Paintings From Tasmania and the Moon: Ileigh Hellier

26 October - 12 November 2023

Overview

‘Paintings from Tasmania and the moon’ are paintings that are less from Tasmania and more from the moon. By that I mean that a super moon event was the catalyst for the paintings. I began to think a lot about the moon and I began leaning in to the ‘energy’ of the moon. I leant in so much that I felt as if I was guided by the moon to make these paintings.

The moon represents creativity, dreams, mystery, intuition, spirituality. All things that are deeply intertwined with making art. Specifically, spirituality informed abstraction and saw many artists painting their dreams and channeling spirits or energies.

What I feel when I paint is a creative spirit tearing through me making what can seem like a huge mess until a composition appears out of the chaos. Something that reminds me of a form that I like, revealed by coincidence, mistake or synchronicity. Illuminated now like in the light of the full moon. I met my maker when out of my landscape painting appears a cheerful face smiling back at me as if to say ‘hello, I am here with you, keep painting’.

– Ileigh Hellier