festival there’s a sense of integrity that draws her in, “Things used to be; kids in regional areas going into the city to find themselves.”

With over 25 years of Music and Events industry experience, Emma has worked at institutions such as Revolver Upstairs, Bar Open, The Big Day Out, The Byron Blues Festival, Meredith music festival, and Ballarat frolic festival Dark Rainbow. “In 2020, I was asked to program the festival. It was fantastic fun working in my own backyard, says Emma. “It was the first Golden Plans Festival I didn’t work because it was on the same weekend.”

For Emma, the story of ChillOut is weaved into the fabric of Daylesford, “the fact that it started in the park as a way to connect rainbow families…26 years ago.” She says, “Growing the festival is part of growing with the community. Everyone from the primary schools, to high school, police, to the elderly, to people with disabilities.”

When she moved to Daylesford, the potential of the ChillOut parade made Emma realise how vital community support was for LGBTQI residents. She says, “every year we would watch the parade to be part of the community that makes ChillOut what it is.”

“This year we wanted to focus on more accessibility and inclusivity. We put a call out for people with disabilities to attend the festival. that's one of the changes, the other change is going for is a no waste festival. We're just kind of easing into it.”

The festival strives to empower LGBTQI community and educate the locals, Emma says, “I feel like we're a bit of an educator for people, to show them how a community can be a safe space.”

ChillOut is now the largest LGBTQI festival in regional Australia. “I like to use the phrase, ‘Chillout is where the forest meets the dancefloor.’ It’s about connection.”

This year the festival will be hosting panel discussions, the famous Bush Dance in Victoria Park, Granny Bingo, cabaret, a pool party and comedy shows among a wild array of colourful offerings.

“I'm excited to see Kate Miller Heidke headlining carnival. I’m really excited about the All Ages Soundshell, it's a great place for families from all over regional victoria to just connect with LGBTQI youth,” says Emma. “Also, there’s a fantastic youth panel of Daylesford College students are talking about gender fluidity and all things queer.

For the first time, ChillOut will be offering shuttles buses and glamping to accomodate the influx of over 30,000 guests.

“I just want to invite all community to come to the opening event to meet us and enjoy our beautiful local primary school choirs.”

Em Westerbeek Director - Chillout festival chilloutfestival.com.au