I first encountered the pulsing, colourful works of Michael Johnson in the corporate collection of the law firm where I once worked. I was immediately captivated and have since followed his regular outings including his current exhibition Outside the Square (Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney 4 -22 May 2011). I was interested to read this article When the Invisible Becomes Visible in which Michael Johnson remarks:
”I always do a male and a female painting, a warm, a cool. I always paint in pairs,” he says. ”It’s like day and night because my paintings are based on the cycles of seasons, the sun, the moon, the tide lifting and dropping. The vibrations you can’t see. It’s all about that.”
So, for example, High North Light is paired with Low South Light although other pairings are not immediately obvious from the website gallery.
While surfing around the Tim Olsen website, I also came across the recent paintings of Melinda Harper. Take a look and you’ll see why they caught my eye – colour and stripes, two of my favourite things! She also has some interesting smaller works created in silk, thread & paint on embroidery mesh such as