Ken Done: Sea Gardens

Ken Done: Sea Gardens

Currently on display at the Tweed River Art Gallery , Murwillumbah. Ken Done: Sea Gardens 18 January to 3 March

Ken Done, AM, born 29 June 1940 in Sydney, is an Australian artist best known for his design work. His simple, brightly coloured images of Australian landmarks have adorned a very popular range of clothing and homewares sold under the "Done Design" brand.

Done's first solo exhibition was in Sydney in 1980. To date he has staged over 50 exhibitions dedicated solely to his work.

Ken Done grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, and left high school at age 14 to study at the National Art School in East Sydney between 1954 and 1959.At the end of this decade he traveled abroad and began working with the New York and London based advertising agency J. Walter Thompson. He returned to Sydney in 1969 to follow his artistic desires. He became a full-time painter in 1975

Done received an Order of Australia (AM) for services to Art, Design, and Tourism in 1992

Ken Done created a design company called "Done Art and Design" with his wife Judy Done. The company started out by producing small runs of T-shirts featuring Done's art and the garment design of his wife Judy. In 1993 the company won the Fashion Industries of Australia's, Grand Award.

Ken Done: Sea Gardens is a collection of paintings, drawings and prints inspired by two recent diving expeditions. The first of these was to the tropical reefs and islands of Tonga in the South Pacific in 2011 and the second one to the coral islands of Wakatobi in Indonesia in 2012.

The works range in size from very large 1.5m2+ to a very modest 30 x 40cm. The distinguishing feature of Done's work is the Vibrancy of the colors he uses , bright blues , greens ,yellows , pinks , , oranges, purples, and reds all leaping off the canvas. Even the “night dive” paintings, tho predominantly gloss black , still exude vibrancy. The choice of and use of Oil paint, gouache and oil pastels lends themselves well to the joyfulness and playfulness Done has successfully expressed. The composition of these works are cluttered , a very childlike approach , where kids try to fit everything into their world at a glance. And although the works appear rushed on closer inspection it can be seen that attention to the surfaces have been given. Layers of paint have been build up and often scratched back into with possibly the back of the brush adding to the already varied texture of his brush work. Even the position and method of this signature either painted on , written in pastel or scratched into the paint, varies greatly between each work.

The Tweed River Art Gallery has displayed Done's artwork in the Derek and Sandi Bedd Space, which is a long hallway with 3 access points. This space allows some natural light in through the main entrance and through windows at the far end, tho the primary lighting for the artworks is artificial . This lighting is sufficient and the artworks are hung at various heights . Some of the works are subtly framed , the works on paper are float mounted leaving the frayed edges exposed and the larger works are unframed. Limited seating was supplied at the primary entrance to the space as well as a comprehensive booklet about Ken Done , this exhibition and the purchase price of the works. The choice of the space by the Curator was integral to the success of this exhibition.

This space is quite intimate and allows for the viewer to be completely consumed by the cluttered compositions of the larger paintings. This claustrophobic space alludes to the sensations that divers experience while underwater and surrounded by coral reefs. That sense of being overwhelmed emotionally as there is just too much information to take in .

The artist says, “Since I had my first mask and snorkel as a very young boy, I’ve been fascinated by the things that live and grow under the sea. It’s such a joy to experience diving on a new reef somewhere in Australia or the Pacific - or visiting again a familiar coral head. Shimmering, darting, glowing, flickering fish: crusty, craggy, dotted, spotted coral. Underwater gardens teeming with life. Another world of constant inspiration.”

If you are passionate about diving , or just have a child dwelling inside of your heart , take the time and visit this exhibition, it was an absolute pleasure to be able to experience these works. The display of the works is highly successful in drawing the viewer into Ken Dones underwater world , his recreational passion.