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Denis Clarke

 

Denis Clarke studied in Sydney at the National Art School, 1972-75. While still studying he was awarded the NSW Travelling Art Scholarship to study abroad, and an Australian Arts Council Travel Grant. This enabled him to do post-graduate studies at the St Martins School of Art, London, in 1975-76. He stayed in London for the next 23 years, painting, drawing and exhibiting. In 1982 and 1983 he designed and painted sets for Opera Factory productions in Zurich and London.

In London Denis Clarke saw artists such as Leon Kossoff and other School of London painters as healthy role models. However, his work is different from theirs, perhaps because of his Sydney roots. Working directly from everyday subjects and urban life, his images are colourful, complex, accessible yet challenging, and provide a unique insight into the Sydney environment.

Since relocating to Sydney's inner west in 1998, Clarke's work continues to reflect these qualities. It has also begun to adjust to the iconographic features of the city, such as electricity poles and corrugated iron, industry encroaching on civilisation, its visual texture, space and scale.

Clarke has had solo exhibitions in London at the DM Gallery, the Boundary Gallery, and three times at James Colman Fine Art. In Switzerland he has had solos at the Mini Galerie, Schaffhausen; Galerie Ursula Wiedenkeller, Zurich; and the Tan Galerie, Zurich. In Sydney he has exhibited at the Holdsworth Galleries, and three times at Harris Courtin Gallery, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. He continues to exhibit in London, at James Colman Fine Art.

Clarke’s work “St Peters Factory Wall Study” was acquired in the 2003 Blackfriars Acquisitive Drawing Award and was described by the judge Hendrik Kolenberg as “Fine cohesively realised drawing with subtle feeling for space - simple, resolved, subtle, restrained.”

He has been in group exhibitions in Sydney at Harris Courtin Gallery, Macquarie Galleries, the National Art School, Gallery Savah, several galleries in London, and in Belgium. He is represented in Public Collections, including The Alexander Mackie School of Art, Sydney; The Art Gallery of New South Wales; Blackfriars Trust, Sydney; The Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, UK; General Accident Life, Headquarters, York, UK; and Lloyds of London Underwriters.

He currently teaches drawing at the National Art School in Sydney.

Clarke’s powerful urban images, still-lifes and landscapes speak of an artist of great integrity, dedication, and insight, influenced by Expressionism but with a style all his own.

Qualifications

1975       Diploma in Art Education, Alexander Mackie CAE and National Art School, Sydney.

1975-76  Certificate of Advanced Painting, postgraduate study, St Martins School of Art, London

1976-78  Part-time study in life drawing, Byam Shaw School of Art, Chelsea School of Art,
             and Morley College, London.

General Biography and Awards

1974        Awarded the New South Wales Travelling Art Scholarship to study abroad.

1974        Awarded the Dyason Bequest from the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

1975        Awarded an Australian Arts Council Travel Grant.

1976-77    Awarded the Moya Dyring studio at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.

1982        Designed set painting for the Opera Factory London production of 
                   Harrison Birtwhistle’s Punch and Judy.

1983-84    Designed sets and costumes for the Opera Factory Zurich production of Howard Goodall’s
                   Der Glöckner von Notre-Dame.

1990-98    Exhibiting and teaching in London with exhibitions in the UK and Australia.

2003         Blackfriars Acquisitive Drawing Award.

Solo Exhibitions

1978          The New South Wales House Gallery, London.

1981          The Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney, Australia.

1983          The New South Wales House Gallery, London.

1984          Mini Galerie, Schaffhausen, Switzerland.

1986          DM Gallery, Dover Street, London.

1988          Warwickshire County Museum, Warwick Arts Festival, UK.

1988          The Boundary Gallery, London, Australia Observed .

1989          Galerie Ursula Wiedenkeller, Zurich, Switzerland.

1991          The Tan Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland.

1995          James Colman Fine Art, London, Old Lands New Visions.

1997          James Colman Fine Art, London, New Work.

2000          James Colman Fine Art, London, In Colour.

2001          Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney.

2002          Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney

2004          Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney.

2008          Harris Courtin Gallery, Sydney.

Selected Group Exhibitions

1973/74     Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, Young Painters

1974          Commemorative Desiderius Orban Exhibition, Bondi Pavillion Theatre, Sydney.

1978          Morley Gallery, London, Annual Exhibition.

1979          9th International Exhibition, Art Actuel, Belgium.

1980          New South Wales House Gallery, London, Australian Artists of Fame and Promise.

1986          Gillian Jason Gallery, London, 50 Years of British Drawing.

1988/90     Boundary Gallery, London, Gallery Artists.

1989/90/93 Represented at International Contemporary Art Fair, Olympia,
                     and Art 93, Islington, by Boundary Gallery.

1992          Gallery Savah, Sydney, Australia, Three Australian Painters.

1993          Boundary Gallery, London, Winter Exhibition - Four Painters.

1994          Alexandra Palace, London (Exhibition of Judges Work).

1995-98     Represented at Art 95, Art 96, Art 97, Islington, by James Colman Fine Art.

1989/90/93 Represented at 20th Century British Art Fair, London, by James Colman Fine Art.

1995/97/98 Represented at Line Art, Ghent, Belgium, by James Colman Fine Art.

1998          Along the Line: A Drawing Inquiry, James Colman Fine Art.

1999          Represented at Brussells Art Fair, James Colman Fine Art.

2000          Exhibition of Lecturers, National Art School, Sydney, Australia.

2001-2002  Harris Courtin Gallery, ‘Gallery Artists’.

2003 2003  Blackfriars Acquisitive Drawing Award touring exhibition.

