THIS week we chat with semi-abstract landscape painter Judith Barowski, whose style was inspired by \u201cthe vastness of sky and of the land\u201d when she moved to the Mallee in 1970.<\/p>\n
What motivated you to take up painting?<\/strong><\/p>\n For me the motivation to paint came quietly over time from secondary school to becoming a primary school teacher.<\/p>\n Firstly, presenting my year 12 painting folio brought positive attention from others.<\/p>\n Continuing with art at Teacher\u2019s College kept me involved and I started casually painting landscapes, a subject in which I could best express my love for colour.<\/p>\n In 1970 I was posted to Piangil, on the edge of the Mallee, and there I fell in love with the vastness of sky and of the land.<\/p>\n Then, in 1973, I went to Myrtleford and discovered the hills.<\/p>\n All along it was the landscape, and the challenge of presenting it in paint.<\/p>\n How would you describe your style?<\/strong><\/p>\n My pictures are semi-abstract colourful landscapes and generally in a horizontal format.<\/p>\n I paint the background quickly to set a direction to take the painting.<\/p>\n I take time and paint the foreground details such as the \u201csquare trees\u201d which repeat through my paintings and make my work recognisably mine.<\/p>\n This simplification does not interrupt the flow of the land but instead adds interest and character to it.<\/p>\n My choice of colours is largely intuitive, often far from realistic.<\/p>\n The colours create harmonies and contrasts which add vitality and movement to the work.<\/p>\n However, every now and then I paint in a completely different style.<\/p>\n Which other painters inspire you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Inspirational artists were such as Fred Williams, Max Dimmack, Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Gauguin and Matisse.<\/p>\n They knew the beauty of colour.<\/p>\n Fred Williams \u201cbecame invigorated with a greater level of expressiveness in both the range of colour and the handling of the paint” – in the early 70s we were contemporaries.<\/p>\n What are some highlights you have from your time as a painter so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n My first highlight was my first exhibition, held on the riverboat, The Gem, which in 1974 was the Swan Hill Art Gallery.<\/p>\n The paintings were very much of the Mallee; it was very successful.<\/p>\n I fondly recognise that no matter what time of day I stand in front of my easel, no matter what the weather is like outside\u2026 I\u2019m totally in the moment, totally relaxed and calm, totally present just there with the paint.<\/p>\n