Paul Knox - Solo exhibition 2025

Next date: Tuesday, 22 April 2025 | 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM

I am 73 years old and I am yet to work out what I want to do when I grow up. I think I would like to be an artist; hopefully there’s enough time left to develop!

I have always been very interested in art and my own work here is unapologetically influenced by what I have seen and admired. 

My time now is devoted to sculpture and painting. Since mid-2024 have produced a number of portraits, abstract compositions and wooden sculptures, adding to my part-time production from the years before.

The portraits. The head is always large in the frame even to the point of going beyond the edges in some cases. I like to use broad brushes and textural brushwork..

The plywood cut-outs. Influences here are Hans (Jean) Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Ben Nicholson, Isamu Noguchi. Sophie used colour in a way which I really love. These people created shapes and 3D forms that just seem perfect to me – hard to explain why exactly. When I’m doing these pieces I simply try to make things which get me to the same level of satisfaction.

The bowls. I have always liked making things, probably due to the influence of my father. With a developing interest in landscape design and construction, I became familiar with chain saws and other brutal tools. Having seen some big wooden bowls in London, I decided to try this type of robust woodwork. The bowls are made using chainsaws, planers, a tool called an Arbortech, belt sander, chisels and gouges, flat and convex spokeshaves.

The abstracts. The goals are spontaneity in the gestures and brushwork, letting the work develop on its own as you go, embracing mistakes and surprises. There are often a number of layers, some of which show through in the final version. This takes the pressure off at first – even if the first try doesn’t work, I can paint over it and maybe salvage and incorporate a few bits of the earlier attempts.

The drawings. These were done as part of a government-sponsored program designed to develop ideas that struggling regional and suburban main streets might use to enhance their chances of survival and growth in the face of changing retail trends. The drawings were done quickly and were used in community meetings to illustrate good and bad aspects of the existing townscapes, and to suggest possible improvements. Hence the written comments, some of which have been cut off for this exhibition.

Where:  Blend Cafe Art Space, Dougherty Community Centre, 7 Victor Street, Chatswood

Dates:  1 to 30 April 2025, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm - closed public holidays

When

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Location

Our centre is located within a 5-minute walk from the Chatswood Interchange via Chatswood Mall turning right into Victor Street.

As there is limited and restricted parking available in the Council open-air car park next-door, visitors may choose to use the Westfield car park across the road.

Dougherty Community Centre, 7 Victor Street, Chatswood, 2067, View Map