The last show scheduled for Miles Lowry was March 2020 and well, we know what happened then! We are doubly pleased to have a second chance with these new works by Miles. This body of work was primarily created in Ireland, a country that he has loved and worked in for decades. The show is a must to be seen and experienced, to witness the amazing results.
Miles has been with Art Rental and Sales for more than 20 years now, and he has been a long standing participant in the Art Gallery Paint In. Miles remembers in the late 80’s doing live Raku firing in front of the gallery! It is and has been an honour and pleasure to work with him over the years.
Miles is a multi disciplinary artist who is best known for his paintings and cotton cast fibre sculptures. His other creative endeavors include writer, photographer, co-director, sound designer and film director of the Suddenly Dance Theatre Company which he co-founded with his partner David Ferguson, now in it’s 32nd year.
I was happy to get a few moments with Miles to learn more about Sanctuary & Light and his thoughts on the show:
Karen Cooper (KC): What does the title Sanctuary & Light mean to you?
Miles Lowry (ML): Painting is an experience of assembling light. The spreading of colour is an illumination of space. Sanctuary is a place you always feel welcomed.
KC: What was your inspiration while creating these pieces?
ML: The month of May in Ireland is called Bealtaine. The word is from the Irish language and is formed from two words, “beal” meaning mouth, and “tine” meaning fire. I like to return to places to see how memory shapes and renews experiences, where the presence of friends holds part of the sanctuary, allowing the mind to set the fire alight. I painted the works that led to this exhibition in Ireland, re-united with a country I have loved and worked-in for decades. For the month of May, I was able to experience once again a familiar quality of light and sanctuary.
KC: Can you speak to your process and how it has developed over time?
ML: When I am travelling I paint on mulberry paper. It is light and resilient. The images manifest by combining a surface tension of gestural brush marks over layers of softer translucent atmospheres. The paper is mounted to wooden panels when I return to my studio in Victoria and finished with beeswax. It is at this final stage, paper flattened and pigments suspended, the paintings fully reveal their origins in nature and the relationship of place, process and memory.
Written by Art Rental & Sales Consultant, Karen Cooper
Sanctuary & Light: Paintings by Miles Lowry Show & Sale, presented by Art Rental & Sales runs from October 10 – November 10, 2024 in the Massey Sales Gallery.
Please join us for the Opening Reception on Thursday, October 10, from 5-8pm
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Featured Image: Sanctuary & Light artist, Miles Lowry. All images in this article, courtesy of the artist.
