2 Toowoomba-based female artists shared their latest solo exhibitions at First Coat Studios during April. ‘Rainy day, cloudy day or sunny day’ by Chelsie Luck (Main Gallery) and ‘She’s been here before’ by London Heir (Project Space) were exceptional bodies of work, exploring new ideas in their respective practices.
This new body of works is a continuation of Chelsie Luck’s shift in style from illustrative figurative paintings to abstract expressionism. Luck happened across this new chapter in her practice last year while she was completing her honours. Her studio practice was tilted by an apocalyptic impulse and became about destroying the old to make way for the new.
Luck views these paintings as abstract emotional landscapes. Each painting has numerous layers, built up over days, that becomes more apparent with further inspection and contemplation by the viewer. She used a lot of titanium white allowing the under layers and colours peek through like memories. With a more subdued and calm colour pallet this body of work not as dark and violent as past works. The titles of the work also hint at a subtle narrative.
‘She’s been here before...’ is a solo exhibition of new paintings by Toowoomba based emerging artist, London Heir. In this series of self portraits, London discusses the concept of growing up and it’s influence in shaping her creative output. Inspired by her formative years in the Ukraine and later Australia, London draws upon personal memories and her inquisitive nature in the work. Through vignettes of everyday moments, London collages her experiences to revisit a sense of wonder and curiosity of her childhood.
Using watercolour and mixed media embellishments, London’s dream-like aesthetic layers intimate settings of the home and natural environments. In this way, she invites the viewer to pause for reflection and consider their own curiosity. Each work acknowledges pivotal chapters of growth which in some way have informed both London’s character and ultimately her creative practice.
