Stillness adds sense of motion

Still life painter Crispin Akerman says while subjects of his artwork are motionless there is a sense of movement implied within the stillness.

Picture by David Bailey

‘‘This dynamic contains the contemplative potential of the work, the suggestion of the kinetic in the static, the metaphysical promise that is present in the very words ‘still life’,’’ he said.

The Bunbury-based artist recently moved back to WA after three years in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

Mr Akerman works mostly in oil on linen to produce his paintings and has submitted one of his works for this year’s South Western Times Survey at the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries.

With a history dating back 25 years, the South Western Times-sponsored exhibition showcases the work of both established artists and emerging talents, celebrating the diversity and depth of regional visual arts practice.

Mr Akerman said objects become ‘‘part of what we are’’ through use and familiarity—an idea portrayed in his work.

‘‘Fruit and books signify nourishment and abundance,’’ he said.

‘‘Bowls, jars and jugs suggest daily ritual, a constancy or abidance which is in contrast with the impermanence of the objects themselves.’’

Mr Akerman said the work drew on decorative, architectural, geometric and spatial devices.

‘‘The idea of balance that is implied in these forms inevitably carries the idea of imbalance and chaos,’’ he said.

The exhibition opens on February 11 with a street party and a performance from Perth-based band The Vans at the Galleries.