Photo shoot for upcoming Solo Exhibition Homage To The Horse

ARTIST PROFILE: ROSLYN NOLEN

Western Australian Artist Roslyn Nolen Announces Solo Exhibition: Homage To The Horse (27 January – 2 February 2017)

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Acclaimed Western Australian Artist Roslyn Nolen announces her latest solo exhibition ‘Homage To The Horse’ to be held at Gallows Gallery, Mosman Park in Perth from 27 January to 2 February 2017. The wild horse dominates this forum and the expressive work depicts the noble animal in its truest form.

This exquisite and accomplished collection of 29 works explores the anatomy of the horse in interesting compositions and technical acquisition in a way that will appeal to those in and beyond the equine world.

Growing up surrounded by horses, it wasn’t until adulthood that artist Nolen fully came to realise and appreciate the majestic beauty and soulful intelligence of these creatures.

Both Nolen’s parents came from a lineage of country people, the family had horses and Roslyn’s father was a horse trainer. Nolen reflects that as a child she was never a confident rider and it wasn’t until her nephew, jockey Luke Nolen was given the opportunity of a lifetime to ride Black Caviar that reignited a connection to her past. Painting Luke on Black Caviar sparked a deeply reflective experience, as a result horses now dominate Roslyn’s work.

In preparation for the ‘Homage To The Horse’ exhibition Nolen travelled to the remote outback of the Northern Territory to observe, sketch and capture photo references of the most elusive of horses; the wild brumbies. A tremendous and perilous experience, it’s one that the artist says will stay with her  forever – in the vast, isolated, empty and sometimes haunting landscapes of the remote Pine Creek region.

Not a place for the faint hearted, the artist endured extreme heat, crawling insects and country unknown. Dangerous encounters with scrub bulls added to the sense of adventure whilst she searched for the elusive brumbies. Each day of her search across this expansive almost hostile country, Nolen had the pleasure of observing these wild horses which she skilfully depicts in this latest work.            

“Observing a stallion, so watchful and asserting protective authority over his band of horses is powerful and humbling. These brumbies have had little, if any, human contact.” Nolen explains.

Nolen also collaborated with photographer Katie Mendle of Calico Pony and Mae Lee Sun, journalist and wild horse activist, drawing on their photography as reference material for ‘Homage To The Horse’, bringing more depth and variation to this exquisite collection. Using a range of materials including acrylic, biro, ink, graphite and charcoal, Nolen’s exhibition is a must see.

‘Homage To The Horse’ by Roslyn Nolen

Gallows Gallery, 53 Glyde Street, Mosman Park Perth, Western Australia

Friday 27 January – Thursday 2 February 2017