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Stewart Westle

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BORN 1952

STUDIES

Stewart Westle studied at Trinity Grammar School Melbourne where he excelled at print making. He then travelled throughout Australia, Asia and Europe and, although largely self taught, completed several painting courses on returning to Australia.

Background

Born in Adelaide, 1952, he developed a love for art at school. Upon graduating, he committed to practice painting enthusiastically; he travelled throughout Australia, Asia and Europe and, although largely self taught, completed several painting courses on returning home.

His main practice has been painting in oils, although he has extended his skills to include sculpture and installation. During his development years, Stewart was greatly influenced by Fred Williams and John Olsen, among others. In latter years his influences have included the art of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian artist and architect, and the intimate relationship that Indigenous Australians have with their land.

“My aim as an artist and landscape painter is to express what being in the bush means to me. My paintings speak of the precious moments when we take time out to communicate with nature. The time we sit on the headlands and dream about the future and reflect on the past, the times we walk along the lonely track and wonder about the complexity of it all. It’s a wonderful world we live in, I strive for my paintings to reflect some of that wonder. As the worlds people become more urbanised, I believe a healthier understanding of th natural m=world is increasingly important. For me it is vital to my wellbeing. Heaven knows the Summer of 2019/20 has highlighted the venerability of our natural world and our very existence within it.”

Westle’s love and enchantment for the Australian landscape and seascape is evident in the colour, freedom of application and raw energy emanating from his paintings, through which he has evolved a distinctive language for his landscapes. He believes that his best paintings are executed in a near meditative state.

”My paintings speak of the precious moments when we take time out to communicate with nature.”

Stewart uses his art to enhance his own sense of belonging. He currently lives in Red Hill, a small town on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, where Family and Community Involvement are integral to his daily life.

In recent years, Stewart has ventured into the world of sculpture, experimenting with the use of locally sourced Red Gum, Driftwood and Glass. After starting with smaller projects, Stewart began to make temporary large-scale artworks on the beaches up and down the East Coast of Australia. These were momentary pieces of work made from found beach jetsam that were washed away once the tide came in.

Recently Stewart was profiled at Yering Station Sculpture Exhibition with ‘S.O.S’; a new form artwork involving burnt logs from his property, arranged in Morse code.

As Stewart’s art practice matures, his fascination with the shapes, textures and colours of the natural world seems to be intensifying, translating into an ever-evolving practice.

Themes

Westle’s enthusiasm for the Australian landscape and seascape is evident in the colour, freedom of application and raw energy emanating from his paintings, through which he has evolved a distinctive language for landscape.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1995    Valerie Cohen Fine Art Paddington NSW
1996    LibbyEdwardsGalleries, South Yarra,
1997    First Settlement Gallery Sorrento,
1998    LibbyEdwardsGalleries, South Yarra
1999    Group Exhibition, Art Images Gallery, Norwood SA & First Settlement Gallery, Sorrento
2000    Art Images Gallery, Norwood, SA
2001    First Settlement Gallery, Sorrento
2002    Art Images Gallery, Norwood, SA
2003    Without Pier Gallery, Sandringham
2004    Without Pier Gallery, Sandringham
2004    Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Sydney
2005    Without Pier 10TH Anniversary Show at Glen Eira Gallery
2005    Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Sydney
2005    Art Images Gallery, Norwood, SA
2006    Without Pier Gallery, Cheltenham
2007    Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Sydney
2008    Without Pier Gallery, Victoria
2009    Gadfly Gallery, Perth, Western Australia
2009   Without Pier Gallery
2009    Paintbox Gallery,Canberra
2010    Gadfly Gallery, Perth (with Jane Flowers)
2010    Without Pier Gallery, Victoria
2010    Paintbox Gallery,Canberra
2011    Gadfly Gallery, Perth, Western Australia
2012    Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Sydney
2016    Sculpture selected for Yerring Station sculpture prize
2017/17    Sculpture selected for Montalto Sculpture Prize
2018.   Gullotti Gallery Perth
2021    Manyung Gallery, Mornington
2023   Harvey Galleries, Sydney

COLLECTIONS

Australia, Hong Kong, Asia, Europe and the USA.

About Harvey Galleries

Harvey Galleries was founded by the Harvey family in 1994 with an eye to establish a dynamic and inclusive contemporary art space on the North Shore of Sydney. For almost three decades we have expanded our reach to over three gallery locations and an ever expanding stable of the best artists Australia has to offer.

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Harvey Galleries acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands upon which our galleries stand. The Guringai people (Seaforth), the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation (Sydney), and the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation (Melbourne).

We pay our respect to Elders past and present.

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