Stephen Bush
Warmgrau, I-III, 2024
coloured pencil on watercolour paper (Saunders Waterford)
113 x 133 cm
Artist statement
I have always imposed certain technical or conceptual parameters to maintain curiosity with image making. Repetition and seriality are integral to my artistic practice: they afford innovation and constraint. Over the years, I have intentionally used the same image(ry) or colour in a variety of series. Landscape as both pictorial subject and an existential idea, is similarly integral to my overall artistic practice. Whether imagined or real, landscape is a metaphor for human desires and failures. And, "Warmgrau, I-III" (2024) is among a suite of drawings that attempt to depict the tension between landscape, isolation, and obsolescence.
Artist bio
I am an Australian artist, born in Colac, Victoria, in 1958, known for my intricate, layered paintings that blend historical references, surreal imagery, and rich symbolism. My work is characterised by lush landscapes infused with absurd or fantastical elements, exploring themes of colonialism, national identity, and the collision between the natural and the man-made. Over my career, I have exhibited widely across Australia and internationally, and I am recognised for merging the sublime with the unsettling.