Gordon Hanley

{"Id":7522,"Name":"Gordon Hanley","Biography":"\u003Cstrong\u003ECONTACT INFO:\u003Cbr\u003EWebsite:\u003C/strong\u003E \u003Ca href=\u0022http://www.gordonhanley.com.au\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ewww.gordonhanley.com.au\u003C/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\nBorn 1954 in Southport, England, Gordon Hanley migrated by boat to Australia with his parents in May 1960. His childhood was marked by a largely migratory existence which saw him live variously in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, followed by 8 years on a farm in rural Queensland. Winner of a Commonwealth University Scholarship he attended University of NSW and then University of Queensland and holds a B.Sc., B.A. and Dip Ed.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EDuring this time he worked as a builder\u0027s laborer on construction sites, worked in a gold refinery and as a scientific research assistant. He then served 5 years in the military. Following work as a teacher in Science, Mathematics, History, Art and English Literature he gradually built up an art career which was launched in 1990 at Kenmore Gallery, Brisbane with a solo exhibition of 40 watercolors which sold out in 45minutes. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EFrom early childhood he displayed a talent for drawing and painting but due to unfavorable economic and personal circumstances he made a comparatively late start as a full-time artist. Following a second sell-out exhibition at Kenmore Gallery a year later, at 37 Hanley began life as a full time artist. Over the next decade he released over 50 prints in open and limited edition format - his high detail, narrative works making him one of the more recognizable artists in Australia. From 2000 - 2005 Hanley was Artist in residence at Queensland Museum and was a member of the Royal Queensland Watercolor Society. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EFascinated by the drawings of da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo, since 2009 Hanley\u0027s art shifted from watercolor painting to drawings in the Renaissance medium of metalpoint. Moving from the more traditional silver on paper, most of his recent work features drawings in 24ct gold on paper with prepared grounds of his own design and development. Using continually evolving techniques, he has moved this ancient art form into previously unexplored territory, opening it up to new possibilities. His current work in this medium features still life, figure work and portraits and he is now recognized as one of the world\u0027s leading artists in this medium.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E Over the past 5 years he has passed his knowledge on to hundreds of other artists in live demonstrations, and has been the subject of a number of TV programs and magazine articles. His contribution to realist art was recognized by the Art Renewal Center who in April 2014 awarded him the status of \u0022Living Master\u0022 (ARCLM). \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECurrently represented by Morpeth Gallery, NSW. Australia. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cu\u003EPrinted References since 2000\u003C/u\u003E\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003CLi\u003E\u003Ci\u003EInternational Artist Magazine\u003C/i\u003E Aug-Sep 2011 (IA 80) \u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E \u003Ci\u003EAustralian Artist Magazine\u003C/i\u003E (Vol 27 no.10) April 2011 \u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EArtist\u0027s Palette Magazine\u003C/i\u003E No.94. 2011 \u0022Master Craftsman Gordon Hanley\u0022 Dalerie Patterson\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Artist (UK)\u003C/i\u003E Spring ed2011 \u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Canberra Times \u003C/i\u003EArts Review Apr 20, 2011 - Jacqueline Williams\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EArtist\u0027s Palette Magazine\u003C/i\u003E No.93. 2011 \u0022Master Craftsman Gordon Hanley. Pt. 2\u0022 Dalerie Patterson\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EArtist\u0027s Palette Magazine\u003C/i\u003E No.92. 2010 \u0022Master Craftsman Gordon Hanley Pt. 1\u0022 Dalerie Patterson\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Cove Magazine\u003C/i\u003E 2010 - Rhonda Oxnam\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Hunter Post\u003C/i\u003E Jan 20, 2010 \u0022Medieval Masterpieces\u0022 \u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Hunter Post \u003C/i\u003EJan 21, 2009 - Megan Cunneen\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\nMaitland Mercury\u003C/i\u003E Jan 27, 2009 - Katie Smith\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Herald News \u003C/i\u003EJune 6, 2009 - Donna Sharpe\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENewcastle Herald\u003C/i\u003E Jan 26, 2009 - Lisa Barritt-Eyles\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAustringer Magazine\u003C/i\u003E Annual 2008 Front cover and article (reserved for \u0022The best Raptor Artist in the World\u0022. \u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Courier Mail\u003C/i\u003E Nov 2003 - Hannah Brooks\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAustralian BirdKeeper\u003C/i\u003E Dec 2001\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EGold Coast Weekender\u003C/i\u003E Oct 6, 2001 - Brian Mossop\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAccess Magazine\u003C/i\u003E State Library of Queensland 2001\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EBrisbane News\u003C/i\u003E Nov 2001 - Phil Brown\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENewcastle Herald\u003C/i\u003E Apr 21, 2000 - Linda Barnier\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Weekend Australian Magazine\u003C/i\u003E Aug 19, 2000 - Mike Safe\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBook: \u0022Jewels Of Nature: The Parrots\u0022\u003C/strong\u003E ISBN 0-646-41597-2 features over 120 paintings of parrots. