Spring is arguably the best season for art in Western Australia – local artists come out of hibernation, galleries open their doors, and national and international creatives flock to our sun-dappled shores.
KUDDITJI KNGWARREYE
Kudditji Kngwarreye took up the paintbrush years before his older sister, the late, great Emily Kame Kngwarreye. After commencing his painting career with the traditional iconic dotting technique, Kudditji's now-celebrated, innovative style has evolved over the years, since he began experimenting with paint-laden brushes sweeping across larger canvases. Desert Colour, Aboriginart Indigenous Fine Art Gallery, October.
Bush Whispers the Stone by Joanne Duffy. Oil on Belgian linen, 76x102cm.
JOANNE DUFFY
Award-winning local artist Joanne Duffy paints with a passion for the natural world, merging the actual with echoes of memory. From an intense use of colour to delicate variations, her landscapes become places of mystery, discovery and intrigue. Feature Artist, Gallery 360, November.
For Everything a Reason by Lauren Wilhelm. Oil on canvas, 150x150cm.
LAUREN WILHELM
Western Australian artist Lauren Wilhelm is well known for her oil-on-canvas paintings of graceful horses and immaculate riders. Through both the realities and mythologies, her works often explore the modern-day land developer – and the fact that prestige, wealth or beauty are still no weapon against time – as well as the part animals play in human lives. Xmas at Jahroc, Jahroc Galleries, December 27-January 17.
Blissful Day at Bunker Bay by Ian Dickinson. Oil on canvas, 106x106cm.
IAN DICKINSON
In his art, Ian deconstructs the Western Australian landscape into simpler picture elements of form, line, colour and space, using their interplay to compose an aesthetic, abstract design while attempting not to destroy its identity and mood. His work is focused on the beauty and expanse of the WA environment and our place within it, and the reality and consequences of our impact provide another layer of interest. Ongoing exhibition, Yallingup Galleries.
Awelye – Women's Ceremony by Minnie Pwerle. Acrylic on canvas, 150x90cm.
MINNIE PWERLE
Minnie Pwerle was born in the Utopia region more than 95 years ago. Her country is Atnwengerrp and her language is Anmatyerre and Alyawarr. She passed away in March 2006, the year after she was listed in the Australian Art Collector's 50 Most Collectable Artists. She lives on through her distinct artworks. Cultural Connections, Artitja Fine Art, ongoing.
Sleeping by Rebecca Cool. Mixed media, 70x90cm.
REBECCA COOL
WA artist and illustrator Rebecca Cool is well loved for her charming and instantly recognisable compositions. Her strong, colourful works have a naive charm reminiscent of European folk art, and possess an aesthetic complexity while maintaining a childish impulsiveness. New works by Rebecca Cool, Gallows Gallery, October 15-November 1.
Rosie by David Bromley. Acrylic, enamel and metal leaf on canvas, 150x120cm.
DAVID BROMLEY
David Bromley says artists have been sculpting and painting nudes forever, so when taking on this genre there is an overwhelming history to compete with. "I tend to try and forget this and concentrate on trying to capture a woman, pared back, understated, open," he says. "The lack of clothes, I hope, will make them less easy to date or be depicted as being part of a fashion that is dated by the clothes." In The Moment, Gullotti Galleries, September 25-October 18.
Celestia by Monique Tippett. Jarrah, inks and lacquers, 120x195cm
MONIQUE TIPPETT
From the southwest of Western Australia, Monique Tippet creates artworks through a unique combination of timber fabrication and the use of inks and lacquers. In her work, she tries to imbue each piece with the essential elements of the forest that capture her imagination. Gunyulgup Galleries, ongoing.
Parker Point by Leigh Hewson-Bower. Acrylic on canvas, 110x223cm.
LEIGH HEWSON-BOWER
The subjects of Leigh Hewson-Bower's works span the whole of the state, from the Great Southern coastline to the gorges of the Kimberley. A fascination with the process of depicting water and all of its wonderful visual qualities – transparent yet reflective, wild and tranquil – has been an obsession for him for a long time. In this show, water is the major player, the central theme of each piece.
From The Boat, Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco, October 31-November 19.
Spontaneity by Sarmarie. Print infused in acrylic, 2000x1400cm.
SARMARIE
Influenced by the wild and uncontrollable temperament of the natural world, Sarmarie's artworks resonate with, and give expression to the forces of creation that shape our world. Her inspiration comes from growing up in the vast Pilbara region of Western Australia. Artists in Design, Margaret River Gallery, November 14-December 14.
Richmond River Lighthouse, Ballina by Jasper Knight. Enamel, perspex, plywood, metal sign and alupanel on board, 120x90cm.
JASPER KNIGHT
This Sydney-based artist blurs the lines between sculpture and painting, creating works made of plywood, Perspex, cardboard boxes, old signs, found plastic tiles and sheets. More recently, he's explored the significance of postcard photos, and where they stand in the art world. Island in the Sun, Linton and Kay Galleries, Perth City, October 30-November 19.
The American Dream (detail) by Brett Whiteley,1968-69. Oil, tempera, collage, photography and objects on eighteen wooden panels, 244x2196cm. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased 1978 © State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia.
BRETT WHITELEY
The Art Gallery of Western Australia presents American Dream, American Nightmare, an examination of the duality of the American experience. As part of the exhibition, Australian-born avant-garde artist Brett Whiteley's monumental, 18-panel artwork, The American Dream, will feature across the walls of the gallery. Also on show – A Rake's Progess by David Hockney, before the nightmare takes over in December, through darker, political works by Leon Golub and others. American Dream, American Nightmare, Art Gallery of WA, until February 15.