Into The Cloudtree Forest - Paintings by Greg & Slade exhibited at Damien Minton Presents.

38 Botany Rd Alexandria NSW

25 Oct - 5 Nov 2022

artist Statement

Slade and I collaborated on a series of paintings and sculptures that depict a vivid world of our imaginations. Inspired by nature and the lush sub-tropical rainforest where we live on Dunghutti land on the mid North Coast of NSW, and with a love of fantasy and science fiction, we merged our complementary styles to create an atmospheric world of unearthly flora. These works feature the lyrical geometry and playfulness of Slade Smith’s graphic drawing style with the colourful and modernist abstract composition of my paintings.

The Cloudtree Forest is located within the Uncanny Cape. The Uncanny Cape has always been uncanny, a place where reality shifts. The Cloudtree Forest is at the heart of the Cape where the natural order has been allowed to develop into a kaleidoscope of fantastical plants. We created these works as a visual diary of our geographic dream journey to search for the wondrous Cloudtrees. The Cloudtrees have the incredible ability to rotate. As they slowly turn, the passing clouds are mysteriously absorbed onto the trees trunk, where they remain imprinted forever.

Along the journey, we discovered a strange and colourful world of geometry along the Cape’s beaches, creeks and lagoons. Into the Cloudtree Forest reveals an upended version of the real world, with abstract gum trees, cartoonish cumulus clouds, melting palms and enticing mushrooms.