John Maitland Exhibition- Colour Harmonies 2021

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A new exhibition of paintings celebrating life and joy by John Maitland showing at 1 Martin Place from December 8 - 16.

'Stepping back and surveying this, my latest body of work, I've come to the conclusion that its retrospective qualities are reflecting our collective experiences of the past twenty months; uncertainty, lockdowns, and separation from loved ones. Harmonious pinks, greys, yellows and deep blues with a chalkiness and slightly unfinished quality evoke an emotional response from the viewer. Colour talks! 

Noisy chatter, laughter and quiet contemplation emanate from the various canvasses;  Girls Dancing Under the Little Yellow Tree and Girls Dancing Under The Jacaranda giggle and shriek,  Patrick and the Horse and Girl in White - quietude and contemplation. Deep Blue - thickly applied paint and saturation of colour lend an air of excitement as the kite breaks the deep blue of the sky.  Girls Running - paintings with their saturated colour suggest laughter and chattering and mischief as they tug at each other's pigtails whilst the Girls' Picnic series are idealised and harmonious in colour and form. They are girls searching for the perfect place in vast utopian landscapes, picking flowers on the way to their destination………evoking boundless freedom.  

I paint with brightness, optimism and I hope that my work uplifts and symbolises the freedom which so many have been deprived of for so long. I wish everyone a happy and joy-filled Christmas.'

- John Maitland -