Local artists Mick Brennan and Vivien Hillocks explore vast Antarctic vistas and endless shades of blue in their new exhibition at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery.
‘Antarctic Reflections’ chronicles a once in a lifetime trip to the southernmost continent, which the artists visited on an expedition cruise.
It is a landscape they said was completely different to the one they were used to in the Bundaberg Region.
“There are three things they talk about with art, one is shape, one is light and the other one is colour,” Vivien said.
“What we saw down there certainly skewed those three aspects.
“Living in Bundaberg where it’s absolutely dead flat, to these massive mountains and huge slabs of ice floating past.”
The colour blue is prominent in the exhibition, which Vivien said was a direct response to the environment they experienced.
“The colour of the water is so different to what we see out the front here because it’s deep, deep, deep, very, very cold water,” she said.
“And the light was so much more diffuse.”
Both artists relished the opportunity to interact with scientist and other professionals on the ship.
“There was a fellow there doing cloud studies for NASA, because clouds just look white from the satellite,” Mick said.
“So, to match up the data from NASA with what’s actually underneath the clouds, so I spent a lot of time with him, chatting about clouds.
“In fact, that’s where some of the work comes from – what would the ship look like from above, and Antarctica look like from above, from a satellite view?”
Mick said he had been interested in Antarctica and the tales of great Antarctic explorers from a young age, and it was thrilling to see it in real life.
“It’s outstanding to sort of see how small we are in comparison to that whole environment down there,” Mick said.
“It literally is, in the truest sense of the word, awe inspiring,” Vivien said.
‘Antarctic Reflections’ is on now in gallery two at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, closing Saturday 29 March.
