Some marvelous weaving and threading on show at the MCA in Sydney at the moment, as part of the String Theory exhibition.

New Brian Calvin paintings on show now at Corvi Mora gallery

 

are you really there?

lady singing on horse

A couple of drawings I included in the recent Farang Mak exhibition, are seemingly unrelated to the Thai theme. They were done back at my parents house in Melbourne, when we landed back here in July. The lower one is a young Stevie Nicks. The one above is a lady from Baz's Great Gatsby movie and a character of my own invention, enjoying her company. I like the the real/unreal theme in the Gatsby story.

Peak hour
oil on linen, 360 x 310mm
A selection of my new work can now be viewed online at www.brettmcdowellgallery.com

  

My portrait of Darren Knight for the Doug Moran Portrait Prize. I've never entered a big comp like this so was happy it made it through to the final.

 http://www.moranprizes.com.au/competition/2013-doug-moran-national-portrait-prize/finalists

don't get too tired for love...

The show has quite a Thai influence as it was mostly made during our first ten months living in Bangkok. We would go for a walk each day when it cooled down a bit and buy some durian fruit or a cold drink and sometimes a Thai vogue magazine, then sit outside with the other Thai mothers and their children in the park where I would practice my terrible Thai skills and learn about raising a child. Back at the apartment I started cutting up the Thai vogue magazines to make collages some of which have been recomposed for paintings. I imagine Thailand is a very different place now to 1948 when US entrepreneur Jim Thompson, set up a huge (cheesy) silk trade there. He went out to remote villages to find silk, while in 2013, I just flicked through magazines. The invite image is inspired by this kind of exchange.

not really sure how to feel about it,
somethin' in the way you move
makes me feel like i can't live without it
it takes me all the way
and i want you to stay