BD ’09

In recent years, all of my exhibitions have been theme based. While this can help hone my efforts, it can also, on occasion, be restrictive. Should an inspiration present itself, that doesn’t fit the brief, it is ignored or a the very least deferred.

So it is in 2009, I decided to  leave my options open to opportunities. This allows me to present my response to a second trip along the spectacular Kimberley Coast, then revisit one of my favourite places, Karijini in the Pilbara. While working on these timeless landscapes, I was offered the opportunity to visit the Western Desert and paint the portrait of Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa (Mrs Bennett) the highly regarded indigenous artist, for inclusion in a book on her art. Spending time in the desert with this community took me from considering ancient landscapes to considering ancient civilization and portraits of Nyurapayia’s extended family.

This exhibition is, in effect, a visual diary of my ’09.

Brendon Darby