Local artist Chris Flood has created a mammoth 1.7 metre high by three metre wide abstract canvas to be displayed at Freycinet Lodge.
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The artwork has taken almost a month to complete, and will be heading to Freycinet today in Mr Flood’s van.
Mr Flood said that his style of layering paint means that finishing a canvas requires a larger time commitment than other approaches. This particular piece features 45 separate layers of paint, coming together to create the final textured effect of the work.
“This painting is called Come Close, and it’s influenced by the area around Freycinet: the granite, oaks, lichen, and all of that,” he said. “It asks the viewer to look closer and more deeply at the landscape. Freycinet itself is about slowing down, so it’s reflecting that.”
Mr Flood once swore that he would never create abstract works, but after coming to understand the medium, it is now his specialty. He said he is drawn to the psychological element of the genre, as every person who digests an abstract work is likely to have a unique reaction.
“It speaks to the mind, it’s more interpretative,” he said.
“Abstract to me is a reflection of the viewer, which I find more interesting. It’s a good reflective medium because everyone is able to reflect individually.
“It’s also influenced by my past as a furniture restorer. In sanding back an old chair that’s got 20 layers of paint on it you find this history, and with abstract you do the same thing with people. My main work has been around what is below the surface, that we usually miss.”
Follow Chris Flood on Instagram at @chris_flood_artist.
