A LONG way from home, Israel born artist Hanna Kay captures nature in the most subtle ways.
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Inspired by her environment, Kay moved from Tel-Aviv to Austria, New York, Sydney and finally landed in the regional town of Blandford.
Now, she’s showing her work at Weswal Gallery’s Stockroom Selection exhibition.
“I go out to the country, the desert, bush, inland, I come back to the studio and let it boil for a little bit before I come up with ideas,” she said.
“I use concept behind what I’m doing and I don’t just paint what I see, it usually has to do with issues that are quite relevant because the concerns are broader than my personal life.
“That can be influenced by anything from the refugees to the state of the environment.”
When she first arrived in Sydney with her young daughter and husband, Kay noticed the difference in light.
Trained as an artist in Vienna, Austria, she learned plenty of the old master training techniques.
“The light has always been a feature in my work,” she said.
“Light is always the first consideration when I start composing or thinking about an artwork, without light you don’t have a painting.
“The first thing that struck me was the quality of the light and the smells of the country.”
Her art is universal, in that they focus on fragments of the environment rather than the entire vista.
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Looking at them you wouldn’t know if you were in Israel, Australia or New York, and each of her pieces has an untouchable dreamlike quality.
After meeting her second husband in Vienna, the pair moved back to Israel with their daughter but had trouble adjusting to the tough political climate.
Kay wanted to get as far away from the northern hemisphere as she could, so, the family landed in Australia in the 1990’s and have never looked back.
Her art is an escape in its own, offering a window into otherworldly detail.
“It’s a very minute thing but I hope when people leave my show or leave my paintings they are changed,” she said.
“It’s not a transformation in a life-changing event, but to look at the world differently.
“I don’t want to tell people what to think and I don’t think that works anyway, I just want them to stop and lure them into contemplating a little bit.”
Her work will be shown at Weswal Gallery’s Stockroom Selection, a 10 day exhibition of some of the most recent works from sought after artists.
The exhibition opens Thursday December 13 and wraps up December 23.
Also on the walls are Anthony Michael Cahill, Lesley Cole, Gab Collins, Michelle Hungerford, Rowen Matthews, Mark Mohell, Yvonne Overton, Liz Priestley, Susan Weaver and James White.
Madeline Link
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
Madeline Link is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald, with a focus on Lake Macquarie City Council. To keep up with my stories, follow my Twitter @madeline_link, for tips email madeline.link@newcastleherald.com.au.
