Other Lands (2009)
'Other Lands', Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Caulfield, Vic. (July 2009)
This exhibition featured paintings and drawings by Michael Donnelly encouraging discovery and exploration of 'other lands' through a shifting perspective that is fluid and interchangeable, mapping out experiences, memories, relationships and desires.
From earlier work exploring the familiar turning surreal this exhibition celebrated a slow broadening of horizons with a mixture of local and more exotic locations. There has been a spiralling out from the artist's home to overseas and imaginary lands and environments. The resulting collection of 'landscape tableaux' draws on references from art history, film, and literature and involves an ongoing dialogue between actual and imagined experience.
The art works include major essays in oil on canvas, board and linen; studies in pencil, pen and ink; and mixed media works in pen and ink wash, gouache, watercolour and watercolour pencil and crayon, and collage on paper.
Michael Donnelly 'Tree of Lights', Oil on Linen, 183 x 183cm, 1996, (Framed, Available).
Michael Donnelly '2200 Hours: City Lights', Oil on Board, 183 x 183cm, 1998. (Framed, Available).
Michael Donnelly 'McCabe and Mrs Miller set up shop', Acrylic, watercolour, gouache, brush and ink on Arches watercolour paper, 174 x 122cm, 2005, (Framed, Available).
Michael Donnelly 'Hume Hwy I', Oil on Linen, 122 x 122cm, 2009, (Framed, Available).
Michael Donnelly 'Hume Hwy II', Oil on Linen, 122 x 122cm, 2009, (Framed, Available).
Michael Donnelly "Henriette Holidays at Heide", Oil on Linen, 183 x 122cm, 2007. (Private Collection).
Michael Donnelly “Vale VA School”, Black colour pencil on University Cartridge, 59 x 83.5cm, 2009. (Private Collection).
Michael Donnelly “Angels & Bathers”, Oil on Linen, 153 x 153cm, 2009. (Private Collection).
Michael Donnelly “Henry Moore Land”, Oil on Canvas, 115 x 146cm, 2008. (Private Collection).
Michael Donnelly “Baptisms on the Yarra, Pound Bend, near Warrandyte, Easter Saturday, 2005.” Oil on Board, 122 x 274cm, 2005–6, (Collection Ashburton Uniting Church).
Michael Donnelly “Summerhill Park Tableau”, Oil on sized linen fabric, 110 x 170cm, 2003. (Private Collection).
Michael Donnelly “Gardiners Creek Tableau”, Oil on sized cotton fabric on board, 108 x 23cm, 2003. (Private Collection).
Michael Donnelly “Ashburton Oval Tableau”, Oil on linen, 92 x 123cm, 2003. (Private Collection).
Michael Donnelly “Hartwell Oval Land”, Oil on Linen, 92 x 122cm, 2008. (Collection, Olivia Newton-John Wellness Centre, Heidelberg, Vic.).
Michael Donnelly 'Glen Iris Tableau', Oil on Linen, 120 x 183cm, 2004, (Framed, Available).
Michael Donnelly 'Queen of Heaven', Oil on Linen, 122 x 183cm, 2007, Framed, Available.