DONALD JAMES WATERS EDGE .

FINE ART EXHIBITION LINTON & KAY GALLERIES SUBIACO 299 RAILWAY ROAD, SUBIACO WA 08) 9388 3300 7TH - 26TH MARCH 2015 WWW.DJWATERS.COM.AU

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ABOUT THE ARTIST...Donald James Waters is an established Australian artist with an illustrious career spanning well over three decades. While best described as a contemporary artist, Donald’s artwork transcends many genres to create a truly unique yet ever evolving and eclectic style.

For DJW, art is a predetermined path he has been unable to deviate from. “At the early age of three my potential as an artist came to the fore. I would sit on the lounge room floor painting and drawing with anything I could lay my hands on... boot polish, nail polish, lipstick... anything that had colour and could be used as paint!”

Donald is a man who is passionate about his art. He sees it as an adventure that must be experienced not only by the artist, but also by the viewer. When speaking with him you can’t help but be engulfed by his presence, he sees the world from a spiritual, naive and beautiful perspective. Listening to Donald you are plunged into a vibrant and colourful world which he recreates onto canvas.

Donald has relaxed the confines of his initial beginnings in botanical art by using stylised strokes, overemphasised characters and bold blocks of colour to shift his primary focus to that of a storyteller rather than a technically correct traditional artist.

Donald’s career has taken his art to every corner of the globe and his distinctive style has made its way into the catalogues of many private and corporate collectors alike, including that of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s art collection. More recently Donald has concentrated his efforts closer to home; touring Queensland with a series of sold out exhibitions, commissioned government art projects and communty programs.

ABOUT HIS WORk ...A Donald James Waters painting is not merely a visual reproduction of a landscape or portraiture but a romanticised recollection of memory tainted with childhood naivety, embellished by imagination in hope of what could be. The depth of Donald’s character is evident within his works which illustrate his love of nature which he immerses himself in and chooses to personify through art - Donald possesses the cool, soothing qualities of the rainforest, he has the strength of the enduring earth, and is a soul washed clean and invigorated by the sea. Engulfing you on his journey combining localities and moments, reminiscing upon an untamed childhood climbing trees and playing in the dusty red soil of the vast Outback; through a sunburnt adolescence stretching across the Australian coastline spent leaping into the ocean, fishing from rock precipices, surfing on Bondi Beach and sailing across Sydney Harbour; and finally into adulthood, where Donald softens his lines and palette to evoke an effortless air of maturity seeking solace from the urban sprawl under the peaceful cover of the dappled rainforest and the far reaching luminescent yet unforgiving sea through a medley of all elements geographical and artistic to push the bounds of escapism into the realm of the improbable.

Enjoy.

WATERS EDGEABOUT THE SERIES...

‘Waters Edge’ embodies DJW’s signature style of depicting remote and idyllic scenes in a welcomed escape from modern day reality whilst also exploring our philosophical relationship with water. This collection of artworks aims to explore water as a purifier, as a creator and a destructor; water as a symbol for life, renewal, wisdom, transition and reflection. ‘Waters’ Edge’ is a deeply personal, honest and reflective collection for Donald James Waters. Each artwork represents the development of his personal ethos through visual imagery, embarking on the (slightly) egocentric pursuit of exploring the various physical qualities of his namesake – water – as a metaphor for the many facets of one self and also life as a whole.

Just as the human condition is comprised of a spectrum of ever changing states, water takes on all forms and has many opposing qualities. It is hard as it is soft, it is life-giving as it is destructive, peaceful as it is playful. As his profile grows, Australian contemporary artist and eternal optimist Donald James Waters scrambles to maintain the many roles he pursues in addition to artist. He identifies as a teacher, mentor, mental health advocate, motivational speaker, environmental activist, grass roots politician, board member, businessman, husband, father, brother, son and friend.

These artworks serve as his therapy on canvas, his life lessons drawn from water – growth, stillness, persistence, patience, strength, and balance.

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GROWTH

Artwork Title: Loving LifeCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen1500mm x 1800mm

Artwork Title: City Camp I, II & IIICharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen, 3 x (300mm x 400mm)

“no water, no life. no blue, no green.” SYLVIA EARLE

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GROWTH

Artwork Title: Searching for ArcadiaCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen1500mm x 1800mm

Artwork Title: FamilyCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen500mm x 1400mm

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Artwork Title: Birth of a StarbrightCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen1000mm x 500mm

Artwork Title: Homeward BoundCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen800mm x 2000mm

growth

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STREnGTH“Water is fluid, soft and yielding. But water will wear away rock, . which is rigid and cannot yield.

This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.” LAO TZU

Artwork Title: RestlessSynthetic polymer on paper740mm x 550mm

Artwork Title: Portside ParkingCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen500mm x 1000mm

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strengthArtwork Title: Let the Journey BeginCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen900mm x 1200mm

Artwork Title: ZoomCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen1500mm x 1800mm

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strength

Artwork Title: RescueCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen

600mm x 600mm

Artwork Title: BreachCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen1000mm x 1000mm

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REFLECTIOn“It is life, I think, to watch the water. A man can learn so many things.” nICHOLAS SPARkS

Artwork Title: Secret SevenCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen400mm x 1200mm

Artwork Title: Testing the WatersCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen750mm x 1500mm

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REFLECTIONArtwork Title: Looking Glass BayCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen1000mm x 1000mm

Artwork Title: PlungeSynthetic polymer on paper740mm x 550mm

Artwork Title: Sounds of SilenceSynthetic polymer on paper600mm x 820mm

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Artwork Title: Pensive CoveSynthetic polymer on linen600mm x 600mm

REFLECTIONArtwork Title: WarmTalesSynthetic polymer on linen700mm x 900mm

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PLAY“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water” LORAn EISELY

Artwork Title: Wrecked IISynthetic polymer on linen1200mm x 1800mm

Artwork Title: The Rotto MagnetismCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen1800mm x 900mm

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PLAY

Artwork Title: Fishing Break ICharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen300mm x 400mm

Artwork Title: Fishing Break IICharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen300mm x 400mm

Artwork Title: Fishing Break IIICharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen300mm x 400mm

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PLAY

Artwork Title: BeachedSynthetic polymer on linen300mm x 900mm

Artwork Title: TangledSynthetic polymer on linen400mm x 1200mm

Artwork Title: Moored MeetingSynthetic polymer on linen600mm x 600mm

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PLAY

Artwork Title: The VaultCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen700mm x 900mm

Artwork Title: Heading OutCharcoal and synthetic polymer on linen1000mm x 500mm

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