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Note About Metalpoint\u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ETo readers unfamiliar with the medium, metalpoint is simply the art of drawing with a metal wire directly on to a sheet of prepared paper. To make marks on paper with a piece of metal, the paper has to be first prepared with a special abrasive undercoat. Many metals are suitable for use in metalpoint drawings: copper, lead, nickel, brass, even gold and platinum, but the most familiar and historically significant drawings were done using a fine silver wire, termed \u0022silverpoints\u0022.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThe high watermark of silverpoint was reached during the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Albrecht Durer were all masters of the medium and some of the most beautiful and recognizable drawings in the history of art were created during this period (for example Durer\u0027s \u0022The Prayer\u0022 and many of da Vinci\u0027s portraits). One only has to look at a Raphael or a da Vinci silverpoint to appreciate the exquisite subtlety of line and tone that was possible in the hands of a master. By 1550 however, the art of metalpoint went into rapid decline, due largely to the discovery of graphite in England around that time. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EGraphite had a number of advantages over metalpoint. Graphite drawings could be done on unprepared paper, mistakes could be erased, graphite was much less expensive than precious metals, but most importantly, allowed an uninterrupted tonal range from white to dark grey. What was lost in the demise of metalpoint was a beauty of line, a richness and depth of tone, combined with precision and longevity that few other art media can rival. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0022Given the medium I choose to work in, it is perhaps surprising that I am not particularly influenced by the silverpoint drawings of the great Renaissance masters. They do not touch me emotionally in the way a work by Rembrandt does. Other artists that have had an influence on my work are Vermeer, Caravaggio, the Pre-Raphaelites and various other 19th century realists and from more recent times, Andrew Wyeth. The reasons they strike such a chord with me are their narrative skill, their command of light and shade, composition and their ability to elicit an emotional response in the viewer. \nI am a realist artist, and on that broad spectrum of interpretation, I create fine art. This is the artistic style and imagery by which I choose to visually communicate my ideas, and I find that people tend to understand this more intuitively when viewing a realist work than they do with an abstract representation. Because metalpoint is a monochromatic medium, qualities such as composition, light, tonal effects, emotional impact and narrative content are all enhanced once color has been removed from the equation. It is no surprise then, that there is often a good deal of resonance between these works and those of fine art black and white photography. \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThe precision and high degree of realism of my work has sometimes led to it being referred to as \u0022photorealist\u0022. However, there is a narrative that has always flowed through my pictures and often a strong emotional content that is at odds with the movement. For these reasons I do not see myself as a photorealist, even though my works are often mistaken for fine art photographs. It is my view that there is so much more that an artist can convey to the viewer than a mere representation of reality - however well that can be technically achieved.\u0022 \u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EMetalpoint is an extremely challenging medium, largely because once drawn, a line is impossible to remove. The result is an art form requiring intense concentration and skill from the artist. There is also physicality to the work as it demands a constant pressure on the stylus, but at the same time perfect control. Few techniques demand so much of the artist, yet if mastery of this incredible medium has been attained, the results can be amazing. Portraits and figure drawings created in gold have an ethereal beauty quite unlike those produced by other drawing media. Despite its ancient origins, the possibilities of metalpoint have been barely explored, and it offers artists enormous potential for expanding their artistic horizons.","Awards":null,"HasAlbums":false,"HasPortraits":false,"HasRelationships":false,"HasArticles":false,"HasDepictedPlaces":false,"HasLetters":false,"HasLibraryItems":false,"HasProducts":false,"HasSignatures":false,"HasVideos":false,"HasMapLocations":false,"TotalArtworks":26}