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Sophie Gralton’s most recent exploration of the childhood experience.… Continue reading
Continue readingSophie Gralton’s most recent exploration of the childhood experience.
The work followed an abrupt upheaval in her own life which saw her move to a remote rural area in the Southern Tablelands of NSW.
In this new beginning Gralton is inspired by local landscapes, native birds, dogs and old objects sought in country second hand stores.
Below the surface of the oil paint cast off childhood garments, pages from vintage story books, manila tags ghost her portraits like lost histories and past lives.
The cropped gaze is Gralton’s intentional device to allow the viewer to interpret the models as any or every child and forces us to explore subtle nuances of body language: a set of a lip, a tilt of a chin, a gesture, a stance.
Children barefoot in remote landscapes wearing grubby striped business shirts echo Gralton’s own dislocation and sudden removal to a strange country backwater away from the ease of modern urban life.
At the same time her children are resilient, unsentimental, even defiant and bemused.
A graduate of the National Art School Gralton was intrigued by an exhibition of 17th century Dutch portraits of children.
The cool European hues, the adult like composure of the subjects, their lack of sentimentality, struck a chord with her.
Whilst this series is very Australian, one can still feel the influence of the Dutch masters.
Gralton uses traditional painting techniques learnt at The Charlie Shead Studio School.
Her consummate knowledge of traditional pallets, underpainting techniques, her understanding of pigments are a feature of her highly textured images and hark back to the Dutch work that so excited her.
Sophie Gralton is a painter known for her signature imagery of contemporary child portraiture. Born in Sydney in 1966, Gralton worked as a textile designer before returning to the National Arts School Sydney to graduate in 1996 with a fine arts degree. The inspiration for her work arose when visiting an exhibition of Dutch 17th century portraits of children in Paris in 2007.
EDUCATION
2000 Charlie Sheard Studio School, Sydney
2000 Degree Conversion Course (Painting major), National Art School, Sydney
1994 Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts (Painting major), National Art School, Sydney
1990 Certificate of Fine Arts (Printmaking), National Art School, Sydney
1985 BA Fashion/Textile Design, Sydney College of the Arts
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017 Letters to Places Past, Harvey Galleries, Mosman, Sydney, NSW
2016 Harvey Galleries Mosman, Sydney NSW
2015 On A Farm Somewhere, Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2009 Recent Paintings, Salon Rouge, Kapunda, SA
2009 Recent Works, Murray Street Vineyards
2009 A Definite Likeness, Charles Hewitt Gallery, Sydney Awards and Group Exhibitions
2008 Misfits, Gallery Aloft, Sydney
2008 Lostalgia, Charles Hewitt Gallery, Sydney
2008 Art Brisbane
2008 New Works, Gallery Aloft, Sydney
2008 Nostalgia, Paintbox Fine Art, Canberra
2006 Tip Me Over Pour Me Out, Charles Hewitt, Sydney
2004 New Paintings, Charles Hewitt, Sydney
2002 New Paintings, Charles Hewitt, Sydney
2002 New Paintings, Charles Hewitt, Sydney
2002 Art & About Group Show, Finalist
2001 Objects of Desire, First Gallery, Sydney
2001 Creative Madness, Volvo Gallery, Sydney
2000 House Dress, Global Gallery, Sydney
2000 Dog Show, PCL Exhibitionists, Sydney
2000 NAS Conversion Course Group Exhibition, Global Gallery, Sydney
2000 Luggage not Baggage, PCL Exhibitionists, Sydney
2000 Underdressed, Canberra Contemporary Artspace
2000 Annual Women’s Day Exhibition, Tap Gallery, Sydney
2000 Precious Objects, 1st Gallery, Sydney
1999 Part of the Furniture, Open House Gallery, Sydney
1999 Fisher’s Ghost, Contemporary Section Finalist
1999 Portia Geach, S H Ervin Gallery, Finalist
1999 Power Exhibition, May Street Gallery, Sydney
1999 Alumination, Cell Block, NAS, Sydney
1998 Extremities, Open House Gallery, Sydney
1998 Bloom, Open House Gallery, Sydney
1996 Finalist NSW Travelling Art Scholarship, COFA
1995 Printmakers Exhibition, Cellblock Theatre
1994 Art House, Group exhibition, Sydney
1984 Art Express, Travelling Exhibition
1984 State Finalist, Australian & Commonwealth Bank Art Awards, Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney
GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS
2012 Easter Exhibition, The Studio Gallery, Yallingup WA
2012 Mad Show, Gallery Aloft, Sydney
2012 Offspring, Gallery One Southport, QLD
2012 Residency in Printmaking, Scopelos, Greece
2012 Artist in Residence, The Art Vault, Mildura
2011 Residency, Skopelos Foundation, Skopelos
Greece (with masterprinter Basil Hall)
2011 A Child Most Likely, Paint Box Fine Art, ACT
2011 New Work, Sophie Gralton One, Suey
McEnnally, Southport, QLD
2011 Wonderland, Amelia Johnson Contemporary,
Hong Kong
2011 Something Personal, Charles Hewitt Gallery,
Sydney
2011 Twelve Studio Artists , The Studio Gallery,
Yallingup
2011 A Recent History, Charles, Hewitt Gallery,
Sydney
2011 Art Melbourne, SophieGralton & Suey
McEnnally
2010 Artist in Resisdence, The Artvault, Mildura
2010 Big Brave River Girl, The Artvault Mildura
2010 A Definate Likeness, Charles Hewitt Gallery
2008 Misfits, Gallery Aloft, Sydney
2002 Art & About Group Show, Finalist
2001 Objects of Desire, First Gallery, Sydney
2001 Creative Madness, Volvo Gallery, Sydney
2000 Dog Show, PCL Exhibitionists, Sydney
2000 NAS Conversion Course Group Exhibition,
Global Gallery, Sydney
2000 Luggage not Baggage, PCL Exhibitionists,
Sydney
2000 Underdressed, Canberra Contemporary
Artspace
2000 Annual Women’s Day Exhibition, Tap Gallery,
Sydney
2000 Precious Objects, 1st Gallery, Sydney
1999 Fisher’s Ghost, Contemporary Section Finalist
1999 Portia Geach, S H Ervin Gallery, Finalist
1999 Power Exhibition, May Street Gallery, Sydney
1999 Alumination, Cell Block, NAS, Sydney
1998 Extremities, Open House Gallery, Sydney
1998 Bloom, Open House Gallery, Sydney
1996 Finalist NSW Travelling Art Scholarship, COFA
1995 Printmakers Exhibition, Cellblock Theatre
1994 Art House, Group exhibition, Sydney
1984 Art Express, Travelling Exhibition
1984 State Finalist, Australian & Commonwealth
Bank Art Awards, Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney
PUBLICATIONS
2008 Canberra Times, November
2009 Instyle magazine, September
2009 Vogue, September
RVSP for Sophie Gralton ‘On a Farm Somewhere…’ Exhibition
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.
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).
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