Crispin Akerman has earned a significant reputation for the elegant simplicity and fine balance he achieves within his favoured genre, the still life painting.  A sense of time passing is apparent with worn enamel jugs, ancient leather-bound books, fruits and autumn leaves evoking a seasonal transience.  Crispin’s use of a timeless vocabulary of domestic objects presented against textural folds of table linen and drapery, enables him to capture the simple beauty of ordinary objects.  The architectural and decorative balance implied in the forms also carries with it the notion of instability and chaos, as if something is about to happen.  This is the very element that Crispin finds so interesting, “the contemplative potential in it, the suggestion of the kinetic in the static, the metaphysical promise present in the very words ‘still life’ ”.  Crispin references both Dutch 17th century painting as well as a brand of modern hyper-realism, setting up a tension and dynamic not often associated with the austerity of still life painting.

Born in England, Crispin Akerman came to Australia with his family in 1966.  He spent many years in the music industry but left that in 1989 to pursue his lifelong interest in the visual arts.   He received a Bachelor of Visual Arts from the Canberra School of Art in 1992 and, since then, has focused on his art practice, achieving significant recognition.  Crispin’s first ever solo show was held at Beaver Galleries in 1995 and his popularity has increased with each exhibition since.  His work is represented in the collections of Artbank, Parliament House, Australian National University and BHP Billiton.