Craig Waddell Australian, b. 1973

Long recognized as one of Australia’s most lauded painters, Craig Waddell’s practice is a testament to his great passion for the tangible characteristics of paint. Associating with the styles of Willem de Kooning and Frank Auerbach, Waddell approaches his work as an emotional and physical gesture. He loves the act of pushing, pulling - practically wrestling the paint on the canvas in a vigorous, explosive manner. This materiality is evident in his finished works; his canvases vibrate with energy. The thick waves of paint capture and move the light as it falls across the undulating surface. Although he earned both his BFA and MFA, Waddell started not as a painter, but rather a sportsman, playing cricket until the age of 23. He credits the fundamentals of his artistic practice with the training and discipline learned on the playing field: preparation, practice and most importantly, movement. Texture and movement are key to his success. Using his palette knife, Waddell doesn’t just “paint” a canvas, he builds and sculpts it.

As a young artist, his studio was on a rose farm, but he never painted flowers; he painted roosters, tractors and other objects. Although he was influenced by the landscape, he never felt that he was a landscape painter. However, after the passing of two dear friends, his perspective changed and flowers became a powerful subject for him. Painting and writing allowed him to “speak” to those who were no longer there. He could use these mediums to express his thoughts, feeling and emotions. He says, “I could fill my studio with flowers for days, weeks and sometimes months at a time. I could paint flowers from first bloom right through to decay. I could chronicle in paint, in colors, the slow transformation from life to death.” His brightly colored flowers and skulls celebrate those that have passed and are a memento mori for the living.