Gallery Panel: Val Stuart

Kerry-Anne Blanket

Georgia Huestis

Salli Coppin

Val Stuart, Eustacia. Charcoal and wash, 72 x 93cm.

KERRY-ANNE BLANKET

KAB Gallery, Terrigal

This is an elegant figurative work enhanced by the artist’s use of a limited colour palette. Val Stuart has made the strokes appear effortless by distracting our eye with the heavily contrasted shadows. I love the use of charcoal over the wash as it gives a sense of movement to the otherwise resting pose. For me, less is more in regards to figurative details. The strategically suggestive lines of this artwork really makes it shine.

GEORGIA HUESTIS

The Affordable Art Fair, Melbourne

Val has successfully captured the sensuality of the human form using a hard line which she has then revisited and softened with shading. This gentle tonal gradation and restricted monochromatic palette would look gorgeous in any home. Reminiscent of Brett Whiteley’s nudes, and not dissimilar to the layering one expects to see with an Andy Warhol screen-print, this original work on paper is a superb contemporary take on what can only be described as a timeless subject.

SALLI COPPIN

Margaret River Gallery, Margaret River

The beauty of a figurative drawing such as this is the simple line and minimalist way the artist captures the subject’s form. This work has minimal shading in charcoal and the application of a wash adds warmth, leaving the figure less exposed as such. The wash also blurs the charcoal, adding to its appeal by softening the firm lines of the figure. Any home has a place for a beautiful, figurative piece.