LIBBY HAINES

THE CHAOS AND THE CALM

28 April – 8 May 2022

Art and Dine Experience: Thursday 28th April, 6-9 pm

Catalogue & Price List: View PDF Catalogue (4.6 Mb)

VISIT ‘THE CHAOS & THE CALM’ VIEWING ROOM

Saint Cloche warmly welcomes sought after Melbourne painter Libby Haines with her first Sydney solo presentation, ‘The Chaos and the Calm’ – the stuff of life!

An exultant examination of the extraordinary in the ordinary, focussing on coming together to share a meal, an intrinsic part of domestic life.

“Since becoming a mother I have found the juggle between chaos and calm to be almost constant. As my children are growing, I’m learning to embrace the chaos more and accept the unpredictable nature of living with toddlers. For me it’s been about giving up on always being in control, which is difficult but incredibly freeing. It also means embracing time apart without guilt but rather a way to re-energize and take stock.

At the heart of all these moments whether hectic of peaceful, there is always a meal. The process of creating this exhibition has had me not only reflect on motherhood, but also my childhood, and the food that brought me joy growing up.

Each painting began with a sketch, referencing photos from my own life and vintage cookbooks from childhood. When it came to putting brush to canvas, I gave into what felt intuitive and natural regarding colour and stroke. It was quite literally a meditative escape for me to create. I worked from a room at home, so I often found myself stopping and starting, especially on the larger paintings, switching from Mum-mode back to painting, with just a moment’s notice, the reality of working from home with young kids.

I think my state of mind is visible in each of the paintings, there is an energy and mayhem to them. Contrasted with elements of beauty and peace where I used colour blocking and pattern to attempt to reign that mess in.

The result is a fantasy world, one of romance and dreaminess. I hope to invoke nostalgia with the warm and vintage inspired colours and emulate the feeling a particular meal can bring you. Scattered through the works, a common appliance, household food brand or child’s toy, a reminder of the reality these images stem from. “

~ Libby Haines

 

ABOUT LIBBY HAINES

Originally from Sale, Gippsland, Libby traded the country for Melbourne, where she paints from her studio at home. An artist and a mother, Libby’s work reveres the delight of ordinary, everyday moments and the wistful reminiscence of objects in bold, colourful still life paintings.

For Libby, painting has become a form of escapism to marinate within and to generate an alternate reality inspired by her surroundings. Alongside joy and feelings of nostalgia, a naïve and playful sense comes through her work. Capturing the routine humdrum of everyday existence —her shower, unmade bed, or a kitchen table-top — but in textural brushstrokes and vibrant colours, they become alive and not quite reality.

Within Libby’s practice, the subject matter reflects aspects of domesticity and the constraints of motherhood, yet here the unremarkable is under the spotlight. Appreciating the unremarkable moments of life, especially through this pandemic. Cooking, eating, enjoying a nice bottle of wine, all to a tonal palette that is full of joy and slightly odd.

Innermost details from within the home are introspective of the viewers’ intimate knowledge with their own surroundings. As a result, the artworks are tethered in the power of now, contemplative of both the journey of motherhood and recent lockdown life.