Further to my last post on this subject a few weeks back...

I am very keen to talk to anyone who has any limited edition prints by Michael Leunig that they are thinking of selling. Please feel free to e-mail me at justin@artloft.com.au if you are contemplating selling a Leunig print!

Posted in: Collecting Art

Five great Leunig prints have just been added to the stockroom - 'Pink Nude', 'Vulnerable People', 'My People', 'The Daily Beast' and 'Creek Life'!

Posted in: Collecting Art

Three popular John Olsen etchings that I have previoulsy found hard to source have just come into stock - 'Fat Cat', 'Feeding the Cats' and 'Lilypond'. One edition of each is available. They can be seen on pages1 and 2 of the John Olsen section on the website.

Posted in: Collecting Art

Michael Leunig has begun a series of new paintings. I have begun adding images of these works to the website. These are highly textured pieces with a stunning use of colour. Please feel free to contact Artloft if you are interested in finding out more about these beautiful works.

Posted in: Collecting Art

I often discuss with clients what imagery is seen as being 'iconic' in regards to a particular artists work. I thought a list may prove useful and so I have started one on the blog - please feel free to add your own suggestions!

Sidney Nolan - Ned Kelly series.
John Olsen - Frog imagery
Tim Storrier - Blaze Line [burning rope] and coals [evening works seem to be particularly popular]
Euan Macleod - Walking male figures in a landscape
Charles Blackman - Alice series
Arthur Boyd - 'Pulpit Rock' and 'Bride' series
Tim Maguire - Flower and Berries imagery
Garry Shead - D.H. Lawerence series

Posted in: Collecting Art

Some of the most exciting work that Tim Maguire has been doing recently has been in the medium of digital pigment prints. It is important to understand that these are original artworks that are created using a combination of hand painting and computer technology - they are not photographic reproductions.

Maguire has been introducing new subject matter into these pieces. Images of snow, mountains and water have been abstracted and then reassembled into a new vision by the artist. Artloft has a selection of these works for sale - including the stunning 'Love of Plants' set.

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Brett Whiteley has always been an artist whose works attract controversy. I have recently had two Whiteley works offered for sale from a private client - they can be seen on the website. What struck me with both of these pieces is the way that Whiteley allows for the art to speak for itself. They are very delicate pieces. In 'The Waves' Whitely counterpoints his brilliant drawing skills with a grace that stays true to the subject. These works are good reminder that much of Brett Whiteley's best art has a lyrical quality that is at odds with the more cliched aspects of his reputation.

Posted in: Collecting Art

The prints of Charles Blackman - along with those of Michael Leunig and David Boyd - are often amongst the first works that kick of an Australian art collection. Blackman has been a very prolific artist over his lifetime - and so it pays to become acquainted with his work before purchasing. In my opinion a great Charles Blackman piece is a work that combines innocence, melancholy and his great sense of colour and line. Blackman would often work in series - and some of these such as the 'Alice' paintings and prints have become very popular. I wouldn't suggest buying a work however just because it comes from a well known series - if you are going to live with a Charles Blackman work for a number of years you want it to hold your interest and not just be an example of his 'brand'!

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Sibling rivalry is a common theme of many art forms. However I doubt that there existed the usual levels between the two painters David Boyd and Arthur Boyd. I'm basing this on interviews I have seen with Arthur and a couple of conversations that I have had with David Boyd. Of course no one can know for sure but I felt that they each had a genuine interest in each other's work. Critics tend to always rate Arthur Boyd's work more highly. However I have often noted how deeply David Boyd's work resonates with Australian art buyers. Even though he has painted a large number of paintings I keep getting contacted by clients who are keen to get hold of a good painting - a request that is increasingly becoming hard to fulfill.

Posted in: Collecting Art

If you were to ask an Australian art collector to name their favourite abstract painter from this country then I would guess that most would answer John Coburn. Like the works of other well known artists - such as John Olsen, Tim Storrier and Robert Dickerson - mature John Coburn paintings have a very distinctive style which is easy to pick out once you have seen a few examples. Coburn is not however an abstract painter in the pure sense - but for that matter is anyone? His shimmering shapes echo the distinctive small hills of the Australian landscape that stand out in such contrast to the vast flatness of the desert. Coburn also had a great ability to evoke in visual form the strange feeling of evening light and the abstract harmonies of music.

Posted in: Collecting Art