Big Skies of East Gippsland.
Oil Pastels works by Michael Donnelly
The East Gippsland skies sailing over the lands of the Gunai Kurnai peoples are so big and varied. The air above is vast and always awe-inspiring. Living near Bung Yarnda / Lake Tyers, the panoramic-ness, the mutability, the wonder of the space, the water, the vastness of the sky: how can an artist convey any of this? Recognising that no artwork can fully portray or impart the wonder of these skies, in his earth-bound way Michael meditates upon the skies above him using short, stubby oil pastels to create, in their greasiness, just small glimpses of those skies on A4-sized paper. This ongoing series of works compresses the sky into small oil pastel studies that filled the beautiful prism that is the Lemon Hill Gallery shipping container, itself sitting atop a hill under those wonderful Gunai Kurnai skies.
A selection of ‘Big Skies’ were exhibited at Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, Wurundjeri Country, in September 2023.
Big Sky 1 January 2021 That Eye the Sky (01012021/13012023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Private Collection.
Big Sky 1 July 2020 (01072020/04012023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 4 January 2021 Sunset (04012021/14012023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 3 January 2020 (03012020/24082022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 15 January 2021 Galahs (15012021/26012023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Private Collection.
Big Sky 5 July 2020 (05072020a/04012023) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Private Collection.
Big Sky 7 July 2020 (07072020/05012023) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 7 May 2021 (07052021/17022023) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 8 April 2019 Last Light (08042019/02052022) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 8 June 2021 Sky Lake (08062021/25022023) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 8 March 2020 Sunburst (08032020/26102022) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 10 May 2021 (10052021/22022023) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 16 April 2019 Sunrise (16042019am/15022023) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Private Collection.
Big Sky 25 January 2021 Rain (25012021/03022023) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 26 October 2019 Rainbow (26102019/26072022) Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Michael Donnelly, 'Big Sky 21 September 2019 (21092019/24052022)', Oil Pastel on Paper, 2022. Private Collection.
Michael Donnelly, Big Sky 1 January 2020, (01012020/24082022) Oil Pastel on Paper 2022. Available. Framed.
Michael Donnelly, Big Sky 4 April 2021, (04042021/10022023), Oil Pastel on Paper 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 6 June 2021 (06062021/23022023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 8 April 2019 Sunset and Rain (08042019/04052022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 8 July 2019 (08072019/24052022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 9 April 2019 (09042019/04052022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 9 July 2020 Feathers (09072020/09012023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Private Collection.
Big Sky 13 January 2021 (13012021/01032023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 14 June 2021 (14062021/26022023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 15 June 2021 Winter Sun (15062021/27022023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 16 January 2021 Cloud-break (16012021/27012023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 17 February 2021 (17022021/06022023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 19 February 2020 (19022020/26082022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 19 January 2020 (19012020/25082022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 30 December 2019 (30122019/24082022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 21 December 2019 (21122019/22082022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 26 October 2019 Rainstorm (26102019/26072022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 29 May 2021 (29052021/17022023), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Big Sky 25 October 2019 (25102019b/20072022), Oil Pastel on Paper, 21 x 29 cm, 2022. Available. Framed.
Smaller Big Sky - Change Coming (06062020), Oil Pastel on Paper, Frame: 22 x 27 cm, 2022. Available.
Bigger Big Sky 21 April 2022 (21042022/08032023), image 47 x 56 cm. 2023. Available. Framed.
Bigger Big Sky 24 June 2022 (24062022/28032023), image 56 x 76 cm, 2023. Available. Framed.
Bigger Sky Lakes Sunset, image 56 x 76 cm, 2023. Available.
The artist at Lemon Hill Gallery, Wairewa. April 2023.
Installation View: 'Big Skies of East Gippsland', Lemon Hill Gallery, Wairewa. April - May 2023.
Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, September 2023.
Installation View: 'Big Skies', Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, September 2023
Installation View: 'Big Skies', Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, September 2023
Installation View: 'Big Skies', Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, September 2023
Installation View: 'Big Skies', Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, September 2023
Installation View: 'Big Skies', Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, September 2023
Installation View: 'Big Skies', Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, September 2023
Big Skies of East Gippsland: Oil Pastels by Michael Donnelly
Lemon Hill Gallery, Wairewa, Victoria, 30 April – 21 May 2023
and, coming up:
Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, 14 September - 1 October 2023.