2005-2008  Charles Sturt University, Visiting Lecturers Summer and Winter School Exhibition.

2005          Harris Courtin Gallery, ‘Gallery Artists’.

2005          Walking the Line, National Art School Academic Staff, Exhibition of Drawing.

2006          Group of Eight, James Colman Gallery, Norwich, UK.

2007          Spirit of The Times, The Salthouse, Norfolk, UK.

2008          Harris Courtin Gallery, Gallery Artists.

Teaching Experience

1988          Series of master classes in conjunction with Warwickshire Arts Festival, UK.

1990-98    Teacher in painting and drawing at the Camden School of Art
                   and Hampstead School of Art, London.

1999-2008 Lecturer, Department of Drawing, for Bachelor of Fine Arts, National Art School, Sydney.

2003-2008 Teacher in drawing at the Northern Sydney Institute TAFE, Sydney Gallery School,
                    Meadowbank (to 2004), and Brookvale Campus.

2002-2008 Summer School tutor, Mitchell School, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst Campus.

Public Collections

Macquarie University, Sydney, Art Gallery of New South Wales (Selection from Scholarship Work) Sydney, Blackfriars Drawing Trust, The Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK,
   General Accident Life, Headquarters, York, UK, Lloyds of London (RGB Underwriting), London.

Bibliography

Waddell, Heather, London Australia Magazine, December 1979, review of NSW House London exhibition
   ‘Artists of Fame and Promise’ with special mention.

Boys, Larry, Australian Women’s Weekly, 9 January 1980, colour reproduction of painting
   to accompany short review of ‘Artists of Fame and Promise’ at NSW House London.

Borlase, Nancy, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 June 1981, review of solo exhibition of mainly London work at
   The Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney.

Miles, Brenda, The Daily Telegraph, 6 June 1981, ‘Painting a message’, reproduction of two drawings and article on the artist for solo exhibition at Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney.

McIntyre, Arthur, Art and Australia, Spring Issue 1982, Exhibitions of Note in 1981, special mention.

Phillpotts, Beatrice, Arts Review, London, May 1983, review of solo exhibition,
   NSW House Gallery, London, May-June 1983.

Bührer, E, Schaffhauser Nachrichten, 30 July 1984, ‘Die Welt als Bild und Bewegung’,
   review of solo exhibition at the Mini Gallery, Schaffhausen, 28 July - 25 August, 1984.

Atelier in der Mini-Galerie, ‘Brutalität und Idylle’, SchaffhauserAZ, Monday 30 July 1984,
   review of solo exhibition at the Mini Gallery, Schaffhausen, 28 July - 25 August, 1984.

Waddell, Heather, ‘Lettre de Londres’, Vie des Arts, Montreal, Winter Issue 1984/5,
   review of solo show at NSW House Gallery, May-June 1983.

Waddell, Heather, New Art International, Winter 1986, review of solo exhibition at
   DM Gallery, Dover St, London, 5 - 30 September, 1986.

Elwes, Luke, ‘Australian Art Now and Then’, Galleries, April 1988, vol 5 No 11,
   review of ‘Australia Observed’, shared exhibition at Boundary Gallery, April-May 1988.

Russell Taylor, John, The Times, April 19, 1988, ‘Advance Australia fair and be recognised’,
   review of ‘Australia Observed’, shared exhibition at Boundary Gallery, April-May 1988.

‘Mother Earth encountered’, Hampstead and Highgate Express, April 29, 1988,
   review and reproduction of drawing from ‘Australia Observed’, shared exhibition at
   Boundary Gallery, April-May 1988.

Lucie-Smith, Edward, British Artists of the 20th Century, 1989, biographical details listed.

‘Summer in all its colours’, Hampstead and Highgate Express, August 17, 1990,
   review of group exhibition at Boundary Gallery, London with special mention.

Lovatt, Estelle, ‘The streets of London’, Southern Cross Magazine, December 13, 19995,
   review of solo exhibition at James Colman Fine Art, 21 Nov - 21 Dec 1995.

Art95, ‘London Contemporary Art Fair’, Catalogue, January 1995, reproduction of
   ‘Still Life, Studio Corner’, 1994.

Art96, ‘London Contemporary Art Fair’, Catalogue, January 1996, reproduction of ‘Soho Siren’.

‘Denis Clarke: New Work’, catalogue of exhibition at James Colman Fine Art,
   30 October - 22 November 1997.

What’s On in London, 1997, reproduction of Man on a Park Bench and caption outlining exhibition at
   James Colman Fine Art, 30 October - 22 November.

Waddell, Heather, London Art and Artists Guide, 1997, ‘Interview with Denis Clarke’,
   reproductions of paintings.

Waddell, Heather, The London Art World 1979-99, 2000, photograph of artist in studio and paintings.

The Week, 25 March 2000, ‘Where to buy’, review of exhibition at James Colman Fine Art, April 2000.

‘Powerful urban images’, Collector, Wentworth Courier, May 16 2001,
   reproduction of painting and review exhibition at Polly Courtin Gallery, May 2001.

Gotting, Peter, Sydney Morning Herald, May 1 2001, ‘Spotlight’,
   reproduction and listing of exhibition at Polly Courtin Gallery, May 2001.

Kidd, Courtney, Sydney Morning Herald, May 2001, ‘Critics pick’ listings.

Sydney Morning Herald, 2002, ‘Spotlight’,
   reproduction, review and listing of exhibition at Harris Courtin Gallery, October 2002.

Sydney Morning Herald, 2004, ‘Spotlight’,
   reproduction, review and listing of exhibition at Harris Courtin Gallery, March 2004.

‘Walking the Line’, National Art School Academic Staff, Exhibition of Drawing catalogue, 2005.