Joint Show – Chase Archer & Neil Tomkins

From 2pm Saturday 23rd September 2017, Chase Archer and Neil Tomkins present their joint show at Q Bank Gallery in Queenstown. If you can’t make it, here are some of the artworks that feature. For sales enquiries, email qbankgallery@gmail.com.

“Across the River from the Esplanade” by Neil Tomkins. 61x61cm. Acrylic on un-stretched canvas. $665.00. Sold. “This work came together really easily and I love when the brush and paint can do a lot of the thinking. It’s when the artist can act as vessel. This work is one of the old houses near the train station and I’m told may have been the conductor’s house. It is viewed from the other side of the river and references some of the local trees and ferns common to Queenstown.”

“Dismantling a mountain” by Chase Archer. 30x40cm oil on board. $450. “This work references the mountain scenes around the town. These mountains bare the marks of human intervention, as though they have just been picked up from one spot and shifted to the other while searching for valuables. I’ve walked up through some of these mountains that are being swallowed back up by the trees, creating a strange dichotomy between people and environment.”

“Top of Little Orr St” by Neil Tomkins. 61x61cm. acrylic on un-stretched canvas. $665.00. Sold. “This was one of the first works completed in my first week of the residency. It references the top end of Orr Street and some of the unusual ferns that are common in the area. It was the first trickles of fresh water coming down form the mountains that inspired me to paint this work.”

“Mr Jennings” by Chase Archer. 30x40cm oil on board. $450. Sold. “While researching the history of the local area and Tasmania in general, I came across an image of Thomas D Jennings. Jennings was credited with being the biggest man in Tasmania. The image was just too good to pass up. The impeccable tailoring of the clothing, the regal look at the camera. I knew immediately it would make a good painting. I wanted to play around with repetition and size. It’s always a challenge repeating an image multiple times in one painting. The little variations in this work appeal to me, as though a slight flick of the brush can change the entire feeling of the work.”

“Queenstown Footy Field” by Neil Tomkins. 61x61cm. Acrylic on canvas. $715.00. Sold. “This is the largest of the paintings I’ve finished of Queenstown Oval. The area offers lush views of the snow-capped mountains as well as the textures of the field surprisingly came together very easily and nicely. It is one of the community’s most visited spots when football season is on.”

“Prospectors” by Chase Archer. 30x40cm oil on board. $450. Sold. “Prospectors depicts two early gold fossickers panning for gold along the water’s edge. The discovery of gold in the mountainous areas surrounding Queenstown prompted the formation of the Mount Lyell Gold Mining company, which in turn began to mine for the copper of which this region is famous for.”

“Road to Penghana” by Neil Tomkins. 51x35cm. Acrylic on un-stretched canvas. $555.00. Sold. “This work is refrenced from a shot taken on the other side of the river and depicts one of the oldest houses in Queenstown, the mining manager’s house known as Penghana. This house has the perfect feel to be translated as a painting. The detail in the construction of this house on the hill is really amazing and it looks beautiful.”

“On the punt” by Chase Archer. 30x40cm oil on board. $450. Sold. “This work is based on some historic photos of people gathering to watch a trotters race, with men chatting or standing about waiting for the next race. When I first arrived in Queenstown I bought a little pocket radio as something to have on in the background while I worked. The radio ended up having only a couple of stations that could be tuned into, one being a station playing the horse races. When I felt like a break from one of the three or four available stations, I would whack on the horses and have a listen. I think through this initial exposure, the idea took hold. When reading through a Tasmanian history book in the library I saw the images and it was a done deal.”

“Cute House, Queenstown” by Neil Tomkins. 40x40cm. Acrylic on Canvas. $495.00. “On the chilly winter days it’s sometimes hard to get out of the house, so when the rain breaks and I can take a walk I usually use it as an opportunity to get some reference shots of the areas Im working in. This work is referencing one of my favourite houses in Queesntown. It’s on Cutten Street, which is why I named it Cute House. It was one of the first paintings completed for this series.”

“Quagmire” by Chase Archer. 30x40cm oil on board. $450. “This painting is of a fully laden wagon trying to get through the mud. No doubt a fairly terrifying experience for the horses. I was struck by the formal appearance of the men trying to get the wagon through this precarious situation. Suits, hats, crisp white shirts and even pocket watches. During my time down here I have had a couple of days of sun, but a lot of rain. I can understand how this sort of situation would occur and how those accustomed to this type of weather would just get in there and approach it as though it was just part of the everyday experience.”

“House on the Hill” by Neil Tomkins. 51x35cm. Acrylic on un-stretched canvas. $555.00. “This was the first piece created for this residency and it is a house that sits half way up the mountain and in clear view of the studio window. I really enjoyed drawing and painting it in the first weeks of residency.”

“Suited up” by Chase Archer. 21.5×30.5cm biro on handmade paper. $150. Sold.

“Hills of Queenstown” by Neil Tomkins. Ink on recycled A2 paper. $275.00. “All paper works are completed on watercolour paper created by Dodgy Paper Co. with collaboration by the artist. This paper has been handmade out of 100% recycled drawings by Neil Tomkins pulped in process and upcycled to produce this completely unique paper. All works are representations by the artist of the Tasmanian West Coast and specifically the Queenstown Area.”

“Cascade Eye” by Chase Archer. 10.5x12cm oil on aluminium beer can. $80.

“Queenstown in Color” by Neil Tomkins. Ink and watercolour on recycled A3 paper. $150.00. “All paper works are completed on watercolour paper created by Dodgy Paper Co. with collaboration by the artist. This paper has been handmade out of 100% recycled drawings by Neil Tomkins pulped in process and upcycled to produce this completely unique paper. All works are representations by the artist of the Tasmanian West Coast and specifically the Queenstown Area.”

“Retrieval” by Chase Archer. 20.5x30cm oil on board. $350.

“Mount Jukes Lookout” by Neil Tomkins. 40x40cm. Acrylic on Canvas. $495.00. “This work was an experiment at first. I’ve never painted snow so these are my first snow paintings and are rather different to a lot of my work. I really enjoyed painting this snowman that I saw on the side of Mount Jukes Road lookout on a very snowy morning driving to some places unreachable without 4×4.”