Richard Dunlop
Botanical Garden, 2006

Richard Dunlop’s multi layered paintings present themselves from several perspectives simultaneously. Capturing the true beauty of organic chaos, Dunlop’s canvas’ could be painted from within, above, or as a magnification of his beloved Australian natives. This skewing of perspective brings to mind, among other greats in Australian landscape painting, William Robinson and John Olsen, while repeated motifs seem to nod at the brilliance of Australia’s indigenous painters.

Beach creepers are scratched from the canvas, while the ancient Japanese art of Ikebana is celebrated alongside the botanical studies of banksias and brilliant wattles. The Zen principles of Wabi / Sabi are in abundant evidence as Dunlop lets the control and composition of each work be led by complexity which results ultimately with an aesthetic simplicity.

- Iain Dawson