27 May - 15 June 2010
about the exhibition
Madeleine Winch’s most recent body of work consists of paintings drawn from her personal observations of human behaviour and her own deeply felt experiences. Her beautifully rendered portraits of figures set in sparse domestic interiors provide an atmosphere where a secret inner world is revealed. Immersed in silent thoughts and feelings, capturing a moment in time, her figures either reflect on the past or contemplate the future. Working simultaneously on several canvases at once, Madeleine develops her works slowly over a number of months using a somewhat predetermined palette which subtly changes as the works grow and evolve. Madeleine’s works on paper develop more spontaneously using a variety of wet and dry mediums including gesso, charcoal, watercolour and pastel. The subtle variations in expression of her figures engage the viewer; the characters communicating their thoughts and emotions via their transfixing gaze. Positioned within a kitchen or living space, sometimes with everyday items such as bowls of fruit and kitchenware, her leading female figure often seems to be somewhat removed from her surroundings, seemingly in search of something beyond her everyday life.
Born in 1950 in Melbourne, Madeleine Winch studied Design at the National Art School in Sydney, graduating in 1967. Furthering her artistic career, she travelled and studied abroad in the UK and Europe, including Greece where she set up a studio on the island of Paros. Madeleine’s work has been shown in exhibitions in Paris, Chile, China, New Zealand and USA. This is Madeleine’s sixth exhibition at Beaver Galleries and her work is represented in many collections including the Orange Regional Gallery, Dubbo Regional Art Gallery, New England Regional Art Museum and Macquarie University, Sydney. Her work has also been selected for major award exhibitions including the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Sulman and Dobell Awards at the Art Gallery of NSW and, in 2004, she won the Kedumba Drawing Award.
