Hugh Stewart

The McDonald College

Artwork title

Skylarking

HSC year

2010

ARTEXPRESS year

2011

Expressive form

Painting

Artist’s statement

In my work I explore the interplay of light and colour and their complex relationships. Modernist abstraction appeals to me and I have been influenced by aerial viewpoints and indigenous approaches. My work draws on Cook Island culture, including bright, richly coloured weaving and quilt making, the island lifestyle and traditional dance and painting as visual performance. I have represented this through skylights and light boxes as an exploration of shapes and architectural elements. While my process is quite an organic one, my work explores ideas of lost and found, with emphasis on dominant colour.